A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander
Kelly Murphy (Illustrations)
4 out of 5 Magical Coffee Cups
From Goodreads:
Rosa Ramona Díaz has just moved to the small, un-haunted town of Ingot—the only ghost-free town in the world. She doesn’t want to be there. She doesn’t understand how her mother—a librarian who specializes in ghost-appeasement—could possibly want to live in a place with no ghosts. Frankly, she doesn’t understand why anyone would.
Jasper Chevalier has always lived in Ingot. His father plays a knight at the local Renaissance Festival, and his mother plays the queen. Jasper has never seen a ghost, and can’t imagine his un-haunted town any other way. Then an apparition thunders into the festival grounds and turns the quiet town upside down.
Something otherworldly is about to be unleashed, and Rosa will need all her ghost appeasement tools—and a little help from Jasper—to rein in the angry spirits and restore peace to Ingot before it’s too late.
My Review:
First off, Rosa lives in the library! Oh, that sounds amazing! And I love the idea of the mother’s job. She basically keeps ghosts happy, so they don’t hurt or destroy things.
Okay, now to talk about the town. Everywhere else, there are ghosts, but not in Ingot. Why? Rosa’s new friend, Jasper, sees no issue with this. It’s not weird. There are just no ghosts, right?
Suddenly, a creepy upside-down tree comes barreling through the town’s Renaissance Faire. It’s crazy! This event leads Rosa and Jasper off on their adventure. Where did this tree creature come from? What else is lurking just outside the town? Why is this happening now?
I also really enjoyed meeting Jasper’s dad. He is a Knight at the Faire, he is also Black, and he teaches Rosa about North Africa’s knights. I loved the history lesson. I love people who teach me new things. I also really enjoy people who love to learn, and hearing about his dad’s ability to start an “argument of historical nitpickery with a total stranger” was fantastic.
I thought this book was very entertaining. Lots of twists and turns, lots of fun, and all-around spooky! This looks to be a series, and I will positively be on the lookout for the next book!
I will leave you with my favorite quote:
“Whenever you open an old book, you read it along with everyone else who’s ever read that same book.”
Love this! Such an incredible way to think about reading.
Literary Coffee 