Book Review: Karma Moon, Ghost Hunter

Karma Moon, Ghost Hunter is a middle grades Ghost Hunters, and I’m here for it. After years of trying, her dad’s film crew finally has its first big break: Netflix wants them to shoot a pilot for a ghost hunting docu-series on location at the very spooky Stanley Hotel. If the pilot shoot is a success, the series gets the green light — and Karma and her dad get a major life upgrade. They could use one — life hasn’t been easy since Karma’s mom took off for Florida one day and never came back, leaving Karma with some serious anxiety and her dad with too many bills.

Karma’s convinced this is their big break, though, and with her best friend Mags along for support, she dives into her newly created position as head of research, learning everything she can about the hotel’s haunted history. She’s expecting spooky happenings like she’s seen in “Poltergeist,” “Ghostbusters,” and “The Shining,” and she’s not disappointed — something weird is definitely going on at the Stanley Hotel.

This is a fun, spooky-not-scary book with a likable protagonist coping well with ongoing anxiety. (I love that she has therapist-recommended coping strategies for anxiety that she and other characters refer to matter-of-factly.) The books is also full of haunted history, including lots about Harry Houdini, which has made me want to do a whole Houdini unit study. Don’t let the Scooby Doo vibe fool you — there’s complex character growth happening in this story, as well as madcap haunted house hijinks. It’s definitely going on my middle grades must-read list.

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