With this eerie, expertly crafted tale, Ansari (The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly) explores grief, loss, and trauma--both personal and familial. Cooper, 12, feels overwhelmed, disconnected, and perpetually angry. Not only did his father abandon him, his mother, and 10-year-old sister, Jess, to start a new family, but Cooper is responsible for helping to manage Jess's diabetes, an added duty that frequently frustrates him. When Jess persuades him to look into the mystery of Elena, the strange girl across the street, who seems somehow tied to a century-old tragedy, Cooper reluctantly agrees. The siblings also pull Cooper's new friend Gus into the investigation, only to discover that Elena's presence may herald disaster for them all. The fractious bond between Cooper and Jess and the easy friendship between Cooper and Gus give this story a solid emotional core that grounds it within its supernatural trappings. A spooky ambiguity regarding Elena's true nature, meanwhile, paves the way for a deeper, more profound narrative when Cooper and the others learn the truth. Heartfelt and genuine, this one will speak to readers who feel invisible or overlooked. Ages 8--12. Agent: Tina Dubois, ICM Partners. (Jan.)

Since his father left the family, Cooper has floundered in his friendships and schoolwork. Into this void comes a mystery he is all too happy to distract himself with. Cooper and his little sister, Jess, discover that the odd new girl in the house across the alley wears the same crest on her jacket as was found on the clothing of victims of several disasters, including a British train accident, a South Korean shopping mall collapse, and the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. How are they connected? How does Cooper's new school friend fit in? Cooper and Jess discover a world between life and death where two children are stranded, on a quest that remains a mystery until the very end of the novel. Ansari (The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly) writes an engaging fantasy/mystery/family story. Cooper, like the ghosts Elena and Gus, is living somewhere "in between," stuck with one failed vision of his family and unable to create a new one without help. The fantasy builds around historical mysteries and speeds up as it approaches the climax, when readers realize that yet another disaster is due and that Cooper and Jess may be two of the victims. Maeve Visser Knoth January/February 2021 p.97(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Since his parents' divorce, Cooper has struggled to adjust to his dad's absence and their new life, preferring loneliness to the possibility of being hurt by someone--even his friends. But when his little sister, Jess, stumbles upon a mystery possibly involving the mysterious new girl next door, Cooper can't help being drawn in. He and Jess begin to uncover a mystery more complex than anything they could have imagined, learning of a terrible tragedy from long ago that may be connected to the mysterious new girl. As Cooper learns to manage his feelings and grow closer to his sister, they realize that another catastrophe may be coming, and they might be powerless to prevent it. Though Ansari's (The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly, 2019) latest begins as a spooky ghost-next-door story, it quickly develops into a mystery involving an intricate web of historical events, a separate dimension that exists "in between," and characters struggling with major life changes, such as divorce and illness. And readers won't see the final twist coming.

Chicago siblings Cooper and Jess unravel a mystery involving Elena, their strange new neighbor, and a series of historical disasters. Cooper's been cold and withdrawn from family and friends alike ever since his parents' marriage imploded and his father left them to start a new family. His younger sister, Jess, finds a nearly 100-year-old mystery--the Charfield railway disaster in England, where one of the dead was a boy, never identified, who was wearing a distinctive raven insignia that matches the one on Elena's private school blazer. Digging into the raven emblem, they find it appears on items worn by unidentified bodies after disasters. The more Cooper and Jess investigate, the more impossible everything seems. Soon, the supernatural takes on a darker cast, as Jess and Cooper discover that they're the ones in danger. The supernatural storyline's fear is juxtaposed with Cooper's inner turmoil. His intense emotional life is a constant grounding font of relatability, as he deals with anger, grief, and humiliation in the wake of his father's abandonment. The increasingly dangerous supernatural mystery (with an exceptionally well-described climax) is intriguing enough to make this a page-turner, but the characters and their powerfully thematic emotional journeys are what will make the book linger. Absent most physical descriptors, characters default to White. Jess is diabetic, and their family deals with economic hardship and classism. Haunting, engrossing, and thoughtful. (author's note) (Supernatural mystery. 8-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 4--8--With an intriguing mystery and a heartwarming tale of friendship wrapped inside a ghost story, this is a sure hit. Cooper is dealing with his parents' divorce--his father has left him, his mother, and his sister for a new family. Cooper has to help his mother take care of his sister and monitor her blood sugar. Since the divorce, his friendships have fallen apart; Cooper has become more comfortable alone, seeking constant solitude and writing in his journal. Everything changes when a mysterious girl moves into an abandoned house nearby. She hardly speaks but always stares at him. When Cooper realizes the logo on her uniform is connected to major disasters throughout the world, he is drawn into a larger mystery. Could this strange girl have something to do with the disasters? Does her appearance mean a terrible disaster is coming here? Ansari knows how to balance a fast-paced plot with well-developed characters. She perfectly uses the "Mystery Box" technique by setting up questions about the eerie girl, driving readers' desire to keep turning pages. Cooper grows and develops friendships that will stay with him forever. The plot twist will hit readers in the gut, and makes this book unforgettable. VERDICT With a memorable twist and an awesome mystery, this title is too good to be missed. Perfect for fans of Mary Downing Hahn and "Goosebumps" grads looking for something a little spookier.--Patrick Tierney, Pascoag P.L., RI