The Ghost in Apartment 2R

When his wunderkind older brother goes off to college, 13-year-old Danny, the loquacious narrator of this snappy mystery, can't wait to move into his bedroom. It will be a welcome change from his converted-closet sleeping quarters in the family's small Brooklyn apartment ("Please do not make any Harry Potter jokes, because I’ve heard them all"), but his financially strapped parents announce their plan to list the room for rent on AirHotel. Danny witnesses creepy goings-on after the space is spruced up: a glowing light emanates from the room at night, the walls begin to whisper, he sees a girl by the window, and a guest becomes possessed by a spirit shrieking, "Where is my little boy?" In a deftly measured narrative, Markell (Click Here to Start) divulges the textured backstory of a tenacious apparition while paying affectionate tribute to a richly diverse, close-knit Brooklyn neighborhood and its multigenerational residents. Danny's feisty, insightful grandmother, Bubbe Ruth, and her tales of a legendary dybbuk provide a key piece of this neatly crafted puzzle connecting Brooklynites present and past. 

Copyright 2019 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Promised his older brother Jake's bedroom when his sibling leaves for college, 13-year-old Danny is bummed when his parents decide to rent out Jake's room to AirHotel to recoup some of those college costs. Danny has to continue sleeping in a closet, but even worse...it appears that although Jake has departed, something creepy has been left behind. Helped by his friends Natalie and Gus, and even (unwillingly) by their AirHotel guests, Danny learns about the various types of ghosts "known" to have been seen in their Brooklyn neighborhood---and the best way to get his family's spectre to go. Although there's a ghost in the tale, this is more a mystery story that includes a loving homage to Markell's hometown of Brooklyn and all its diversity. Without fanfare, Danny and Gus (both Jewish) do the sleuthing with Natalie (of Arab descent), and the old folks in their lives have plenty to contribute as well. The only downside is the cartoonish cover, which makes the children look younger and might make it harder to sell to its intended audience. VERDICT Recommended for most libraries serving tweens.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.