I am not a big fan of horror stories. But this middle-grade ghost story, sure caught me by surprise! I was expecting Casper the friendly ghost, I got a streetwise teenager in a rough part of San Jose, California. I have thoroughly enjoyed this story about growing up on the mean streets, dealing with sofa-surfing, discarded needles, and homeless people, some who might be angels in disguise sometimes.

I particularly relished the first person POV of Miguel, a 12-year-old boy trying to survive being thrust into the spirit world, when his older brother, Juan, is murdered. The internal chaos is magnificent, Miguel’s efforts to find some stability are wonderfully described. Scene setting, action, dialog, and secondary characters all come to life in an exquisite way under Chris’s pen.

I love this story and award 4.8 stars; the score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.