On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve talks to Ally Malinenko all about her Middle Grade debut, Ghost Girl, which is described as, “Perfect for fans of Small Spaces and Nightbooks, this middle-grade debut is an empowering and triumphant ghost story—with spooky twists sure to give readers a few good goosebumps!”
Here’s the summary…
Zee Puckett loves ghost stories. She just never expected to be living one.
It all starts with a dark and stormy night. When the skies clear, everything is different. People are missing. There’s a creepy new principal who seems to know everyone’s darkest dreams. And Zee is seeing frightening things: large, scary dogs that talk and maybe even . . . a ghost.
When she tells her classmates, only her best friend, Elijah, believes her. Worse, mean girl Nellie gives Zee a cruel nickname: Ghost Girl.
But whatever the storm washed up isn’t going away. Everyone’s most selfish wishes start coming true in creepy ways.
To fight for what’s right, Zee will have to embrace what makes her different and what makes her Ghost Girl. And all three of them—Zee, Elijah, and Nellie—will have to work together if they want to give their ghost story a happy ending.
As you’ll see, Ghost Girl is really kind of the perfect marriage between genres, these being middle grade and horror as these kids, led by a great main character in Zee, must save their small town from evil forces.
It works just as well as a standalone as it does an origin story for these friends who must conquer many things without relying on the adults in their life. The book leans on some familiar tropes to be sure, but the messaging and character work are on point and the book’s pacing is tight making it a fun and quick read.
Steve and Ally talk about surviving cancer, what’s great about middle grade, Ghost Girl of course, Mary Shelley, and much, much more.
Ghost Girl is out now, click HERE to order a copy today!
About the Author:
Ally Malinenko is the author of several the poetry collections as well as Ghost Girl and the upcoming This Appearing House both from Katherine Tegen Books. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and blogs at allymalinenko.com. She has a burning desire to go to Antarctica, specifically to the South Pole so she can see where Robert Falcon Scott died and can also be found blathering about Doctor Who and David Bowie.
