A heartfelt exploration of navigating grief and found family for a teen who has the power to connect with the dead.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a cute, appropriately spooky (but not scary) and diverse middle grade novel. I liked the characters and world. It was a little slow and sad at times, but I found it entertaining overall. I think younger readers will like it too.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Wow! I could not stop reading this one. I loved the narrative style and the way the author unfolded the story, linking little bits of information into a big idea. Readers will be hooked from the start.

Jasmine is Haunted is a delightful middle-grades novel about an 8th grade girl who sees ghosts, which leads her to an in-depth understanding of her familial history and culture. Along the way, she deals with a single parent (her father died 4 years before in an accident), frequent moves, and finding friends, issues that many middle school, and older, students can relate to, either in their own lives or the lives of their friends. After yet another move, Jasmine finally finds friends who share her interests, when she discovers that the school's GSA club doubles as the Gay Supernatural Association - at least, in the eyes of the other two members, a non-binary student named Bea and a gay boy named Jorge.

This book is a wonderful story all on its own; for students who are LGBTQ+, or who are dealing with the loss of a family member, this novel could be valuable to help them understand that they are not alone in their experiences, and that there are people who are willing and able to help them deal with what they are feeling and experiencing. The characters are real, with real problems, faults, and strengths, a valuable representation for any student, but especially valuable for students who feel as if they don't belong. Recommended for middle grades students.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jasmine Garza had a ghost following her after her Papi's death, though her Mami will never admit something is wrong. No matter how many times they move, something happens. Now they're going to North Hollywood, and Jasmine is determined to have a normal life. Bea Veracruz and Jorge Barrera are obsessed with the supernatural, eager to help when Jasmine confesses she’s been tormented by a ghost. They try to prove that Jasmine’s not acting out, and Jasmine resents her mother's secrets as her hauntings increase in intensity.

This middle-grade novel starts from a place of loneliness and grief, and Jasmine is used to moving from place to place. She's the awkward new kid, unsure of her place in the social hierarchy. She's invited to the GSA, where she meets Bea and Jorge, and learns they call it the Gay Supernatural Alliance because they hunt creatures on campus. Jasmine’s haunting is their first real case, and their eagerness forces her to confront the ghosts and try to discover more about them. She talks to her mother about it, and learns more about her family history and grief itself.

In this book, the supernatural and ghosts are very real. People lose others close to them and don't always know how to move on. Some think it's by forgetting or ignoring the pain, but it's still there. Once they gather together and talk it through, they figure out what to do. Jasmine is an interesting character, and I loved spending time with her in the book.

This book is perfect for middle grade kids who love a good spooky mystery. With a cast of misfits brought together by their love of the super natural through their school’s GSA club (gay supernatural alliance), this book explores figuring out who you are and embracing your authentic self while finding those people who will stick by you through it all.
Jasmine is an 8th grader who often moves due to strange supernatural occurrences after the death of her father. She’s hoping this most recent move will be her last and all seems great until the spirits start acting up again.
Enter in Bea and Jorge - two other LGBTQ youth who also have their own paranormal investigations going on and welcome Jasmine into their crew. Together they embark on a mission to determine if Jasmine is truly haunted.
This book was written in a unique third person voice which took a little getting used to but made you feel like an observer the whole time. I personally connected with Jasmine and her grief as she lost her father tragically and suddenly 4 years ago and I lost my dad the same way 4 years ago. I loved how the relationship between Jasmine and her mother also evolved over the course of the book.

Jasmine is starting another school. Her mom has found a place closer to work so that is the reason they moved. It is only Jasmine and her mom as her father/husband died due to an accident. They move a lot because of the noisy trouble making ghosts who keep following Jasmine. At her new school, Jasmine finds unexpected friends to help with her problem, as the GSA (the Gay Supernatural Alliance) are eager to investigate this new paranormal activity. Together, Jasmine and her new friends set out to discover the cause of her haunting, before the dark shadow spirits grow too powerful. Why are ghosts following Jasmine? Will her new friends be able to solve Jasmine’s ghost problem?

