Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland

This book is a finalist for the 2021 Cybils Award in Elementary and Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction.

What worked:

The book uses ghosts to share the history of prejudice in our country in 1923. Ophie and her mom work for a rich, white woman in Pittsburgh, and they hope to earn enough money to get their own apartment. The elderly woman is difficult and irrational, as she can’t be satisfied by Ophie’s efforts and suspects all black people will steal from her. The servants can never tell her no and are forced to obey her unreasonable demands, lest they be fired on the spot. Many of the haints haunting the house have experience with slavery and injustice and can’t move on until they resolve unfinished issues.

Ophie has the ability to see ghosts and is aware of their presence in almost every place she goes. Her aunt has the ability too and shares a little bit of information about the responsibilities that come with it. She also shares the dangers, and this develops a sense of drama that readers will anticipate throughout the story. Ophie wants to help the ghosts she meets, but communicating with them can lead to unforeseen disasters. The aunt shares enough information to let readers know the ghosts can be threatening but leaves enough unsaid to allow readers to imagine the worst.

The main conflict involves the mystery of a former house servant’s disappearance. Ophie meets the ghost and learns about some of her background, but she’s not able to remember how she was murdered. Ophie makes it her mission to uncover the truth and help the haint move on, but is this a huge mistake? Ophie catches glimpses of purple around the ghost, the color of deep anger, but isn’t that to be expected if the servant was murdered? The ghost is the only one who takes the time to listen to Ophie and is becoming her best friend.

What didn’t work as well:

There are intermittent chapters where the narrator shares the house’s thoughts and gives insight into what’s happening among the ghosts. Most of the information is general and doesn’t add much to the story, but some nuggets of suspicions are included that add to the mystery. Overall, the chapters don’t make the book less enjoyable, and they feel like mini-breaks between the main action.

The Final Verdict:

The seed of hate rears its ugly head. Overall, this book tells a ghostly mystery that’s eerie but not super scary. Prejudice, anger, and fear create the conflict, as the story depicts racism through a different genre. The book is very engaging and entertaining, and I highly recommend you give it a shot.