Ghost Boy is a young adult fiction that will probably appeal to most young persons. However, I did not enjoy the book all that much, and it may be that I am hardly a young person. The story centers around a 12-year old, Ben Conover, who communicates with spirits. He desperately wants his father’s approval but does not receive it. On the other hand, he sometimes feels his mother, who thinks Ben has special abilities, smothers him a bit. Ben’s best friend is a spirit, Abby, who is always around to comfort and calm him, helping him through difficult times. Ben keeps his secret until it’s revealed (I was not sure why this occurred at this particular time). Naturally, those around him in school and such mock him for seeing ghosts, as word of his unique ability spreads around. It is interesting that Ben does not let their opinions of others affect him, as he continues to help those who need it. Finally, he finds out that his father is contemplating sending him to a military school, which naturally upsets Ben. In the end, Ben learns something that will cause people to think differently about him.

I generally enjoy reading paranormal stories, but this one just did not cut it for me, though possibly, a younger person would enjoy it. The story moved along, but it was rather choppy. It sometimes seemed, to me, to jump all over the place. Nevertheless, the story was not long and was somewhat enjoyable. I think a younger person might enjoy it more, though I am not sure such a person would find it any more rewarding that I did. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

When I started reading this book, I didn't realise that it was written for young teenagers, so it really did not appeal to me.
Ben Conover is a 12-year old boy who can communicate with Abby who is deceased. Ben's mom tries to smooth things over with Ben's dad who does not agree with Ben's behavior. Ben is also trying to fit in at school, but when his friends find out about his communications with Abby, he becomes known as Ghost Boy.

3.5 Stars.

This book was good. But that's it. I have read very few novels with a twelve-year-old as the narrator and this fell kind of flat for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and while I was waiting for a big plot twist, this did not deliver. The writing was okay, although sometimes it read like a first draft, and didn't get any better really.

Overall, I'm glad I read it, but would not purchase.

I buoyed reading this book. It is perfect for young adults and ii can see that there will be demand further stories in this series.

Ghost boy is a good book. 12 year old Ben Conover can see spirits and after telling his friend it gets out and the whole school starts calling him Ghost Boy. Even his family is a little shocked and a little disbelieving with this information Ben's story really tugged at your heart. This book is very well written and I enjoyed reading it a lot

There is a lot to recommend this book. It reads like a picture portrait of childhood in America. A young boy who enjoys life and sometimes takes things little bit further than he should. He gets into some scrapes but there is something he feels both urges him on and at the same time protects him as he does this. He can "see" spirits. Turning to his parents for help with what he sees he gets diverse reactions. His father, particularly believes he needs help. it is a bittersweet book meant for children. I struggled a little with the "morality" issues sometimes it felt a bit sanctimonious. I also disliked that Dad was called intermittently Sam and Dad in the same sentences.

Did not finish. While this book wasn't awful it wasn't for me. I found that it jumped from place to place to different events and times and introduced too many different characters in only afew chapters. The few chapters that i read didn't carry on from each other. There was one about being bullied in a park one about a birthday party playing spin the bottle one about friend finding out the main character sees ghosts and one with a baseball game. Im sure it would have all came together in the end but the characters seemed bland and uninteresting and the book just didnt hold my attention. I still rate it at 2stars as the idea behind the book was still interesting and the main character is a young boy instead of the very over used teenage girl also the book could have still been great if id had the willpower to continue with it.

Ghost Boy is an enlightening book about 12 year old Ben Conover and his adventures and misadventures at home and in school. Ben has a sixth sense advantage, in that he can see ghosts of relatives passed, but this is not a talent he spreads around much. He is also usually the first to go to the aid of ostracized or embarrassed fellow students. When he finally does admit to the ghost thing as well, he becomes the butt of everyone's jokes and finds the threat of Military School in his future from his pragmatic father. But sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.

I received a free electronic copy of this middle school novel from Netgalley, Betty Stafford, and Our Street Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

This book was interesting, it kinda reminded me of the Sixth Sense in a way.
The characters in this book I know were kids, but something didn’t fit for me, I’m not sure what it was. It could have been the way the characters were portrayed, way it was written, maybe a little of both? I’m un sure. I did want to be able to like this book because the synopsis of it did seem promising.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a unique story but it just isn’t one that I enjoyed. Maybe you will?

It was a great preteen coming of age book. It dealt with many issues and ways to solve them. Plus side to this book , was it had a supernatural twist to it. I will buy this for my preteen to read!!

This was a little over my head as far as keeping my attention. My daughter saw it and has asked to read it and she is enjoying it so far. She is 12 though so that might be the best to get her take on it!

This a book aimed at teenagers and younger children which I do not normally read but I did find it interesting. It does however read as though the chapters are separate short stories joined together but overall it was a well written book.

I will keep this one short and sweet. I absolutely loved it. When I first finished I was a little undecided and initially slightly underwhelmed. That was last night. This book has been in my head ever since, its like an earwig.

The themes of this novel are confronting within an adult book. Here it is a novel meant for younger children and teenagers. Discussing mental health, familial bonds, friendship and compassion for others, Ghost Boy really packs a punch and forces you to question yourself.

I loved that for a fairly short book, the characters are relatable and fully fleshed out. Usually I would have a problem with the lack of intricate imagery, but in this it just didnt need it (its there but i honestly didnt even think about it because i was so engrossed in the story),

While in places it is super dark, talking about one person having a dark mass riding his back and someone losing a foot in a train accident, the narrative didnt feel particularly heavy. So much so that my 10 year old daughter read it after me so as I could get a tweens opinion.