The novel is funny, fast-paced and spooky. It is also heartfelt as there is the lingering grief of those the dead leave behind. and the the novel shows the importance of family, friends, and community in helping that grief. Jasmine’s community is queer and multiethnic, with strong Latino representation. There are spanish phrases adding texture and are easily understood for those who don’t know the language (like me). The complicated characters all hold their own secrets, just as Jasmine holds her secret. They find the same freedom she does in letting those secrets go. I love this book. I enjoyed and understood Jasmine’s friends who do their best to help her. Jasmine is a great character. Seeing her reactions to unexpected experiences made me realize how complicated life at her age can be. This is a great book to read during Halloween. It’s a good book to read at anytime.

Poor Jasmine is haunted, her mother doesn't believe her, or at least makes Jasmine believe that, but still, every year when their lease is up they move to a new place. This makes it hard to make friends but when she does makes things better for her. This is a very cute and spooky novel that touches on some heavier themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

To be honest, this is my first book by Oshiro. I wasn’t a huge fan of his debut, so I just kept pushing all his other books back. But now at the very LEAST I’m going back to read all his MG because this was spectacular.

Ok so I’m going to be honest again…. I knew where this was going as soon as this story started, but I was enjoying it so much I didn’t care in the slightest. (And also I was reading with my adult brain and not my MG brain lol I doubt my kids that I’m buying this for would have realized it.) This was SO GOOD. It had just the right amount of paranormal activity to keep me entertained, but also had some real life instances mixed in as well. It was balanced pretty perfectly.

The characters were what made this story. From Jasmine, to her ghosts, to her friends. they all played a very important role in this story, even if you can’t tell that from the beginning. Even her Mami had a huge secret that made me sit up and say, “HUH!?” out loud. Jasmine’s besties were another reason I enjoyed this so much. They were so guarded, but let her in all the same. That worried me because I thought they were hiding something that was going to hurt her, but luckily it wasn’t. They all had something in common. And it was sad, but that was what brought them together. (Also Bea’s parents are terrible people. Just wanted to say that lol)

The main thing I liked about this…. The scary bits were actually scary! As someone who reads MG horror all the time, it’s not usually scary. So imagine my surprise when i got to this one and was actually pretty spooked by the way the ghosts appeared to Jasmine and the things they were doing. That may seem like a lot, but looking at feedback from branches, my tweens love things like this. I’m so excited for them to read more!

The plot of this was pretty basic, but it had me glued to my AirPods. I hated that it felt like they were using her tho. Like they realized a while before she did that things were amplified when she was around, so they kept inviting her to stuff. Then they would apologize just to do it all over again. That was annoying. I felt really bad for her. I do wish there had been more of a plot twist tho because it did start getting predictable.

Until we got to the end. It was so abrupt. I wanted to at least see how she really interacted with her first thing after this whole ordeal. But they just cut it off. Maybe it was because they wanted to make sure we have room for a sequel, which in that case, I’ll allow it lol I want to see more of this. I need to see how the GSA or Gay Supernatural Alliance lives up to things now that they have the potential for a real business.

This was a fun one! I really hope this is the start to a series! I want to see how they interact with these and how they’re going to turn this into a business. Because tweens talking to ghosts that should have moved on? As we’ve seen in this one…. What could possibly go wrong?!

This is a very cute and spooky novel that touches on some heavier themes.
Poor Jasmine is haunted, her mother doesn't believe her, or at least makes Jasmine believe that, but still every year when their lease is up they move to a new place. This makes it hard to make friends and even harder to want to since there is a good chance they will just move again. So it made this time even better when she made friends despite herself.

The things Jasmine sees are pretty creepy, and I loved the moment when she told her friends and they believed her. I really enjoyed reading this as an adult and would have absolutely loved it as a middle schooler. I had a great time from start to finish, and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for a review!

