Desmond Cole: Ghost Patrol

Miedoso, Andres, Rivas, Victor (Illustrator)
The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole: Ghost Patrol #1)
December 12th 2017 by Little Simon
E ARC from Netgalley Plus

Andres moves with his parents, who are scientists, to the twon of Kersville. His next door neighbor is Desmond, who informs him that his new house is haunted! Andres doesn't believe this at first, but when strange things start happening, he joins Desmond in his ghost hunting business (run, of course, out of the garage). The boys end up having a ghost named Zax who wants to stick around but not cause mischief.
Strengths: I am hoping that the actual book is about the same trim size as a shorter middle grade novel, since the page set up for these is perfect for my struggling readers, who don't want to carry around "baby books". These readers are asking more and more for scary stories. Aside from Preller's Scary Tales, there aren't a lot of those available. The nonwhite main characters, as well as the scientist parents, are a welcome change in the world of early chapter books.
Weaknesses: The pages turned very slowly in the e copy, so I lost my train of thought on character development and plot.
What I really think: On illustration at the beginning gave me hope that maybe Desmond and his family were space aliens, but I was disappointed. Definitely purchasing.

Miedoso, Andres, Rivas, Victor (Illustrator)
Ghosts Don't Ride Bicycles, Do They? (Desmond Cole: Ghost Patrol #2)
December 12th 2017 by Little Simon
E ARC from Netgalley Plus

While Desmond's favorite thing is hunting ghosts, Andres' favorite thing is his bicycle. He loves his beat up bike that has been with him everywhere he has had to move, and he loves racing through the streets. He finds the local bike park and has a great time making some new friends. When his bike seems to be possessed and starts floating, Desmond and his ghost hunting business need to put it right.
Strengths: Not very scary, but just kind of fun. I just loved that the story involved Andres, his bike, and a bike park, because bikes are completely awesome from the ages of 6-14. Kids hanging out without parents will make this appealing to many age groups. Again, the ratio of text to pictures is perfect.
Weaknesses: The pages turned very slowly in the e copy, so going back to opine on finer points is difficult.
What I really think: Definitely enjoyed this and will purchase. Would love to see a similar series with different characters and maybe skateboarding.