The Red Ghost

April 1, 2008
Gr 2-4-In this companion to Bauer's "The Blue Ghost" (Random, 2005), fourth-grader Jenna and a friend find a doll at Miss Tate's garage sale that would be a perfect birthday present for Jenna's little sister. However, there is something about its eyes that makes the girls uneasy, and they're suspicious when Miss Tate gives it to them for free. Jenna's cat furiously spits and strikes at the wrapped gift, and in the middle of the night, Jenna is wakened by rustling and crying sounds. When she gives the doll to her sister, Quinn refuses to keep it, saying "she's full." The easy-to-follow plot involves the ghost of a child who died from scarlet fever years earlier and has a happy ending. Ferguson's expressive, humorously spooky pencil illustrations accompany the text. Readers moving into chapter books will find this eerily entertaining."Debbie S. Hoskins, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2008
Bauer continues the theme she began with The Blue Ghost (2005). Here the ghostly aspects issue from a doll dressed all in red velvet. Jenna finds the doll at a neighbors garage sale, and is certain it will be a perfect gift for her little sister. But the doll gives off what can only be described as bad vibes. No one wants her, not Jennas sister, not the neighbor, not even Jenna. But theres a mystery surrounding the doll. It once belonged to Miss Tates sister, who died as a child. When Jenna learns that Miss Tates mother poured all her sadness and love into the doll, a clue to the dolls vibrations emerges. A spooky cover will draw kids, and once between the covers, theyll find a clever ghost story that will engage readers, especially new ones, wholl push their personal envelopes to find out what happens next. Pencil illustrations nicely break up the text.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)