Sir Simon

July 2, 2018
Sir Simon Spookington has haunted a boat, a bus stop, and a pizza pie, among other spots. His transfer to a new haunting residence, his first house, is complicated by the arrival of Chester, a brown-skinned child who is thrilled by Sir Simon’s presence and yearns to “be a ghost with you.” Simon ropes Chester into doing his varied haunting tasks by touting them as privileges, Tom Sawyer–style: “First chore, er, I mean activity, is spooky animal sounds!” But Chester isn’t so good at haunting, and Simon becomes uneasy about his trickery. Photographs in the boy’s room create empathy within Simon (“Looks like Chester gets transferred a lot, just like me”), and he repents the next day, offering to share Chester’s chores. Detailed art by Atkinson (Where Oliver Fits) mirrors the story’s energy through architectural cross-sections and explanatory diagrams. Part snarky comedy, part feel-good tale, the book offers enough laughs to be a solid readaloud, and its lack of scary moments makes it a good choice for kids who prefer their ghost stories scream-free. Ages 4–8.

August 1, 2018
A "Super Scarer / Ghostest with the mostest" (according to his business card) learns a bit about being a ghost...and about being a human.Sir Simon has haunted all sorts of things, from a bus stop to a potato, but he's just gotten his first haunted house assignment, which means he'll have "Ghost chores" to do: stair creaking, toilet flushing, attic stomping, etc. But when the expected elderly couple ("PRO: Sleep all the time / CON: None!") turn out to be a grandmother and her grandson ("KIDS / PRO: None! / CON: Too curious"), can Simon survive the kid's inquisitiveness? If it means getting out of chores, sure. But it turns out that Chester (hysterically!) isn't so good at ghostly chores. And when Simon feels a bit of empathy for Chester, whose parents are separated, and he voluntarily helps Chester with the boy's chores, Simon is just as bad (and funny) at "human chores." But both are very good at being each other's friend. Simon is one very expressive ghost, managing with just the basic facial features and two tiny arms to convey everything from frustration to deviousness. Speech bubbles and illustrations that range from double-page spreads all the way down to vignettes--with some very funny cross-sections--help break up the somewhat lengthy tale, though there's enough detail in the pictures (made with "Ghost toots and Photoshop") to keep readers riveted. Chester and his grandmother both have brown skin. Friendship makes the chores (and everything else) more fun. (Picture book. 4-8)

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July 1, 2018
Preschool-G Sir Simon, a cute Pac-Man-looking ghost, has just been assigned to his first haunted house and, boy, is he excited. This promotion comes with a strict regimen of ghost chores?stomping in the attic, flushing the toilet at random, moving objects around?but he's ready. He thinks he's hit the jackpot when a grandmother moves into his house (old people are the easiest to haunt), but when he runs into her grandson, Chester, he's thrown for a loop. Chester has no trouble seeing Sir Simon (curious kids are the worst!), and the boy wants to be a ghost, too. Atkinson's hilarious friendship story uses Photoshop illustrations filled with entertaining details and contrasts that suggest Sir Simon was never very good at scaring. A sweet and silly Halloween pick.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)