City of Ghosts (City of Ghosts #1), written by Victoria Schwab, reviewed by Amanda Davies

Summary:  After being saved from death under mysterious circumstances, Cassidy (Cass) finds that the veil between the land of the living and the land of ghosts is much thinner. When her family travels to Edinburgh, Scotland for the summer, she and her best friend (who is a ghost) find themselves drawn through the veil in new and scary ways. With smarts, trial and error, help from a new friend, and a little luck, Cass hopes to be able to survive the summer and learn more about her strange skill. This is the first book in a three-book series; the other two books take place in Paris and New Orleans.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Middle school students love ghost stories that are creepy and ghosty without being too gory and Victoria Schwab nails it with this first book in the City of Ghosts series. The ghosts are just spooky enough to keep students interested. The setting (both historical and modern-day Edinburgh) means that readers learn about some Scottish culture (please call the the cookies "biscuits" and the fries "chips") and geography along with the frights. A great addition to middle school ghost story collections; sure to have a long holds list.