Good book for a reluctant reader. Especially middle grade boys. It is a nice mix of graphic novel and chapter book. There is some gross humor and even some feelings mixed in. It should be a book in mot middle grade libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I loved this story and will definitely get this book for the library and for my grandson. It is the cutest story . The pictures are great and bright. THe kids will love this book and I am excited for them to get to read this fun story.

I really enjoyed this book about dealing with grief and being yourself. There are really great undertones and I loved how everything played out. It's a great book for readers ages 9-12.

This was such a funny story and a great way for introducing kids to grief, especially when it hits close to home. I’d definitely recommend this for middle grade readers.

I wanted to read this one because I have enjoyed this author before and this one did not disappoint.

So this is about best friends Larry and Grimm. They met for the first time in fourth grade where Grimm helped Larry get rid of a warm soda that he dropped which fell under the vending machine in the lunch room. It was a grenade waiting to go off so they took it out to the field so it can explode without any thing getting soda all over it just grass. That was the first of their many adventures, Grimm helped Larry come out his shell and quit blending into the background. Until Grimm never shows up to meet Larry one stormy afternoon, turns out Grimm was getting a cat out of a tree and lightning struck him and he died. Two weeks later Grimm shows up in the treehouse that him and Larry hang out in. As they are talking Larry tells Grimm that maybe he has some unfinished business that is why he is there with him. So they try to complete their Totally-To-Do List and see if any of the list items are something that Grimm regrets not getting to accomplish. So they try a bunch of them meanwhile Larry is going back to therapy since he keeps getting caught talking to no one which is Grimm so his mom wants to make sure he is processing his grief and is ok.

They do eventually figure out what his unfinished business is and get that resolved. Larry learns how to exist without his best friend and makes a new friend. I really enjoyed this and really liked the format it was presented in. It was mostly text with some cartoons intermixed which gave us visuals that really worked with the story. The subject was really interesting for a middle grade book since it dealt with death of a friend and grief and how you let them go. A really fast read and a really great story.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book was a lot of fun to read. I had many "laugh out loud" moments. The text and images flowed nicely together and will make it more interesting for reluctant readers or early chapter book readers. The development of the characters was nicely done and very realistic by way of realizing their faults and trying to right their wrongs. I would definitely recommend this to my library patrons and think they would enjoy it.

Middle-schooler Larry's best friend, Grimm, was killed in a freak accident while rescuing a cat during a lightning storm. Not long after his death, Grimm reappears as a ghost, with only Larry being able to see and communicate with him. The boys decide the only way for Grimm to 'pass on' is to complete a bucket list the boys had created. As Larry attempts to accomplish the items including taking a bath in spaghetti noodles, feeding the neighbor's mean dog, pranking the principal, the boys finally understand the wrong that must be put right was Grimm's poor treatment of another classmate.

I was expecting a silly book with lots of pranks and mischief, perhaps the first in a series of about a boy and his ghost friend. Instead, while there was plenty of silliness, the underlying theme was dealing with grief and loss. I think Fry handled this topic in a rather brilliant way. The illustrations are engaging and attention-grabbing and seem to lend to the humor, while bringing forth the fact that it is okay to feel sad when dealing with the loss of someone close to you and that our brains do things to help us cope with the grief. I don't know that I've ever read a book that offers the humor while packing such a punch with the more serious topic.

Best friends don't ghost each other.

Well, that is, unless your best friend is now an actual ghost. Larry was too shy for friends until he met Grimm. They did everything together and had a lifetime of plans to continue. One day, while saving a cat, Grimm dies and returns to Larry as a ghost.

Grimm and Larry work together through their To Do List hoping they find an action that will release Grimm to the afterlife even if it means saying goodbye. Both learn about friendship, kindness, and what it takes to let a person go.

Even though this is a book about grief, it has humor as well as quiet moments that will help kids think about their own grief. Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, or Dork Diaries. Told partly through comic panels and prose, this book had me chuckling.

I received an electronic ARC from HMH Books for Young Readers through NetGalley.
Fry weaves humor with more serious topics - death, grief, coping skills, bullying - as he does so well. Larry's best friend, Grimm, dies during a thunderstorm. He returns as a ghost that only Larry can see. They decide it must be their list of things to do that keeps him here - his "unfinished business," so they set out to have Larry tackle everything they wanted to accomplish. Middle grade readers will appreciate the humor in these scenes as something goes awry with each item, and, none seem to work. They're avoiding the one they really think will work - kiss a girl, as Larry doesn't feel confident about that. Their dialogue is so typical of best friends that readers will relate to their camaraderie. Throughout the book, Larry has some issues when others hear him talking with Grimm, but, of course, can't see him. I appreciate how Fry portrayed Larry's therapist. The calm support and information normalizes these interactions for readers. Eventually, Larry and Grimm have to face that some of Grimm's actions while living were not funny but mean and bullying. Grimm has to face this and apologize to a classmate to save Larry's life at the end of the book.
Various level readers will enjoy this one. It can be a light humorous read that leads to discussion about the serious undertones.
Mild Trigger: One of the main characters is dead.

Cute and quirky story. Great for fans of diary of a wimpy kid. It was not scary, more reminded me of Casper. It handles the issue of death in a comical way. Might not be best for someone who is struggling with grief.

Just What You Expected; Not At All What You Expected

First off, the author is being blurbed with a reference to his "Supervillain" series. I didn't know that set of books, but boy did the art here look familiar. (And not just because it is reminiscent of Berkeley Breathed's "Bloom County".) Then I got it. Fry is also the creator of the "Odd Squad" series, which is drawn in the same style as this book, is set in Middle School, and has the same mix of sometimes antic and sometimes surprisingly edgy school daze humor.

And that's what you get here. The premise description makes it sound like Larry and the ghost Grimm will just have manic fun pranking around and knocking off bucket list items. Well, not exactly. Larry and Grimm aren't sure why Grimm hasn't "passed on", and figuring that out is the heart of the tale. Larry has to process his grief, Grimm has to evaluate his life, and when jokes, shenanigans, and giggles don't get the job done they have to do some deeper thinking.

None of this is a buzz kill, or knocks this out of the Middle Grade humor category. It's just that while the humor is often smart and edgy the story is taking us and our heroes to a more nuanced place. In this place adults are more understanding and insightful than expected. Other kids have better natures and are more open and flexible than in the usual farty school daze books. Bullies have feelings; girls aren't scary; and friends can disagree and stay friends.

At the heart of all this we have best friends Larry and Grimm. That one is Black and one White is never mentioned and plays no part in the story. Larry is a little bland and Grimm is bit too colorful, (which hints at the heart of what really needs to be addressed so Grimm can move on), but these guys are authentic best friends. The point, along with the yucks and deadpan throwaways, and clever banter, and fast paced dialogue, is that even in Middle School it occasionally pays to pause and reflect.

Neil Gaiman once described Fry's "Odd Squad #2: Zero Tolerance" as "...[f]unny and sweet with a steely centre". I wouldn't go quite so far with this book, but it does have some unexpected weight. I liked that. But then again, I also liked the cat.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Ghosted is a cute and quirky book about the loss of a friend and him reappearing as a ghost. The illustrations that accompany the story would make this an instant hit with my fourth grade students. This reminded me of Casper and a television show from the 90s called Teen Angel about a kid whose deceased best friend returns to earth as his guardian angel. Even though the subject matter is dark, the author approaches death in a comical way that won’t frighten young readers. There is a strong message about treating others with kindness that I didn't expect.