Ghosted: A Funny and Heartwarming Story About Seventh Grade Friendship for Children written by Michael Fry and reviewed by Rebecca Lowe

Summary: Main character Larry has been best friends with Grimm since fourth grade. Now in seventh grade, Grimm dies after being struck by lightning. But Larry discovers that friendship doesn't die that easily, as Grimm continues to haunt Larry! Larry is determined to help his friend cross over and believes the answer lies in their bucket list. Together Larry and Grimm embark on a series of wild misadventures in their pursuit of helping Grimm move on. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Ghosted holds much in common with the beloved Diary of a Wimpy Kid series -- wild hijinks and the same illustrated text format. While the story at first is lighthearted and silly, seriousness creeps in as secondary characters express concern for Larry and acknowledge his grief. Larry also meets with a psychologist and has a conversation about how people talk to the dead all the time, how that can feel quite real, and also guilt. The reader becomes aware that Grimm was, in fact, not always a nice person, and Larry is struggling with how to make amends to some of the people Grimm hurt. The over-the-top escapades keep the story light hearted and funny even while dealing with serious topics like grief, guilt, and bullying. In the drawings, Larry is white and Grimm is black.

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.

The Hidden Witch, written by Molly Knox Ostertag, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: The Hidden Witch is the second book in a series, but could be read as a stand alone. It is about a young boy, Aster, who has recently discovered he would like to be a witch (a title usually reserved for girls). Though he is standing up for his passions, he is still looked down upon by many in his community. By book 2, Aster has a very close knit group of friends with Charlie and Sedge. A new girl, Ariel, moves into town, but she's having problems making friends. Charlie reaches out to her and invites her into their friend circle. But Ariel has secrets no one understands, maybe not even Ariel herself. If she can't learn to control her power, it might turn on her and kill her too. Can Aster's wisdom, Sedge's talent, and Charlie's never-wavering friendship help save their new friend Ariel?

Straight Talk for Librarians: I feel like this book would be a great conversation starter when talking about friendship and accepting people for who they are. I had not previously read book 1, but I can assume that Aster was bullied for being different, and that's how his strong friendships with Charlie and Sedge developed. The three friends are very accepting and encouraging of each other in all that they do. They do not pass judgement, and they do not belittle each other. When Ariel comes along, it might be tempting for Charlie to give up on her, or to treat her negatively because of Ariel's actions, but she decided friendship is worth the risk, and fights for their friendship. It was inspiring to watch four middle school aged kids deal with problems that seem far beyond their age, yet handle them so well.
I feel like this book would also be very good for helping a student cope with being accepted as an LGBTQ member. That topic is never specifically mentioned at all throughout the book. It was almost as if Aster's magic was in place of Aster's identification. He was bullied and not accepted by many because he chose the schooling of a girl. Even his aunt treated him differently than all the other students in the class. But his friends and his mom had accepted him for who he was, and that was all he needed. Aster says "the feelings I get from being a witch... those are usually stronger than the bad feelings I get from what other people think about me." He is strong in his beliefs, and proud of his accomplishments. I feel like my students have such a hard time understanding how to accept people as they are, no matter what orientation they identify with. It's a hard topic to talk about with kids, but I think this book would be a great lead in. It hints at the possibility just enough, but students will sympathize with Aster immediately because, on the surface, they are talking about magic, not sexual orientation.
I think this book would be good for a middle school library. I don't think it would appeal to everyone, but I think it would be a great took to use with the kids that need it.

Dug Out: When Zombie Steals Home, written by Scott Morse, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: Stacy and Gina are twins, but they don't look the same. They both love baseball, but they're on different teams. Gina's team is known for winning. Stacy's team believes they are cursed. When Gina tries to help her sister, things go very wrong, and suddenly it seems as if Stacy's team really is cursed - by a zombie baseball player! How do they get rid of the zombie? Are there consequences for Gina's actions?

Straight Talk for Librarians: I really enjoyed this book. The beginning was dry, and I didn't think I was going to like it at first. It is very baseball centered, and uses authentic baseball language, which I know absolutely nothing of. But once the story got going, it was quite the page turner. It is FILLED with jokes my middle schoolers are going to love, like drawing faces on your tummy and naming it, or jokes about boogers. I think, between the baseball and the comic joking, any student could get hooked.
I loved that Stacy an Gina aren't drawn as the "pretty girls." They are very authentic young girls who truly love baseball. They hold their own and are treated like equals with the boys on the team. Stacy's character often takes a leadership role in her team, but also is not afraid to delegate or let someone else take the lead. I think this book would be a great "mighty girl' book, as both Stacy and Gina are very empowered.
Finally, I think this is a great sisterhood book. Like every group of teenage sisters, Stacy and Gina fight, a lot. And when they try to help each other, they end up making things worse. The book doesn't grace over sibling rivalry. it is honest and filled with love. Though sisters may disagree, at the end of the day, they love and believe in each other the most. I think this was a great book and would highly recommend it.

Agony House. written by Cheri Priest, reviewed by Amanda Davies

Summary​:  After losing her dad and her grandmother in Hurricane Katrina, Denise and her mom built a new life in Texas.  But when Denise's mom and stepdad decide to move back to New Orleans and buy a run-down house to restore it and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast, Denise has no choice but to follow along and try to make the best of it.  As Denise's family begins to refurbish the house, strange (and dangerous) things start happening.  Her stepdad falls through the front porch, a secure window slams down on her mom's hand, nails appear in strange places.  And then Denise finds an old comic book wrapped in plastic and hidden in an old chimney.  With help from new friends, her sluething abilities, and clues in the comic book, Denise is determined to figure out the mystery of her house before it kills someone. 
 Straight Talk for Librarians​:  Like Priest's book Princess X, Agony House incorporates graphic elements into a prose story.  As the main character reads the newly discovered comic book, readers get to follow along and try to unravel the mystery.  The retro style and black and blue color scheme of Tara O'Connor's illustrations parallel and compliment the text.  While the ending was predictable, this is still an important book to hand-sell to kids.  Priest tells the story of the impact of Hurricane Katrina and its devastation of the New Orleans community without beating the reader over the head with it.  Even more significantly, Priest addresses the issue of white "saviors" returning to the city to renovate homes with little concern for or help from the remaining black neighbors and neighborhoods.  For kids who aren't aware of the the racial tensions surrounding the
 rebuilding of New Orleans or who don't have vivid memories of the people trapped in the Superdome, this book is an important and engaging read.