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book a while back and am genuinely so glad I didn't get a chance to read it 'til now! (Strange as that sounds!) It's the perfect October read, with lots of mysteries, magic, and - of course - ghosts. There's also a beautiful, tenderly written narrative about grief - how it affects us, stays with us, and even unites us, in the end.

I was so thrilled to see a book like this written for middle grade kids. Though the hauntings and happenings that Jasmine and her friends deal with are of the supernatural variety, Mark's approach to family, feelings, and the pain that comes with loss is decidedly real and raw. I found myself getting emotional several times, especially when it came to Jasmine and her mami. Their relationship reminded me a lot of me and my own mom, and seeing their bond change and grow throughout the book was lovely. An excellent read for any age!

Jasmine is Haunted has a ton of potential but lacked the spark to fully hook me into the story.

Additionally, Jasmine is a bit older than the typical middle-grade protagonist, starting 8th grade, making her around 13. This may be a better fit for middle school students, rather than my upper elementary. I do not think it should be added to my elementary library.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was a moving middle grade horror novel, and I enjoyed how it used the motif of ghosts to explore grief. And Jasmine herself is a compelling character, both in how she explores this in the aftermath of losing her father and dealing with the challenges of growing up as a queer kid. I did sometimes find the story a tad slower-paced than I prefer, but I was impressed by how Oshiro created a story that packed a punch within around 250-ish pages.

It’s that time of year and we’re starting off strong with Jasmine is Haunted by Mark Oshiro. This middle-grade novel follows Jasmine Garza who has been haunted by ghosts ever since her Papi’s death. Having moved again to a new town and school, she makes new friends who agree to help her look into her ghost problem. This is a fun and light-hearted story with an interesting view of the haunts in this story. It’s also a great story of friendship and how valuable a support system can be when dealing with loss and grief. Mark Oshiro also uses this book as a way to promote some inclusion and new insights to those looking for it. While the book does start off a little slower in pace, this is for good reason and if you can stick through it, you’ll find great value in this. So go check out Jasmine is Haunted by Mark Oshiro!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book has a lot of good reviews but unfortunately, I am an outlier for this one. I just felt like the pacing was just so slow for this and I couldn't connect with the characters. I could just be too old for this one.

I hope others love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am a Mark Oshiro fan so this was an auto read. I love his writing style and where I have only read YA I was ready for a middle grade book by him. This deals with grief and how to successfully move on. Everyone around Jasmine had someone that they had lost and wanted to speak to. I liked jasmine and her family and I was fully invested in her friend group as well.

There were parts when it was slower but I still appreciated all the messages. This was such a sweet and short read. I found myself crying near the end. It was a very beautiful ending.

Jasmine is Haunted is an excellent Middle Grade novel that uses spooky ghosts as a way to explore grief and processing trauma. It also includes a non-binary side character, which is always exciting to find for this age range because it's infrequent! (hint- Mark Oshiro is a great resource for other MG books featuring non-binary and queer characters)

Jasmine's dad died suddenly 4 years ago and since then she and her mom have moved a LOT. And following her to every house is a creepy, shadowy ghost. Now she's starting at a new school and makes new friends after joining the GSA club. Friends who secretly investigate the paranormal! It's a charming book that also tackles heavy topics with compassion and an age appropriate blend of humor and seriousness. Definitely worth a read.

The audiobook is narrated by the incomparable Vico Ortiz who does a fantastic job. Love that they were picked for this! A perfect book to have on your radar for fall if you are a teacher, parent, or librarian. I received an audio review copy of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Ever since her Papi died, Jasmine has had a ghost problem. A problem that has really interfered with her ability to make friends. And her and her mami's ability to stay in one place for too long. But for this most recent move, Jasmine is determined to make normal friends. To lead a normal life. But the universe has different ideas.

At her new school, Jasmine meets Bea and Jorge, who make up the Gay Straight Alliance at her new school. Turns out, they're already obsessed with hunting the supernatural. When Jasmine tells them about her ghost, they're excited to help. But the three quickly learn that they might just possibly be in over their heads.

