The Most Powerful Magic in the World...got lost

Story elements frequently (and cleverly) overlap in Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver.  Liesl, locked in the attic by her rotten stepmother, is surprised to be visited by Po, a ghost, and Bundle, Po's ghost-pet.  Po and Bundle are from the Other Side, where ghosts hang out until they go Beyond.  Po has a message from Liesl's recently deceased father - he wants Liesl to bury his ashes under a particular willow tree.  Liesl escapes from the attic and is trying to grant her father's wish, but...there's a bit of a mix-up involving two similar boxes, one containing the ashes and the other containing the Most Powerful Magic in the World, recently prepared for the evil Lady Premier.  A lot will seem familiar in a fairy-tale kind of way - an evil stepmother; an orphan; a big, likable, bumbling servant -  but there's a lot of creativity, too, and a gentleness in the way the story deals with Liesl loss and healing.  Soft, black and white illustrations add a nice touch.

Creepy...in a good way

If you like stories that are kind of spooky, I definitely recommend The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn (an excellent writer of ghost stories). Diana and her brother Georgie live on their own in the woods near the empty, creepy Willis mansion. They can't leave the grounds, and they aren't allowed to be seen by anyone because of..."the rules." Caretakers for the house have come and gone over the years, but now somebody new is there - a man and his daughter Lissa, who's about Diana's age. Diana decides to break "the rules" and become friends with Lissa, but this decision becomes dangerous when Lissa tempts Diana into the mansion and accidentally releases the nasty ghost of the woman who used to live there. And what IS it about Diana and her brother? How do they live on their own? Why aren't they ever hungry? This creepy story moves at a good pace, has characters you really care for, and finishes with a great ending. What more could you want?

Not your typical ghostly adventure

Enjoy graphic novels? Even if you're new to the format, I'd recommend Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel - it's getting great reviews! Frank Gallows works for the Supernatural Immigration Task Force, and it's his job to round up stray ghosts and zap them back to the afterlife. But he messes up, and Garth Hale, a boy with an incurable disease, gets sent, too. After Garth is befriended by a skelton horse (nicknamed "Skinny") and meets Cecil (his grandpa's ghost), they all set out to save Ghostopolis from its evil ruler. At the same time, Frank and his ex-girlfriend, who's now a ghost, blast into the afterlife to try to save Garth. Lots of craziness, adventure, and humor make it fun; the characters' growth make it worthwhile. Take the time to savor the illustrations...the details make them awesome.

Spooky!

You've heard, "Never judge a book by its cover," right?  So true.  I only picked up this book because it had been recommended to me, but I thought that it looked dated and....sort of lame.  Shame on me - this was good!  The story begins with 11-year-old Allie stuck on the side of a cliff after fossil hunting.  Then a voice - from where? - calmly gives advice on how to get down.  After seeing a young girl's grave in a nearby cemetery and doing some research with her friend Dub, Allie is convinced that the voice belonged to the ghost of Lucy Stiles, who died four years ago but whose body was never found.  Now Allie is trying to solve the mystery of Lucy's death so that Lucy's spirit can finally rest in peace.  This is a well-paced book that's hard to put down, so look past the cover and check it out.

History and mystery...

I liked this book for so many reasons that I'm not sure where to start! The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler takes place in 18th-century Japan. Seikei is a tea merchant's son, but he dreams of becoming a samurai. When a priceless ruby is stolen, Seikei is the only person to have seen the thief, and the famous samurai magistrate Judge Ooka asks for Seikei's help in solving the mystery. The description of the Japanese culture of the times is outstanding; the contrast between Judge Ooka's slow, methodical approach to the crime and Seikei's urge to just nab the criminal (you'll have a good idea who it is) was fun to follow; and the ending was both exciting and unexpected. Fans of both adventure and mystery will enjoy the action in this story of a boy who shows the courage and honor of a samurai.