Dead Air is an excellent beginning to a new middle-grade paranormal fiction series written by Michelle Schusterman. It features a POC for the main character, and has an LGBT edge to it (although that’s not immediately obvious). It also has an awesome grandma in it. Gotta give points for the grandma who refuses to baby her grandchild, and was a former scream queen!

Kat, the main character in Dead Air, is going through some upheaval in her family when she ends up going on the road with her dad. It’s not long, though until the normal ‘human’ problems are buried underneath some paranormal ones. As someone who has never believed in ghosts, Kat finds herself having to re-evaluate her beliefs when spooky things begin happening around her. A curse, a ghost (or 3?), a new job for her dad, and a change of scenery all at once don’t exactly give Kat the stability she needs, either.

I liked Kat. She’s a perfectly believable character. She makes mistakes and she’s got a temper, but she stands up for herself and her father without thinking twice about it. She’s also pleasingly non self-conscious, as she’s more concerned with what’s going on around her. She’s also got a decent sense of humor, a bit of a mouth, and a bit of a hero complex that gets her in over her head.

Things to be aware of for those that might care: Dead Air takes place on and off ‘the set’ of a ghost hunt. There is some explanation of EVP and the kids do play with a Ouija board at one point. There is a character with a heart problem, and it does act up during the course of the investigation. However, no long-term damage is done to the person’s health.

A well-paced story with a bit of a spooky flair, Dead Air is not just for middle-graders. Easy to read and entertaining, Dead Air sets the perfect tone for what will hopefully be a popular series. I definitely recommend checking it out when you get a moment.

My daughter loved this book. She has been reading more and more adventure books and this kept her occupied for quite some time.

Yay! Diverse comic. Loved it and want more! The story is great, the art is fun and my kids loved it.