Ghostopolis

Ghostopolis

By Doug TenNapel

Published by Scholastic

This book is a classic of its genre, or at the very least it should be. The story follows Garth, a kid with an incurable disease who is sent to the afterlife due to a ghost hunting accident. This unfortunate event leads to epic adventures with a colorful cast of characters, including a bone horse named Skinny, the ghost of Garth’s grandpa, Frank Gallows: the ghost hunter who started it all, and Claire: a ghost who escaped to the living world but came to help. Together they try and stop the evil Vaugner, a god-like figure with near unlimited power.

This book is exquisite, but after the 8th reading of it I started to pick up on some subtleties that I had never noticed before. The rules and laws that govern the afterlife are very clear, and there are subtle character moments that younger readers could miss. So it confuses me that most of the comedic lines are aimed at a younger audience of about 12. The plot also is ham-handed at times (there are bits that aren’t very subtle), but these are minor nitpicks that don’t degrade too much from the book.

TLDR: 8/10

Should you buy this book: Yes