She lives in an apartment complex that allows animals. She has several pets. When her neighbor comes to visit, she finds out she thinks her rental apartment has a ghost. Oh boy! Now the animals will snoop and see what they find.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published September 7th.

The lady whose apartment appears to be haunted hires some guys who have a TV show to get rid of the ghost.

The animals know what is going on. The "ghost" is an octopus who escaped from the zoo. The wailing is the cat next door singing.

The guys are scam artists and they make the person think she has ghosts and charges her quite a bit to remove them.

It's a good thing they have the animals to protect them!

This is an adorable, kid friendly, animal action-packed adventure. I adored this fun little read and so did my little pet detectives.

I received an ARC, but my opinions are all mine (and my kids’).

THE GREAT GHOST HOAX
written by Emily Ecton, illus. by Dave Mottram, (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $17.99, Sept 2021, ISBN 978-1-5344-7991-3), 272p, Ages 8-12
The pets and residents of the Strathmore Building from The Great Pet Heist (2020) return for another adventure as they investigate Mrs. Third Floor’s rental unit that is showing signs of ghost activity. Butterbean, Walt, Marco, Polo, Oscar and Wallace discover eerie noises, moving objects, empty cans of sardines, and fish missing from the aquarium.
They discover the culprit is Jerome, a celebrity octopus (Mr. Wiggles) and camouflage artist, recently escaped from the local zoo. When confronted by crooked professional ghost hunters, they find a way to scam the scammers and save Mrs. Third Floor’s life savings.
Kids will love the animals’ quirky personalities, their dedication to help their friend, the silliness of their antics, and the “Cannonball” ending.
Themes: Adventure, Animals, Heroes, Humor, Families, Friendship, Mysteries, Pets

Such a fun story! I had students raving and recommending the first one to one another last year! I know they are going to love this one too. Fans of stories with animal hi-jinx and mysterious circumstances to find an explanation for will enjoy The Great Ghost Hoax. There's also some great potential for discussing media literacy in regards to the ghost hunting tv show aspect.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for this review.

This follow up to Emily Ecton's The Great Pet Heist was every bit as great as the first book in the series.
The cast of characters is absolutely hysterical and my 1st grader is a huge fan! If you have read the first book and enjoyed it, grab this for sure. If you haven't read The Great Pet Heist yet, go grab both titles, because I can't imagine you'll stop after just one!

Reading Emily Ecton's debut The Great Pet Heist was a bright spot in my reading during the first wave of the pandemic. When I saw her follow up featuring the same characters I was excited!

The Great Ghost Hoax returns readers to the irascible group of pets, ranging from more mundane companions like cats and dogs to more exotic ones like octopi. This time, instead of pulling off an Ocean’s 11-style caper, the pets have to deal with some paranormal activity in a neighboring apartment.

Even though I had Ecton’s first book a little over a year ago, I would have liked a brief reintroduction to each of the animals to help distinguish them from each other. Overall, the beginning felt a bit rushed, almost as though the events of the previous book had never happened. Fortunately, readers will soon be caught up in the gang’s new adventures.

My favorite thing about this book is its sense of humor. Some of the animals are just plain goofy while others are snarky. The humans are no less funny, particularly the apartment building’s landlord who is terrified of the potential ghost in one of her apartments. Ecton’s ability to portray the animals’ and humans’ personalities while finding comedy within their group dynamic reminded me a bit of Bunnicula, a beloved series of books about a vampire rabbit and the other pets he lives with. The intermittent illustrations accompanying the text are adorable and a great aid for younger readers who are still getting comfortable with chapter books.

I received an electronic ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
This sequel definitely lives up to the first book. Butterbean, Walt, Wallace, Marco, Polo and Oscar are back and this time they meet some other animals who join the fun. How does a missing star octopus and a haunted apartment connect? In Ecton's imagination and creativity. Readers see the characters solve another mystery with their own humorous style. They share in the fun and glitches along the way. We also see further development of the animals' personalities as Ecton continues the story from the first book. Looking forward to further adventures of this unlikely group of friends.

“The Great Pet Heist” was one of my favorite middle grade novels of 2020. It’s sequel, “The Great Ghost Heist” by Emily Ecton with illustrations by David Mottram continues the hilarious adventures of its predecessor, with the addition of a few more zany characters. The returning ensemble includes news-obsessed parrot: Oscar, the sage feline Walt, Butterbean the dog, Chad the octopus, and the rats: Marco, Polo, and Wallace. Previously the animals banded together to pull off a heist. Now they are working together to solve the mystery of strange happenings in the apartment of Mrs. Third Floor. What starts off as a paranormal investigation morphs into a plan to save Mrs. Third Floor from being duped by scam artists posing as would be ghost busters. The writing is witty and the illustrations are equally comical. This book would be a great read-aloud for a classroom or for a parent-child shared reading experience. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for the e-ARC through NetGalley.

The sequel to The Great Pet Heist, The Great Ghost Hoax has our misfit band of animals back to save the day. The characters are hilarious and my children loved this next installment as much as the first one.

Hilarious follow up to The Great Pet Heist. In this adventure, Butterbean, Marco, Walt, and the pet rats are investigating a possible ghost haunting in Mrs. Third Floor's rental apartment. No one knows what these crazy pets will do next except for possibly Mrs. Power Walker. The voice for each of these characters is amazing. Perfect for fans of The Secret Life of Pets or any pet loving kid. Can't wait to see what they are up to in their next adventure.

what a cute book! what kid wouldn't enjoy reading about an investigative team made up of pets. We have the mysterious disappearance of an octopus, a ghost in residence in an empty apartment and the mayhem that ensues when the animals and humans try to figure out what is happening. Then throw in police and ghost busters and its a book just made for kids.

Thanks to netgalley for an e copy of this book for an honest review.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Ms. Ecton has done it again. Our favorite characters are back and they've brought in friends. In addition to solving mysteries, they also have to help a neighbor stay away from swindlers. An amazing sequel. Fantastic one sitting read that will have you laughing, gasping and fighting for justice. I do hope we see this crew again soon.

Such a cute book! This is the sequel to The Great Pet Heist. I read this book with my 8-year-old and he loved it. Cute, funny characters and a fun plot. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

“The Great Ghost Hoax” is a story about pets investigating eerie activity and their adventure in seeking the truth. I liked the overall theme of the story; however, felt very drawn out and I did not care of the multiple text in bold, especially for young readers. An okay read, but not one I would necessarily recommend.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, and Atheneum Book for Young Readers for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #Netgalley

Oh my gosh so adorable!!!! My boys loved this book with all the wacky goodness that we love.