THE HAUNTED GOLDFISH

McGee returns to the weird town of Wolver Hollow, Vermont, to chronicle a fishy death and its aftermath.

When Victor discovers Doris floating belly up in her bowl, his parents suggest “one last swim” as a proper farewell. What seems an appropriately watery burial at sea via a flush down the toilet turns into something spooky. That night the toilet overflows, a fishy smell emanates from the bathroom along with a spooky voice calling Victor’s name, and the light in the fishbowl pirate ship mysteriously turns on. At bedtime the following night, a ghostly Doris emerges from the toilet bowl, with a piranhalike maw and bloodshot eyes, demanding to be fed. Though Doris is exorcised with a boxful of fish flakes, she has a successor with a similar appetite. Made up of five chapters, the tale is introduced by an unseen narrator known as “the Keeper,” “the knower of secrets.” McGee spins off his middle-grade Night Frights series, offering even younger readers the opportunity to visit Wolver Hollow for themselves. Full-color cartoon illustrations on every page support a breezy story infused with a just-right dose of chills, while the simple, linear plot and large font make this a strong offering for newly independent readers. Victor and his parents are brown-skinned and dark-haired.

A surefire, silly combo of toilet-adjacent humor and bearable scariness.