GHOST HUNTERS

A tween psychic apprentice develops new abilities and faces off against evil spirits in McCauley’s third installment of a paranormal middle-grade series.

In 12-year-old Alex Lenard’s world, ghosts are an everyday phenomenon. It’s been more than a century since spirits invaded the mortal realm, which now has special schools for training psychics who can detect and protect others from ghosts. New Orleans–based Alex is an especially powerful psychic apprentice, perhaps more talented than his mentor. The duo’s latest investigation for the Town Psychics’ Office involves unexplained fires in the city. At one scene, Alex discovers Alice, the ghost of a young girl who needs help. But the boy is shocked when he finds that he’s able to get glimpses into her 18th-century past—a skill he didn’t even know he had. The fires may have something to do with malevolent spirits that threaten Alex each time he gets close to Alice. With protective wards and sigils at his disposal, Alex hopes to aid the girl in “crossing over” while combating vengeful and potentially lethal ghostly baddies. McCauley ably blends supernatural elements with sympathetic characters. Alex, for example, lost his mother in a car accident but gets much affection from kindhearted spirit Mrs. Wilson. His paranormal investigation team includes his nonpsychic cousin Hannah and his best friend, Jason. Hannah wields a device to hear and record ghosts, while Jason wears “ghost glasses” to see the spirit world. The friends are, however, mostly useless in the confrontations with evil spirits, whom McCauley makes genuinely scary. The story progresses briskly, and Alex’s determination to help Alice rarely wavers; he even picks up yet another incredible ability. Overall, McCauley’s novel is entertainingly upbeat, with fun, relatable moments, as when Alex dodges an “awkward group hug,” and his ghost cat, Onyx, nearly steals the show.

A diverting, fast-paced tale of psychics, otherworldly entities, and adolescence.