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Jasmine is Haunted by Mark Oshiro to review! Mark Oshiro is definitely an auto-read author for me, and their middle grade is excellent. Some of my favorite middle grade books, honestly! If you're into the supernatural and ghost hunting, you'll love the story Oshrio has spun in this one.

From the beginning, Jasmine feels lost. Since there's been a ghost haunting her, it's been hard for her to make any friends. However, it's the supernatural that helps her to find new friends at her new school. Bea and Jorge, though cautious at first, welcome Jasmine into the fold. Through the three of them, they make a little community in tune with the supernatural. I loved the way both things went hand in hand throughout the story.

The way that Oshiro writes the ghosts felt like a fresh take on the idea, especially with Jasmine's family history. There's a bit of a mystery at the core of the plot, tyring to figure out why exactly Jasmine is seeing these dark ghosts. The idea of ghosts is also woven into Jasmine's culture, and it's very well written.

In addition to being about the supernatural, this book is also about healing from losing someone you love. All of the characters are connected by loss in some way, and they all need each other to help move forward. It also shows how building community can help with the grieving process.

All in all, if you're looking for a middle grade ghost story for spooky season, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "Jasmine is Haunted" by Mark Oshiro in exchange for an honest review.

Jasmine Garza is haunted. No one else realizes it, but it's true, and it's ruining her life. The strange haunting disrupts her life to the point where she struggles to make friends and she and mother are forced to move often. It's been like this since her father died in a terrible accident. Now facing yet another new school in yet another new neighborhood, Jasmine is lost, tired, and afraid.

Things start to change, though, when she joins the GSA club at school. (GSA stands for Gay Supernatural Alliance.) There, she meets Bea and Jorge, fellow LGBTQ students who happen to be obsessed with tracking down the supernatural. After some tentative and secretive conversations, Jasmine confides in them and Bea and Jorge join in her quest for answers.

But things get worse before they get better. Until now, the haunting was disruptive but suddenly the haunting incidents are happening everywhere. In her new home, at school, and at Jorge's home too. When Jasmine finally confesses everything to her mother and aunt, she learns more about her family history but even that only helps a little. It will take everyone - her mother and aunt, Bea's parents, Jorge's parents, the school librarian, the next door neighbor, the neighborhood fruit vendor and a street musician - EVERYONE to finally solve the mystery of Jasmine's haunting and help her find some peace.

It's a fantastic story. The haunting provides a framework for discussing bigger issues: how grief affects memory, friendships, and family relationships. It's at times scary and thrilling, at times melancholy. The conclusion is plausible and satisfying. Jasmine, her family, and her friends, are all wonderful and relatable; they're likeable despite their flaws and mistakes. "Jasmine is Haunted" is framed well for the intended audience; it's all about middle schoolers who are starting to step into their own independence but still need the assist from their parents.

Happily, the central conflict is NOT related to many of the characters being LGBTQ. While central to the story in that this group of kids is figuring out their identities, it's not the source of fear or pain for anyone. It's simply the way things are and that is such a relief.

Highly recommend this story for readers who want a middle grade ghost story that ends well and anyone looking for a story where a community comes together to save the day. It's just so, so, so good.

Oshiro is an auto-read author for me, and I love middle grade horror/supernatural stuff, so of course I had to pick this up!

It was exactly what I wanted. I love and relate to the main character, who has been haunted for years now and is getting pretty fed up with the it! But then she meets and joins her school’s Gay Supernatural Alliance (!!!). Everyone in this book is queer — the 3 leads, Jasmine’s mom, her new friend Jorge’s dads, the teachers…it’s amazing.

This is both cozy and spooky. Perfect for late summer or fall. And I cried sooo much at the end.
[slight spoiler] I love how they actually get the parents involved. Intergenerational supernatural coalition!

My only complaint is the friendship stuff is a little over-telegraphed and repetitive. But it’s also really sweet! I love the resolution at the end.

It comes out October 1! Thanks so much to Netgalley for the arc.