I've had this book on my radar since I found Claribel on Twitter through mutuals. We invited her to speak at BookNet Fest 2018, and it was a pleasure to meet her and get all of her wonderful thoughts and experiences on our panels.

As an additional note, I read this at some time during isolation, but what is time... The read date is a place holder for "at some point between after it came out and June."

Why you may not like this book: You don't like middle grade. That might seem obvious, but I think it's worth keeping in mind the sort of humor and pacing you'll find here because it is middle grade! If that is not your jam, keep it moving.

Why I loved this book: The premise of this book was always going to be for me. A book about grief and found families set in Florida with a little Dominican girl as the main character? HELLO? SIGN ME UP. I'm so happy to say that Ortega delivers on all fronts. This was a heartwarming, fast-paced adventure that just oozes classic adventure vibes. There was something almost nostalgic about this in a way that invoked Stranger Things and The Goonies in my head. I was invested in the mystery and the stakes, and I enjoyed all of the beats of the story.

I think what really elevated this for me was how carefully and tenderly it dealt with grief. It was such an interesting duality here-- the fact that Lucely can see ghosts so that she never really loses anyone in her family, but her mother left her and it's a grief that fills her life.

I also love the role of the ghosts here. It's spooky and fun, but also an excellent way to infuse Dominican culture, not only with the lore, but with the ghosts as a personification of what that culture looks like and the stories and histories we carry in our bones and in our homes.

Another wonderful thing this book did was include its adults, but allow our characters to still have their adventures. The adults were loving and tuned in, they believed our characters and helped, but Lucely and Syd still managed to sneak out a few doors and windows.

I read this in one sitting and enjoyed my time here. I've not been reading a lot during isolation, and I'm not typically someone who can read for escapism, but this was incredibly easy to get lost in. Highly recommend for fans of middle grade adventures or if you have young readers in your life.