Maria Delacruz is an eleven year old child who is trapped under the swindling scam of her mother, a con artist, who thinks she can communicate with the dead. Maria on the other hand, has a secret she can talk to ghosts. Edward, a ghost, has been communicating with Maria since she was a child. Edward sends Maria on the quest of a lifetime searching for clues about Beat poets, jazz and art history. Along the way, she meets all kinds of people in her search for answers.
This book will keep you entertained from the beginning to the end. Just when you think you have it figured out another twist is added that you didnt see coming.

Laurie S.

2.5, rounded up. This book had a Matilda-esque feel--Maria Russo is mistreated by her mother Madame Destine and her mother's partner Mr. Fox, both of whom run a con in the form of psychic readings, and Maria has a special gift that she's hiding from both of them. Maria is able to talk with spirits; in particular, one ghost she knows only as "Edward." Edward leads her to Madame Destine's latest victim, Mrs. Fisher, ostensibly so Maria can help her--thus begins Maria's grand adventure.

It's an incredibly sad book with flat characters (Madame Destine and Mr. Fox were particularly one-dimensional and terrible), and it's less compelling than I would have liked, but I enjoyed the background of contemporary New York and the history of the Beat poets.

Everyone needs someone to look out for them. For those children who possess great gifts this need is even greater. Gilbert Ford weaves a mystical tale about the life of Maria Russo. But who will do this for Maria? He uses creativity and imagination to submerge the reader into the unstable life of Maria. His craft allows the reader to feel what she feels and desire what she desires. This magical story does not follow the traditional fantasy timeline. The reader is guided though the life of Maria and is left guesses as to what will happen next. Just when the reader thinks they have figured it out, there is a plot twist that leaves them scratching their heads in disbelief. Just who is her long-time friend? Can he really help? Will he help? Is there any chance that Maria can have the life she never knew she was missing?

I loved this book! I'm a sucker for middle grade novels about kids going on educational adventures around NY (the influence of Ms. Basil E. I guess) and this one made me feel so warm inside. Maria is a lovely protagonist to follow. Her adventures through Brooklyn and the West Village are sure to enchant any local kids. The backdrop of beat poetry and jazz is really sweet.

YA has always had a everyone-is-against-me vibe. It saddens me that middle grade is being written this way as well. Her only friend is a ghost? She sleeps in the closet? Just, no. Real life is sad enough. I stopped reading very early in the book.

Maria's grandmother was a famous psychic. Maria herself regularly communicates with a friendly ghost named Edward. But her mother, Madame Destine, is a con artist. She focuses on lonely widows, tricking them into donating to a fake charity she runs. Edward is particularly interested in her latest victim, Mrs. Fisher. He claims she's sitting on a treasure she doesn't even know about, and it's up to Maria to help her find it without tipping off her mother. Her new neighbor Sebastian might be helpful, if she can keep him from learning about her awful home situation. The illustrations are adorable.

Wow what a fantastic book that I devoured in less than a day! As an avid reader this book hooked me from the beginning as we were following a unique story one that I know myself and my students have never read before. I enjoyed learning about psychic abilities and found myself routing for the protagonist. My students are always looking for the next mystery book and this one fits the criteria. I will definitely be purchasing this book to use in my classroom and I can’t wait to share it with my students. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this advanced read. I would give this book 5/5 stars and I can’t wait to purchase it when it comes out in July!