Ophie's Ghosts is a sweet and spooky historical fiction set with a paranormal aspect. The ghosts aspect is well done, making this not too scary. Though, there are some heavier topics addressed like grief, racism, slavery, and even murder. Even with the heavy hitters, Ophie is a character to read; she's strong, smart, kind, and resilient. I'm not sure it's possible to not like Ophie. -Megan G.

This story follows 12 year old Ophelia ‘Ophie’ Harrison who has the ability to see ghosts after witnessing her father being killed by white supremacists. Ophie and her mother move to Pittsburgh as a new start and take up maid positions in Daffodil Manor. While employed at Daffodil Manor, Ophie quickly learns that the mansion is full of ghosts struggling to move on. Ophie befriends one particular ghost and decides that she is going to solve the mystery surrounding the ghost’s death. In doing so,

E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusIn 1922, Ophie lives with her family in Georgia. When her home is attacked by violent racists after her father votes, she and her mother escape with the help of their pastor and start a new life in Pittsburgh. They live with Aunt Rose and a number of cousins, and her mother finds work in service at Daffodil Manor. While she would rather go to school, Ophie knows that in order for her and her mother to earn enough to get a place of their own, she will need to work

Richie’s Picks: OPHIE’S GHOSTS by Justina Ireland, HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, May 2021, 336p., ISBN: 978-0-06-291589-4“If there's something strangeIn your neighborhoodWho you gonna call(Ghostbusters)If there's something weirdAnd it don't look goodWho can you call(Ghostbusters)”— Ray Parker, Jr.Ophelia “Ophie” Harrison is a twelve-year-old Black girl in the early 1920s. She and her mother escape their small town in Georgia after Ophie’s father is murdered and their house is burned down.In the ope...

In Georgia, 1922, twelve-year-old Ophie is suddenly awakened by her father, who tells her to get her mother and hide. Although questioning, she obeys. Soon evil men descend on their home. They had already killed her father, and now they burn Ophie’s home to the ground. That was the night Ophie learned she could see ghosts.With no justice for her father and nowhere to live, Ophie and her mother take the train to Pittsburgh to live with Aunt Rose. Ophie soon begins working at Daffodil Manor as a m...

Wow. This book was on another level. It hit so many emotions for me. Its one of those books that has a paranormal mystery that is thrilling & so enjoyable w/that part. & at the same time has these hard hitting important subject matters that move you on another level emotionally. This is symbolic in many ways, because America’s own ghosts of the past have much to say, & we should NEVER forget & always listen & learn-especially when many of these same horrific things are going on still today. This...

Excellent historical mystery replete with ghosts. After her father is killed by white supremacists, Ophie and her mother flee Georgia to stay with relatives in Pittsburgh. They end up working as domestic servants in a mansion that is thoroughly haunted. Ophie, who can see dead people, becomes attached to the ghost of a beautiful young woman, Clara, who was murdered. Despite being warned of the danger of getting involved with ghosts, Ophie decides she wants to solve the murder and help Clara "mov...

I loved this!Justina Ireland's writing was a wonderful balance of imaginative passages and descriptions, plus letting the emotional parts land, plus the perfect amount of atmosphere.And I loved Ophie as a main character. She's so smart and resilient and kind and plucky, and I just adored her.The spooky elements were really well-done, and I love the way Ireland used those to talk about history and trauma and racism.The plot and mystery was compelling, and the end of the book was beautiful and so

Perfection. Sweet, spooky, mysterious perfection. I loved every minute of reading this book!

I absolutely adored this upcoming historical mystery by the author of Dread Nation. Ophelia Harrison’s life abruptly changes when her father is murdered and her and her mother flee Georgia to Pittsburgh–thanks to what Ophie has yet to realize is her ability to see ghosts. No longer attending school, the young Ophie is put to work as a maid in a wealthy white family’s home where her mother is also working, trying to save enough money to move out of a shared family home where they are not welcomed...

Ophie's Ghosts is one of the best and most subtle middle grade books on race that I've read. That's because Ireland makes her points without beating readers over the head with them - Ophie's father is killed because local white men don't like that he exercised his right to vote in Georgia in 1922, Ophie notes how much more difficult life is for her and mother because of their race, and at least two of the other ghosts in the book met their ends at the hands of racists. But all of that is used as...

This is a perfect middle grade novel. I loved every single second of it! I hope we get to see more of Ophie in the future, I absolutely adored her.

Yes! Ophie's Ghosts is an Odd Thomas type of book for kids!The night Ophie's father is killed is the first night Ophelia Harrison sees ghosts. Her father wakes her to insist she and her mother hide just before their home is burned down. Ophie and her mother then move to Pittsburgh to work in Daffodil Manor.Ophie can see and communicate with spirits. Her relatives warn her against communicating with haints, but she wants to help the ghosts around her.I really like Justina Ireland's writing. I enj...

My goodness, I loved this book! It's joining "The Parker Inheritance" at the top of my recommendation lists for educators and parents who want new fiction books to help children to grapple with America's racist history. This book is a ghostly mystery in which Justina Ireland establishes a whole set of rules for the afterlife, but she's not so busy focusing on the ghost story that she pulls any punches when it comes to both the casual and aggressive racism that main character Ophie and her mother...

How do you get a one star rating for a book not even written. Not on my watch!!

Wow, this story. I absolutely loved this book. It's powerful and hard-hitting, while also being a heartfelt story about a girl handling grief. The cover was what drew me in initially, and the fact that the author was one I had been wanting to give a second chance (I read Dread Nation a few years ago and didn't love it, but liked the writing style). This story was everything I could want in a middle-grade book - there's a supernatural element, a mystery, a girl finding her place in the world, a h...

4.5 stars, a ghost story with a mystery. Readers who like ghost stories and mysteries will love this story set in 1920s Pittsburgh. Young Ophie can see and communicate with spirits. Will she be able to help Clara remember how she died? Could it be murder?

Such a fun, spooky, and thrilling read! this reminded me a lot of Unstoppable Octobia May but in a good way. It was nice reading a supernatural MG murder mystery and I look forward to more MG books from Justina Ireland. :) It also makes a great read for Black History Month.

Jan 32 2021: Cybils 2021 finalist for middle grade speculative fiction. Winners announced 14 February 2022. RTC after that.Dec 12 2020: Removing my rating now that there are more legitimate ones.Apr 27 2020: I never rate books without reading them but I want to balance out the two one-star reviews...

I absolutely loved this book! Everything about it really worked for me, from the historical aspects of life in the 1920’s to the stories of the ghosts that Ophie comes across through the story. The writing pulled me in from page one and kept me intrigued about what secrets that Daffodil Manor was keeping within its walls.