Review: The Polter-Ghost Problem by Betsy Uhrig
Quick Info:
Book type: Chapter Book
Target age: 8-12 years old
Recommended age: 10+
Plot: Three bickering friends are prepared to have a boring summer until they discover a ghost boy in the woods. After following him the find a haunted orphanage and accept the ghosts’ pleas for help. Unfortunately, one of the boys’ older brother made it his mission to ruin their summer.
Review:
I loved this book, it was fast paced and funny. It is written with boys in mind but I think both boys and girls will enjoy it. My only grievance is the amount of name calling in the book. Aldo and his older brother, Neil, are constantly throwing insults at each other. However, the main theme ends up being the importance of forgiving and loving your family. Nick also ends up “showing up when it counts” and rescues the three boys at the end which leads to the two brothers to reconcile. The bickering between all of the boys got a bit old for me but I think it will continue to be entertaining to kids reading this book.
Opinion:
I do feel like the name calling and bickering was an accurate representation of middle school boys and at the end the boys feel remorse for their actions so it was fine with me but I would definitely have a conversation with your child about name calling before and after the book. Even though this book is meant for middle grade kids I think a highschooler looking for a light read would enjoy this as well.
Content:
Concept of ghosts and spirits in a child-like magic type way
Excessive name calling (things like: revolting, troll-faced, nauseating, twerp, fool) Nearly every time Neil is mentioned there is a name attached to it. The two brothers make up in the end of the book and are much nicer, so a lesson is learned.
Minor language all said once in the book (dang, stupidity, shut up)
Alluding to swearing two times in the book (Aldo says his father said “swear word, worse swear word laptop”. The literal phrase “swear word” is used)
Alluding to swearing once when Nick shouts at the boys one time where there are … between the sentence or [onion chunk] (a metaphor explained in the book, it was funny)
At one point one of the boys reassures a female ghost that when they can “look right through her” they mean she is translucent and not that they can see her underwear
Two ghosts are married in a heterosexual relationship and call each other silly nicknames once at the end at their reunion (ex: Sweety-Petey)
Excerpts:
Excerpts from books are a glimpse of the content that is found and are not every instance of un-Islamic and/or “iffy” content.
Context:
Whenever the main character mentions his brother there is usually an insult in front of it. Whenever the brother speaks about the main character and his friends there is also usually an insult. However, at the end of the story the two brothers end up making up.
Context:
The main character, Aldo, has been holding a very long grudge on his older brother, Neil, for ditching him on the way to school and leaving him out in the rain. After the events of the story where Neil ends up saving and protecting Aldo from the bad guys the boys decide to make up. The characters’ parents make them write “Written Apologies” to one another when they are upset at one another and this time the boys decide to write one to one another at their own accord. The two brothers forgive one another and decide to go treasure hunting together the rest of the summer.
Context:
The word “stupidity” is used once here and the context being a ghost trying to convince the boys to “play with matches” in hopes of burning down the orphanage so the ghosts can be released from the building.
Context:
When the boys first meet Franny, a ghost, she denies being a ghost. One of the boys, Pen, says he can “see through your dress” and then reassures her that he cannot see her underwear.
Context:
The main character is writing this story as a school project so he frequently censors words. He uses “swear word” like this twice in the whole book on how his father describes his laptop.
Context:
As mentioned before the concept of the book is that the story is written as a school project so the main character censors his brother’s language when he shouts at the boys. The metaphor on spaghetti sauce and onion chunks is explained and mentioned once. You can infer what words belong between the ellipses. This is the only part of the book where a character speaks with alluded cursing.
