Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu
Published by Walden Pond Press on January 16, 2024
ISBN: 0062275151
Pages: 277
Genres: Magical Realism
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Middle School is off to a difficult start for Violet.  Her friend group is changing and her attic  bedroom with the ugly wallpaper in the house her family just moved into appears to be haunted.  Adding to this stress is the fact that Violet is sick and no one can figure out what’s wrong with her.  She gets weak easily and no matter how much she rests, she is always exhausted.  It lasts so long that some of her friends and even her doctors believe she is making it up.  The sicker she gets, the more her bedroom haunts her.  As Violet works to figure out what is wrong with her and how to expel the spirit from her room, she learns important lessons about who she is and what it means to be a friend.  In addition to friendship, this book explores living with invisible illness, blended families, and perseverance.  Violet and her friends are white, but her stepdad is Black.  There is also LGBTQ representation as her new friend Will has two dads and the sibling of another friend uses “they” pronouns.  This coming of age story would be a great addition for libraries with middle grade readers.  Violet is an authentic, likable character who navigates the inevitable ups and downs of middle school with some hiccups.  The novel isn’t action packed, but readers will care about Violet and will want to know what is wrong with her and the gentle ghost story adds a little suspense to the plot. 

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library