NEVER SAY BOO!
by Robin Pulver and illustrated by Deb Lucke
It’s never easy being the new kid at school, but when you’re the only ghost, too, it’s really tough. When Gordon greets his new teacher—Mrs. BOOdle—she passes out. “Bummer,” says Gordon. It gets worse: Each vocabulary word begins with “boo,” the kids all run away from Gordon’s haunted lunchbox and then a fire breaks out and the fire alarm doesn’t work. What’s a ghost to do? A well-timed “BOO!” evacuates the school and wins Gordon the friendship of all. Lucke depicts Gordon as a droopy, gray-faced fellow with untied saddle shoes and a tendency to shed teeth when he talks. Readers will identify with Gordon’s desire “just...to fit in,” but they may well be mystified by the arbritrariness of the setup. (Picture book. 5-8)