“Oh has crafted a truly chilling middle grade horror novel that will grab readers’ imaginations.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Even more impressive than the shiver factor is the way the author skillfully uses the compelling premise to present a strong, consistent message of not rejecting what you don’t understand.” —Booklist (starred review)“This mystery thriller infused with diverse … —Booklist (starred review)
“This mystery thriller infused with diverse characters and intriguing themes will appeal to horror fans and to reluctant readers who enjoy a good scare.” —School Library Journal
We Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh returns with Spirit Hunters, a high-stakes middle grade mystery series about Harper Raine, the new seventh grader in town who must face down the dangerous ghosts haunting her younger brother.
A riveting ghost story and captivating adventure, this tale will have you guessing at every turn!
Harper doesn’t trust her new home from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors are that the Raine family’s new house is haunted. Harper isn’t sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely.
The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of déjà vu, but she can’t remember why. She knows that the memories she’s blocking will help make sense of her brother’s behavior and the strange and threatening sensations she feels in this house, but will she be able to put the pieces together in time?
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it was so good
4.5/5
I gave this novel four and a half stars!
This is my first read by this author, and boy was I blown away!
This book is about a young girl named Harper Raine. Her family has recently moved to DC into this big house, but something is off. Her little brother Michael starts talking to an imaginary friend and acting strangely.
What’s going on? Is her house really haunted like people say, or is this all in her head?
I loved this book!
First off, the characters were great. Harper is a bright young girl with a bold personality. I liked her strange backstory and how she was trying to regain this piece of her that felt missing since a relatively recent accident. She really cares about her family and it shows. I also loved the bits of heritage we got sprinkled throughout. It really made this a well-rounded experience.
Harper’s family were well done too. Her sister, little brother, and parents were believable and entertaining in their quirks.
The plot was riveting. I mean, it’s a haunted house. What more could you want? I came here for the thrills and chills, and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot twists were fun, unanticipated, and kept those pages a blazing. The book didn’t really scare me per se, but it was exciting and I can see how this book might creep younger kids out. Definitely not a bedtime kinda story.
If I had to pick at anything, I would say that Harper coming to terms with the fact that her house is haunted took a little bit longer than I hoped. She had plenty of experiences to validate this fact to where I felt acceptance could’ve happened just a smidge earlier, but I’m not upset about it.
In the long haul, this book was a stellar read, and I can’t wait to get my hands on book two!
“Harper doesn’t trust her new how from the moment she steps inside, and the rumors that the Raine family’s new house is haunted. Harper isn’t sure she believes those rumors, until her younger brother, Michael, starts acting strangely. The whole atmosphere gives Harper a sense of deja vu but she can’t remember why.
She knows that the memories she’s blocking will help make sense of her brother’s behavior and the strange and threatening sensations she feels in the hours, but will she be able to put the pieces together in time?”- Goodreads
Before I give my thoughts on this book, I need to explain why I picked it up. I don’t follow Ms. Ellen Oh on Twitter but someone I follow does and she happened to liked a tweet that caught my attention.
Just based off that my curious its was peaked. So I requested the book from the library that same day. I didn’t have a lot of thought or even a pressing need to read this book. I just wanted to see what the fuss was about. But let me tell you once I started this book, I did not put it down until well after 1 a.m. This book was fantastic from beginning to end.
Harper is what I would picture of a child having to deal with something paranormal when you family doesn’t believe you and also sent you away for help. It was such a realistic viewpoint of not a disobedient loner child but of a little girl, who loves her family but is struggling to deal with her own past and keeping it all together. I’ve always wondered what if the child that can see things, no one else can see, actually said something to her family as opposed to hiding it and dealing with it on her own. For anyone that has ever wanted to know that, this book is the answered.
It touches on a lot of subjects such as family and doing what you feel is best for that family. It touches upon family ancestry and the divide that can cause. It touches upon racism and diversity without it feeling as if the author is trying to hard. This book flowed extremely easy with these topics and of course the paranormal aspect of it.
But what I liked most about Harper, herself, was her ability to face her fears. It’s cliche I know but she literally faces the worst head on and keeps pushing through until she has done what she set out to do. She wasn’t bratty, mean or even desperate. She was a little girl that wanted to be with her family and make some friends in a new town.
Beyond all of this, what sold me was how freaking creepy this book was. Whatever resource Ms. Ellen Oh used as a reference to help her write this book was on point. Every scene, every time Harper felt something or saw something, it was so visual it was as if I was watching a movie. As a grown woman, there were things in this book that creeped me out and I loved every moment of it. Harper stood tall and faced all of that and I have nothing but respect for her.
The pace was great. The down time didn’t even feel like down time because there was so much going on emotional as well as physically. The imagery was pure talent actually the entire book was and I hope and pray that there will be a book two.
5 Pickles.