Ghost Squad - Claribel A. Ortega

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business.

Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout their hometown of St. Augustine, Florida. Together, they must join forces with Syd's witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely's firefly spirits before it's too late."

Middle Grade Mega Awesome Super Fantastic Massive Review Spree!

Clocking in at 237 pages, this book is blessedly on the short side for middle grade books with enticing storylines that I've come across. Hooray for telling a story that will capture the attention of kids who love ghost stories without making it 400+ pages! The blurb on the back compares it to "Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters," which is fairly apt. 

Ortega dives into the action almost immediately, so the story hooks you from the start, and the short timeline for when their town's ghost problem needs to be solved creates a sense of urgency that keeps you reading. I think that spooky story afficionados might find this one a bit tame, but for kids looking for something just a little on the scary side for Halloween it will be just right.