Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

How do you tell a ghost story without making it scary? You tell this story. You have a ghost that has an effect on the world but without really haunting anything. Now, it becomes apparent pretty early on that the ghost is a symbol for change and loss. It is, after all, a literal elephant in the room. It is the pain that Mo and her family don't want to acknowledge. While that metaphor is a bit heavy-handed for an adult reader it's about perfect for a young reader starting to read more deeply in a text. Tan uses specific sensory details to great affect so we truly experience the ghost and the junkyard along with the characters. With a decent level of character development this is a solid choice for a solo read or a book club or classroom setting.

I really loved this middle grade novel where the main character copes with the divorce of her mother from her stepfather, a man she considers her father, by trying to take care of everyone in her family, trying to make sure that she mitigates all possible hazards. She blames herself for the lack of relationship that she now has with "S-dad" and for some of his choices and in this novel explores how that has affected her own reactions. I think that Tan did an excellent job portraying these real struggles while also adding in a little bit of magic that may or may not have happened. I definitely recommend this book.

This was an interesting contemporary book with light paranormal parts. I really liked the characters and the slight mystery that they had trying to figure out what happened.

Fantastic fantasy novel with an original premise and engaging narrative style. Tan really is a remarkable middle grade author

Mo is full of anxiety as a result of past trauma. She's worried about how badly things can go wrong. She struggles with panic attacks and managing her emotions. If that's not relatable, I don't know what is. When she starts having strange dreams and encounters, she teams up with a boy from school to investigate. He's convinced ghosts are real. Mo isn't so sure.

I loved the writing. It's always nice to have elevated writing for juvenile fiction. I would have absolutely loved reading this when I was 12. I appreciate how vulnerable Mo was in the end and spoke about opening up.

I read this as a free ARC thanks to NetGalley.

This was a great mix of family dynamics, racial identity and a spooky ghost story. I felt that the characters were authentic and the absence of the mother due to depression made more sense as the book delved into the family issues the characters such as Mo were dealing with. I really liked Mo's relationship with her uncle, as well as her evolving friendship with Nathaniel and even Peter.

There was a great historical ghost story, and good resolution at the end. This will be a book that will help middle grade students feel seen.

What a remarkable story, about the dangers of ghosts and how a little bit of toast can spell disaster. Our protagonist tries to navigate a life post-divorce with her mother's depression and half-sister's seeming vulnerability. Maybe her uncle can help, while a ghostly elephant reaches out to her.

When her step-father leaves and her family loses their home to a fire, twelve-year-old Monica, preferably called Mo, has a few fears, but the chance to hunt an elephant ghost, and the promise of a new friend just might show Mo that she can live with a little danger.

Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards was an enjoyable read, with funny remarks between Mo and Nathaniel, a boy she meets at her new school. I liked the storyline and the interesting plot twist. I wasn’t a fan of some of the characters or the backstory of the ghost.

When her stepfather leaves the family, Mo, her half-sister, and their mom cram into her hippie great-uncle Ray's house in a new town. Anxious about starting a new middle school--as well as more serious dangers like toaster fires and overloaded electrical outlets--Mo does her best to take care of her sister and her depressed mom and to shake off comments from new neighbors, some of whom assume she is a tourist because there are no other Chinese American families around, and a boy at school whose class clown act borders on bullying. Bonding with Uncle Ray over classic rock music helps Mo unwind a bit after school, but at night, she experiences a recurrence of her childhood sleepwalking habit, this time with vivid dreams that linger into the mornings with unexplainable physical connections to a town legend of the ghost of Maudie, a circus elephant that died in a fire. Determined to get to the root of her dreams, Mo enlists the help of her classmate Nathaniel, an authority on ghosts and exorcisms, but as they dig deeper into the town's past, they begin to realize that the stories about Maudie were distorted and to find peace--for the elephant and themselves--they will have to read between the lines to find the truth, about the circus and the tragedies in their own lives.

Mo's funny, honest voice propels an enthralling narrative with fantasy elements that function on both a literal and metaphorical level. I had trouble putting this one down and highly recommend it to fans of middle grade contemporary fiction with embedded fantasy elements, such as The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin or The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart. This is also a great pick for book clubs!

This was a middle school mystery that was also realistic fiction with a touch of the paranormal.

While one might be tempted to assume that everything she experienced that was paranormal in nature was just a result of her anxieties, other characters see or hear things that can't be fully explained, so it leaves the reader wondering.

What I liked about this book was the journey the author took us through the mind of a 12-year-old experiencing anxiety and panic attacks, as well as OCD, triggered by some traumatic events in her life. But the author also explored the impact a bad divorce can have on the family after a parent leaves. The depression experienced by the parent left behind and its impact on the kids was explored here, but I liked that the author also talked about how a family culture where one never talks about feelings can make everything even harder. I liked that the resolution included counseling for both her mom and her.

I also really liked how she used music as a way to communicate, and I ended up pulling up some of those songs even as I read this book. It would be cool if there was a list of songs at the end of the book--the author could even share a song list on Spotify or Youtube, lol!

