A LITTLE TOO HAUNTED

An aspiring 13-year-old ghost hunter takes on her first real case.

A month ago, The Incident upended Luna Catalano’s life. She exposed her home improvement influencer moms—who claim to flip haunted houses—for faking the hauntings. That’s how the family ended up in Ohio, living at 5753 Shadyside Avenue: “the least haunted house Luna had ever seen.” But she finds that looks can be deceiving. As well as dealing with her irritable bowel syndrome, which is aggravated by stress, she keeps experiencing odd, disruptive occurrences. First, a strange voice keeps saying, “Welcome home.” Then, Luna sees “GET OUT” written in blood on the ceiling. The mysterious happenings continue, and eventually, the house’s very real ghosts turn violent. With help from sibling neighbors Dani and Mateo Moreno, can Luna save her family—and herself—before it’s too late? Pucella Winans’ latest is a love letter to ghost stories and those who believe in them—especially queer kids. The five embedded short stories are pitch-perfect in tone, slowly building the novel’s eerie lore alongside the unfolding plot, which contains occasional humor. Through her art, Luna realizes that she might like girls—growth that beautifully mirrors Dani’s coming out as nonbinary. Dani’s strict adherence to the scientific method also teaches Luna valuable lessons about jumping to conclusions when it comes to friendships. The Morenos are Latine. Luna is cued white, like one of her moms; her other mom has Italian and Brazilian heritage.

Sweet meets spooky—and it’s absolutely spectacular.