First day in a new school is never easy, but when your school was founded by a Civil War captain–turned–voodoo hougan and the corridors are full of ghosts only you can see and hear, it’s particularly problematic. In his third funny and spooky mystery adventure, 11-year-old “ghost seer” Zack Jennings finds himself and his new friends, Malik and Azalea, entangled in a search for Confederate gold and a quest for voodoo revenge—all while trying to thwart a dead man’s desire to rise from the grave, fend off his zombie slave and avoid a major swirly from the school’s worst bully. Agatha winner Grabenstein’s third Haunted Places Mystery is as fizzy and fast paced, especially at its end, as previous outings. Plenty of well-constructed twists and turns, realistic (rather than slapstick) humor, nifty puzzles and a refreshingly positive relationship between Zack and his stepmother make this a standout series for fans of John Bellairs and those who have outgrown the repetitiveness of R.L. Stine. This stands alone, but those who haven’t read the others will definitely want to seek them out. (Adventure. 9-12)