I will say that it took me a little time to warm up to Mo, but she was at a bad place in her life, and given that she never had counseling and her mom never talked to her about any of it, it's understandable that she didn't know how to deal with her bad feelings. But as we learned more about her past experiences, as well as the past experiences of the other two boys, I started warming up to all three of them.

I also liked that she explored the theme of racism in their town, and I loved the librarian. With Mo's state of mind at the beginning of the book, all she could do was be angry about the obvious racism and prejudice she was experiencing, but I loved how the librarian ended up being a resource both for the mystery of the past, but also for concrete ways Mo can speak out about the casual racism that she encounters.

Overall, I thought this was a solid middle school book that tackles several serious topics in a way that is accessible to 11–13-year-olds.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and the publisher, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was so excited to read an early copy of this great title! From the very first chapter, Mo is a deeply relatable character full of irrational anxieties and the frustration of a big life change. Mo's uncle is a great character (don't we all have that one weird hippie uncle?) and Nathaniel's peppy love for ghosts is endearing.
This book's genre fits well alongside titles like Too Bright to See ( Lukoff), Where the Lost Ones Go (Bowman), and even How to Trap a Tiger (Keller) in the real-but-fantasy-but-it's-not-about-the-fantasy type of genre that's been cropping up increasingly recently. There's great conversations about who writes history books and how we learn about the place that we live in that will really resonate with kids (and grown ups) of this day and age. I hope plenty of kids get the chance to read this title.

I received an electronic ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Mo and her family had to leave their home and move in with her great-uncle in another town. Readers meet her in this new location and learn some of her story in memories, flashbacks and dreams. She struggles with severe anxiety issues and fears stemming from her stepdad leaving them and an accidental fire she caused after being told. So, her fears have a real base but she has let them expand into a need to keep everyone safe. She struggles to make friends in her new middle school and finally risks connecting with Nathaniel. Together, they set out to see if there are ghosts in their area. I appreciate how Tan creates characters who each carry their own internal struggles and are able to still find ways to connect with others and reach out in their own ways. By the end, readers see healing for each of the characters and resolution to the historical situation too.
Middle grade readers will connect with the concerns and see themself somewhere in this story.

Ghosts, Toast and Other Hazards by Susan Tan is a middle-grade novel with a unique concept, releasing the ghost of an elephant.

Mo’s family moves to New Warren to live with her uncle. Mo starts getting dreams about a circus and an elephant. Mo and her friend Nathaniel uncover that a circus elephant that died in a fire is asking for their help to be free. The novel is about how the duo helps the elephant.

The novel is also about making friends, taking care of siblings, a depressed mother, and a breakup and how it affects the family. Everything builds to the end, but the climax is flimsy. I wanted to read more about the final encounter. The villain is not as scary. All the episodes that are supposed to give the reader chills are not scary.

The novel is also multicultural, Mo’s family is Chinese, and Nathaniel’s is Jewish. I liked the idea of an animal ghost but was unclear about the novel's tone.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Susan Tan and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mo is not afraid of toast, but of fire. Her toast caught on fire when she found out the her stepdad was leaving her, her mom and sister. Now it's Mo's job to keep her family together. They soon move in with her mom's Uncle Ray. Shortly after the move, Mo is haunted in her dreams by elephants and spirits attack in Uncle Ray's home, Mo has to get to the bottom of it. With the help of Nathaniel, will they be able to get to the bottom of what/who is attacking her home and their town?

I loved this quick and fun read. I loved the friendship between Mo and Nathaniel, Cece (Mo's little sister) and Uncle Ray. I also appreciated Mo's mom honesty with her and how sad she was after her husband (Mo's stepdad) left.

Oh how I loved Mo. What a treasure it is to recognize yourself in a character. Mo is going through a lot. She's moved to a new town with a mom who seems to be in the midst of a deep depression, is living with a weird uncle, and has to look out for a younger sibling. She's also the new kid at school and bullies still exist. Oh yes, and she's being haunted by an elephant. Naturally, she's little anxious.
I could so relate to Mo's many fears and anxieties as she tries to be brave and handle problems on all sides. This is a terrific story of facing your fears, finding true friends, and looking out for family, even weird uncles. It is also great reminder of learning from and accepting the differences in all people (TW: mentions of racism).
I can't wait to put this in the hands of some of my middle schoolers when it hits the shelves!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mo's anxiety levels are at an all-time high. After having to move to her Uncle Ray's house after her stepfather left pushed her mother into a deep depression which resulted in her losing her job. Now, Mo spends her time "mothering" her younger sister, adjusting to a mostly white town, and being haunted by an elephant circus ghost named Maudie.

Solid middle grade novel that will add diversity and relatable characters to a library collection. This is a good read-alike for students who liked Celesta Rimington's "The Elephant's Girl."

I saw this book and though "What could this be about" and something about me is I rarely read a plot of a book, I go for the titles. And when I got approved for this book, I was like "OK I will try this" and I loved every minute of it. It was a feel good sci-fi novel, that I think would be perfect for reluctant readers.

This is such a great book! I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn't put it down. I will be recommending this book to teachers, administrators, principals, and counselors. It's a great book that's written in a very compelling way.

This was such a fun story! I really loved it. Tan has crafted a fantastic mystery that doesn’t shy away from touching on more serious themes. Highly recommend.