Here Lies a Ghost

A tween accidentally unleashes a vengeful ghost from a crypt and must work with his former best friend to recapture the spirit in this sensitive novel set in Barbados. After enduring bullying for his interest in science and his family’s financial insecurity, Jermaine aligns himself with popular kids the Turbo Jets at his new school, hoping to spare himself from harassment. But Jermaine’s desire to secure a more favorable social standing alienates his new friend Brody, whom the Turbo Jets frequently target. During a Turbo Jets hazing ritual, Jermaine becomes trapped in the Chase Vault, a purportedly haunted crypt. And though he escapes, he’s followed by the ghost of Dorcas, who died in 1812. At first, Jermaine thinks Dorcas is his “lucky charm,” but when he learns that Brody can see her too—and that the good luck she brings Jermaine comes with potentially dangerous consequences—the boys team up to help Dorcas move on into the afterlife. Chapters alternate between Jermaine and Brody’s third-person POVs, respectively rendered in introspective prose and snappy verse by Bourne (Beware the Heartman). As the youths learn more about Dorcas’s past, they’re forced to confront the reasons behind their own strained friendship as well as weighty historical issues surrounding slavery and lineage. Jermaine is Black; Brody is biracial (Black and white). Ages 8–12. Agent: Marietta B. Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.)