MEET THE FRAIDYS

In Dean’s middle-grade debut, a boy must adjust to life as a ghost and de-haunt the family that’s moved into his house.

12-year-old Evan Cameron and his dad have just moved to Bainbridge, California. Evan likes books and baseball. He’s excited about their new house but sad to leave his friends behind. What will his life be like? Unfortunately for Evan, the answer is: short! The day after they move in, Evan, his dad, and their dog, Buzzby, wake to find all their possessions gone. Nobody can see or touch them. They have died in their sleep—carbon monoxide poisoning from the old boiler. They are ghosts! On top of this shock, Evan is horrified to find a new family moving into their now-empty house. There’s Mrs. Fraidy, a single mom; her young daughter, Lily; and Elliot, a boy Evan’s age. Evan plans to haunt them—to scare them into leaving—but it turns out the house is already haunted! A pair of burning red eyes appears to Elliot, terrifying him as well as Evan and his dad. Judging this ghost to be the real intruder, Evan decides to help Elliot and his family. He follows Elliot to school and, while saving him from bullies, manages to forge a mental connection. Elliot can now see him! Evan has always wanted a brother, but will he be able to protect his adopted “fleshies” from the malevolent ghost that torments them? Dean writes in the first person and imbues Evan and his dad with distinct (and in the latter case, quite eccentric) personalities. The writing is clear and personable, narrated conversationally, and the tale moves quickly, deploying some nice inversions on the usual genre expectations. Dean’s dialogue is perhaps a relative weak point—at times it’s overly frenetic; plus, Lily seems very articulate for her age—but these are minor qualms and not really at odds with the book’s overall tone of excitability. Young readers should devour this cover to cover, reveling in the action while soaking up Dean’s underlying message of family and friendship.

A lively, inventive romp with plenty of spirit!