GHOST PARK

Offering two for the price of one, the publisher takes a different approach to launch a new series by binding books one and two of this magical, ghostly mystery in one volume. Though the protagonists, two innocent kids named Max and Sophie, are mostly stock characters, the unique idea of a sanctuary/zoo of ghosts and magical creatures is inventive. The cast includes: Snorting-with-Rage Ghosts who spit purple slime; a woman river specter mesmerized by gold; a mini-mermaid and mini-merman (whose triton is no bigger than a kitchen fork); a Stone-Softener (his tears melt stone) named Boo-hoo who eats socks dipped in mayonnaise; a genie in a toothpaste tube; and the Cerberus Catapult whose huge dog’s mouth becomes an escape route to the castle when his uvula is tickled. Black-and-white spot drawings lends form to the corporeal and noncorporeal. This breezy read with an enticing title, ghoulish appeal and kid heroes gives a new, fun meaning to “wildlife preserve.” (Fiction. 8-12)