Gr 5 Up— Thirteen-year-old Molly Teng is fuming when her mother suddenly moves her from Maine to Texas. But Molly's mom Dot can't settle down and is thrilled to explore their new town. Immediately, Molly knows something is off in the house they're renting when she touches a doorknob and experiences "the zaps," a brief but frightening Sixth Sense –style encounter she has experienced her entire life, wherein she communicates with the dead. Jade, a young ghost who has inhabited the house for 120 years with sparse interactions with the living, is delighted to have company who not only can see her but looks like her. Jade is a hungry ghost, eating scraps of food to satiate her inner monster—a take on the traditional Buddhist hungry ghost whose hunger has an emotional drive. This novel is taut and heart-rending, touching on a loving but complex mother-daughter relationship, family estrangement, and Jade's precarious balance between innocent ghost and ravenous monster. Hung's prose is humorous yet handles its themes seriously and sensitively, particularly the historic and present treatment of Chinese people in the United States. The scare level is on par with most middle grade horror and draws from the inextricable tie Jade's ghost has to the trauma she and her predecessors experienced. This would be a great recommendation for those who enjoyed Ellen Oh's Spirit Hunters or Katherine Arden's "Small Spaces" series. VERDICT A terrific book that uses horror to discuss the importance of family, remembrance, and the matrix of support needed to thrive in this world and beyond.— Sarah Maciejewski

A 13-year-old girl's paranormal abilities lead to an emotional journey with a resident ghostChinese American Molly Teng and her free-spirited mom have already moved eight times. While her mother always rallies her to support Team Teng, homebody Molly is resentful about leaving Maine for Buckeye Creek, Texas, and yet again becoming "the weird girl who's an easy target." Molly and Mom move into an old house that comes complete with an attic-dwelling spirit named Jade who's over a century old. At first, Jade's excited-Molly is sensitive to her presence and Asian like she is. For her part, Molly initially decides to ignore Jade, until her presence becomes impossible to overlook. As their friendship grows, so does Molly's resolve to help Jade figure out her past before she fades away. Molly's abilities include what she calls "the zaps," the energy-sucking pull she experiences from the overwhelming memories contained in some inanimate objects. Knowing the toll the zaps take on Molly, Jade hesitates to expose her to something physical belonging to her. Hung artfully integrates Chinese American history and present-day racism into a story that explores themes of belonging. Molly longs for stability and community while also being acutely aware of being "the Asian Girl" who's a perpetual outsider. While the book has a few loose ends that may frustrate attentive readers, its compelling twists and fast pace keep the interest level high.Spooky and intriguing, with plenty of heart.(Paranormal. 9-13)