Overall this was excellently written and on point with the difficulties many children face in today's judgemental society. I will definitely be recommending it to family and friends when it releases

An interesting and intriguing blurb drew me to this book, unfortunately it did not live up to my hopes or expectations.
Ben is in seventh grade, and unlike most kids his age, he can see ghosts. His Grandmother speaks to him, and he has a friend , Abby, who seems almost like a guardian angel to him. Despite being teased by friends, and medicated by family, he is adamant that the spirits he sees are real, and he does not want to let them go.
I had a couple of issues with this book, firstly and most importantly the writing style was very choppy, there didn't really seem to be a good narrative flow to the book , it just jumped from one episode or event to another without any smooth transition. My second issue was the ending of the book, it took a turn that verged on the creepy and unnerving given how the characters were described throughout the book to that point. It's impossible to discuss that more without giving away a major plot twist , one which I felt was poorly executed.
My third criticism is that there really didn't seem to be much fact checking about some pretty basic things, it seems like the author is not clear about the difference between transgender and non binary, but also some pretty basic medical facts seem to have been ignored. Again going into detail would be a major spoiler but it left a sour taste in my mouth.

This was a sweet book for middle schoolers about a boy who sees what others cannot. When he confides to his friends, of course they make fun of him for seeing "ghosts" and word gets out at school. But his spirit friend, Abby who always appears when he is in danger seems to calm and get him through difficult times. When he eventually finds out the truth about things, we are relieved along with him. Although I don't usually read books for this age group, I think this is a lovely story that will surprise and delight young readers!

Have you ever seen a ghost? Do you even believe in ghost? Ben does, he sees them and talks with them. He sees a girl around his age that seems to show up whenever he is about to make a bad choice, he sees his granny when his family is discussing a tragic event, he even can see the evil that are in some people. When Ben tells his friends and family that he sees the ghost of a girl that he has named Abby, only his mom believes him. His dad thinks he is crazy and his friends start calling him "Ghost Boy". Ben is a very unusual seventh grader in that he doesn't let what others say about him bother him very much. Because of this, he is alway willing to help those who are underdogs. One day while they are visiting their family home in Alabama, Abby comes to talk to him. The problem is, Ben's dad has threatened to send Ben to military school if he mentions Abby again. However, Abby has something very important to tell Ben that will change the way his family thinks of his abilities. Read this enjoyable book about the paranormal and life in middle school (which can be just as scary as ghost) to find out how Ben's story turns out.

As I was reading this book initially didn't understand some of the sequence. The story seemed a bit choppy. When I finished and was looking back at those events I now understand why the author did this. I also would like to give a disclaimer that this book does have some bad language in it. I am a huge paranormal fan so I really enjoyed this book.

This was one of those books that just make you say ''aww..'' all the time. This kid, who is pretty popular, just does so much for others while he doesn't even have to.. All because he thinks he saw someone that told him to be good.. Loved it!

Ghost Boy is a wonderful book written with a fresh plot with a young boy as the main character with twists that just piece all the problems of the boy's family together to make sense. I found some of the behavioural changes in the side characters a little odd and not normal of a real human and therefore felt the story to be a little rushed. But it was a fun little read and I would recommend this to a teen or a young adult.

Sometimes a book starts a little awkwardly, like the author was trying too hard to make a start and to get too many things in too soon or to make a special effort to mention some 'agenda'. I had to make a few allowances for this one because the story I was expecting to read, about a protagonist who sees ghosts, was worked into that crucial first chapter smoothly enough to hope for some good flow to the rest of the story.

It did flow well after, though I felt the narrative was 'young' for my taste, but it's targeted at YA and middle grade and I would say appropriate for the middle grade age group, apart from the diversions into conversations about 'God' that don't quite fit in and come across as if the author is laying ground to push young readers towards religious beliefs.

Ben Conover is a boy from a religious family, but he sees ghosts, especially a girl ghost who he calls Abby. His parents don't believe what he sees is real of course and try to get him to stop making comments about it. The story covers interactions with other kids, both friends and foes, as well as family members. There are a few lessons about following the lead of older kids, especially relatives, who do things you know aren't smart and about dealing with life in general from a 12-13 year old's perspective.

Overall I did enjoy the story, but it didn't really progress in a central theme and I thought the ending left some inconclusive loose ends. I liked Ben as a character, but I did think some of the situations could have been better developed or followed up.

Ben sees ghosts. He is able to communicate with them, but they don’t visit him very often. When he admits that he sees them to his parents and his friends, he receives a lot of pushback from his friends who make fun of him and his dad who sends him to a psychologist who tells Ben he’s not crazy but starts him on medication anyway.

This book reads like it was the author’s first draft. There are some good ideas here with the plot, but the plot isn’t ultimately fully developed.

The character is 12 for most of the book and going to be beginning junior high (7th) grade which would put this book most appropriate for a middle grade audience. However, this book is very difficult to follow at times, and while it’s clear throughout that it’s supposed to be a contemporary novel, there’s not enough of Ben’s world established to truly create that.

There’s also a whole lot of characters. Ben’s parents are referred to by their first names, and Ben also has an older sister who is only mentioned a few times despite the fact that she is 4 years older than Ben and lives with him. There are other characters that are brought up in one chapter, never to be seen again.


I had been really interested by the description of the novel, but ultimately, this reads too much like an unpolished first draft to be a good read.