MIDDLE GRADE SPECULATIVE (Fantasy) FICTION : The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell
ABOUT THE BOOK
What if there was a ghost in your brother's room?
This kid-friendly mystery about three friends who try to help a restless spirit find peace is perfect for fans of Under the Egg and The Book Scavenger .
It stinks that Danny's older brother moved out and went to college. But you know what's worse? He left behind an angry ghost in his room!
With the help of his friends Nat and Gus, Danny interviews everyone his Brooklyn neighborhood to find out about spirits. Is it an Arabian ghoul? A Korean gwishin? A Polish haunting? Maybe the answer lies with Danny's own bubbe and her tales of a dybbuk, a Jewish mythological ghost. Regardless of its origins, what does the spirit truly want? And can Danny manage to bring the phantom to rest?
This kid-friendly mystery about three friends who try to help a restless spirit find peace is perfect for fans of Under the Egg and The Book Scavenger .
It stinks that Danny's older brother moved out and went to college. But you know what's worse? He left behind an angry ghost in his room!
With the help of his friends Nat and Gus, Danny interviews everyone his Brooklyn neighborhood to find out about spirits. Is it an Arabian ghoul? A Korean gwishin? A Polish haunting? Maybe the answer lies with Danny's own bubbe and her tales of a dybbuk, a Jewish mythological ghost. Regardless of its origins, what does the spirit truly want? And can Danny manage to bring the phantom to rest?
REVIEW
The Ghost in Apartment 2R provides a slightly spooky tale about a ghost haunting an apartment in Brooklyn, New York. Danny gets upset with his parents after they turn his brother's room into a rental instead of letting him move into it. He's tired of living in a closet. And while he doesn't mind those who come to stay with them, he even likes some of them, he's troubled by the strange things that have started to happen. He's not happy about strange images appearing in photographs and windows, or being awoken in the middle of the night by a possessed visitor. At first his friends, Nat and Gus, don't believe him either, but when the strange things keep happening, and Danny even gets a message from the ghost, they determine to stay the night and help him figure things out.
While the book wasn't as strongly compelling as I would have liked, I was fascinated by the stories about Brooklyn and various cultural variations of ghosts. The setting is portrayed superbly, I could practically see it in my mind, and definitely wanted to visit. The author's love for his setting shines through clearly. The diverse characters also made the book more interesting with Danny being Jewish, although not religiously active, and Nat being Lebanese American. The variety of interesting characters makes this particularly strong in that area. The plot isn't as scary or compelling as a lot of young readers like, but I think those that stick with it as I did will find it a pleasant and satisfying read.
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