Life gets complicated for a seventh-grade girl just starting her first romance when ghosts that only she can see interfere.
Kendall, 12, doesn’t know how to approach cute Brandon, until her most recent ghost starts giving her boy-chasing advice. Unbeknownst to anyone, Kendall has seen ghosts since she was a baby; once she solves the ghosts’ problems, they move on. Her current ghost, a 16-year-old gymnast named Daniella, knows she’s dead but can’t remember what her problem is except that it involves someone named Jen. Kendall researches the problem online and finds a likely Jen but succeeds only in annoying her. Meanwhile, Kendall gets an actual date with Brandon, but Ellie does better in her romance with Brandon’s friend Kyle. Brandon keeps discovering Kendall talking with the invisible Daniella and backs off their relationship. Can Kendall satisfy Daniella’s ghostly needs while simultaneously pursuing Brandon and avoiding a restraining order from Jen? And what about a new ghost that scares even Kendall? Barnholdt keeps the narrative light and her characters chirpy. Kendall might get discouraged, but she’s always ready to bounce back with a new hairstyle or a spiffy outfit. Much of the comedy comes from Kendall’s attempts to explain her increasingly outlandish actions as she tries to hide the truth about her ghosts.
Funny and bubbly. (Paranormal comedy. 9-12)
