Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

My name is Lucely, and my dad needs to come up with more money or we'll lose our home and our ancestors. I enjoy visiting with their ghosts every day, although no one else can actually see them. My father and best friend Syd see them as fireflies, but something is happening to Mama. Her glow is dimming, and she seems to be losing her energy. The ghosts are very worried about an evil force invading St. Augustine on Halloween and that will destroy living and non-living being. I think Syd and I actually made a huge mistake when we tried to cast a spell to help Mama. Our only hope is to find the missing pages from the spell book, but it's hard sneaking around Syd's grandmother. I suspect she's a powerful witch and a whole lot scary, but we may still need to ask for her help.

This book shared an entertaining adventure based on the Spanish culture. Spanish vocabulary was mixed in, and I must admit that I didn't always understand the meanings. However, it didn't have a negative effect on the plot. The Latino culture respects the memories of its ancestors, but this book took it a step farther. Lucely's ancestors ate breakfast with her every morning, and she was able to actually touch them. Everyone else only saw fireflies that lived among the branches of the giant tree in her yard. Each ghost had a unique personality, and Lucely was able to use them to help her defend St. Augustine, the oldest European community in the country. Lucely's father owned a ghost tour business, and I found it ironic that he wouldn't use the family ghosts to help. Instead, he asked Lucely to fake ghostly sounds to enhance the tour. Lucely and Syd were typically impulsive kids and were reluctant to ask for adult help to correct their mistakes. It was clear all along that Syd's grandmother would eventually be called upon to help resolve a centuries-old conflict. Overall, this book will appeal to lovers of ghost characters, not necessarily ghost stories, and lovers of magic. It develops a strong sense of family and friendship. Give it a shot.