The Haunted Library (Haunted Library #1)

by Dori Hillestad Butler (Author) Aurore Damant (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Haunted Library

A brand-new young chapter book series from Edgar Award winner Dori Hillestad Butler!

When ghost boy Kaz's haunt is torn down and he is separated from his ghost family, he meets a real girl named Claire, who lives above the town library with her parents and her grandmother. Claire has a special ability to see ghosts when other humans cannot and she and Kaz quickly form a friendship. The two join forces to solve the mystery of the ghost that's haunting the library. Could it be one of Kaz's lost family members?

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Kirkus

Simple text, brief chapters and a high-interest topic all combine to make this, the first of a series, an easy sell to readers newly transitioned to chapter books. (Fantasy. 7-10)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4--Nine-year-old Kaz is an awkward ghost, who is unprepared for life, or rather, death. His family of apparitions has taught him many of the basics. He can float and shrink, yet he hasn't mastered passing through walls or existing among humans, or as Kaz calls them, "solids." Without warning, his family's abandoned old "haunt" is demolished. Separated from his family by violent winds, he ends up in a small town public library. A ghost presumably haunts this library, and Kaz desperately hopes that the being is his missing brother, Finn. He finds a friend in Claire, a "solid" girl whose grandmother owns the library. Kaz and Claire work together to uncover this mystery. This lighthearted tale is the first of a book series. Ideal for early readers, the text is amusing and accessible, and the cartoon-style artwork is winsome. The modern-day setting makes the tale relatable. However, those expecting a more captivating mystery will be unsatisfied with the story's simplistic resolution. While the pacing is fine, there isn't much character development and there are gaps in logic. Ghosts are deceased beings, but Kaz is completely ignorant of human behavior. Yet for young ones seeking a welcoming introduction to the supernatural, this is an acceptable, kid-friendly read.--Sada Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Dori Hillestad Butler
Dori Hillestad Butler's books have appeared on children's choice award lists in 18 different states. Trading Places with Tank Talbott won the Maryland Children's Choice Award in 2007, and The Buddy Files: Case of the Lost Boy won the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery. Dori has also been a ghostwriter for the Sweet Valley Twins, Unicorn Club, and Boxcar Children series, and a children's book reviewer for several publications. She's published numerous short stories, plays, and educational materials, and has served as the Iowa Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators' Regional Advisor. She grew up in southern Minnesota and now lives in Seattle with her husband, son, dog, and cat. She visits schools and leads writing workshops all over the country.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780448462424
Lexile Measure
520
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Grosset & Dunlap
Publication date
August 14, 2014
Series
Haunted Library
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV047000 - Juvenile Fiction | Books & Libraries
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
JUV045000 - Juvenile Fiction | Readers | Chapter Books
Library of Congress categories
Ghosts
Ghost stories
Haunted places

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