This story is Silly and fun for kids. As an adult it didn’t stick with me as much. It is clean, creepy fun for the middle grade crowd.

I thought this little middle school story was a lot of fun. It deals with a very common fear: what if you have to move to a new school and you don't fit in? Lenny's case is pretty extreme because his parents decide to drop him off at a boarding school they don't really look into and it turns out he's the only one there who's alive. The story is short and fast-paced, and I found Lenny and the ghosts to be sympathetic characters. They brought up another question: what happens to your loved ones after you leave them behind? Lenny's parents are pretty irresponsible, and it would be fun if they dropped him into other ... interesting situations.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook. The narrator was very fun, and sometimes a little overdramatic, which suited the characters perfectly.

I enjoyed this book! I read through it pretty quickly! I did get a little confused at times, but I think that was a me thing and not a problem with the book

4.2 ☆
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This was a good paranormal, ghostly, spooky 👻 children's book! I would definitely recommend it. Is this appropriate for middle-aged readers? This author did a great job of telling the story and adding the semi-gory stuff. The afterward directed toward children, kind of like a warning, was great.
The narrator did a great job telling the story and acting out the different characters. It was extremely easy to listen to and follow along!
-currently available on KU read and listen-
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Thank you, Netgellay, and Brilliance Publishing for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Lenny gets accidentally enrolled in a boarding school for ghosts in this fun, middle grade adventure. I liked the quick pace & a lot of the ghostly characters/world-building. I think the narrator did a great job keeping the tone humorous & exciting. Unfortunately, the writing just didn't hold up for me. Suspension of disbelief had to be pushed to the max at all times & a lot of things just did not make sense.

Annnd.. I really hated the ending. (no spoilers, but I was disappointed.) That being said, if you are looking for a funny Halloween read, this could be it!

Thanks to NetGalley, Frank Maria Reifenberg, and Brilliance Publishing for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

this was really cute!
quick little middle grade, perfect for the fall. Very much reminded me of Scooby Doo in Ghoul School

Lenny's parents have enrolled him in a peculiar boarding school 'Shadowsnout Castle Academy'. This old German castle has an eerie vibe to it, but that is just the beginning. The school, its pupils and even the subjects taught here are nowhere close to normal & Lenny knows he needs to escape this place before he is fully trapped.

This was a short book with a ghostly boarding school adventure aura that made me all in for the spooky mood. It wasn't as scary as it was humorous, especially the conversations between the ghosts & the school rules. The book is filled with weird stuff so approach it with an open mind & enjoy the ride.

Had this been a physical book, this would potentially be exhilarating. Unfortunately, the audiobook sounds like too much rambling at the beginning which made it a little difficult to connect individually with characters, but you get accustomed to the narration style later. I still feel that the story will be more enjoyable in a textual format than audio.

Genre: Middle grade, Fantasy, Ghosts
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to Frank Maria Reifenberg, Brilliance, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The concept for Monsters, Inc., in an old German castle with a secondary character whose favorite word is "fart." If you're into that, you'll love it. Sounds annoying? Stay away.

There's a fascinating premise here---a school for ghosts to teach them how to haunt---but the execution is about as ambitious as one would expect for a middle grade book, i.e. not very. Still, it's entertaining and intriguing, and Lenny's a good, stable lead. There's plenty of humor, mostly in the form of exaggerated emotional responses, a toddler wielding a hatchet, and the liberal and semi-creative use of the word "fart."

I think late elementary/middle school children will love this book, particularly boys for whom fart jokes never get old. Adults will probably be left wanting, but it's not written for them.

Lenny's parents are so keen to pursue their interest in a salamander variety, that when an opportunity comes up for them to do so, he is unceremoniously packed off to a strange boarding school in a remote part of Germany. What Lenny realises too late is, the school is actually peopled by ghosts!

This story has an offbeat sense of humor that will appeal to a certain type of reader. I was expecting something more straightforward, so to be honest, this was not really to my taste. The pace is uneven and some editing would probably improve it. A promising idea, but the delivery didn't quite live up to that promise, it gets 2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun kids spooky season read. I enjoyed the concept of a school for ghosts and had fun with the ghosts in the book. Kids are sure to love this book and the cast of characters in the book.

Cute and just the right amount of creepy for kids, the target audience. I get the need to make the parents seem so absentminded that they wouldn’t notice they dropped their child off at a school for ghosts but I wish authors would stop making adults out to be completely clueless that they’d create some of the huge plot issues with this story. There was also a lot going on for such a short book that everything seemed rushed at the end, some of which could have filled another book.

My Rating: 2/5 stars

There has been a disturbing lack of middle-grade fiction among my favourites of the year so far, so going into spooky-season I made an attempt to change that. Lenny Among Ghosts, although being a decently fun read, won’t crack the top though. The combination of some fun ideas, “average” execution and a very poor ending landed it at a 2-star for me.

The Story:
When Lenny’s parents set off on a 6-month research trip to the Amazon forest, Lenny is enrolled in a boarding school, until they return. With such a last-minute plan, there aren’t many options left to choose from, so Lenny is enrolled into the first place available, without much research. Once he arrives at Shadowsnout Castle Academy, he soon realized there has been a grave mistake… Welcomed by a talking skull to a haunted castle, Lenny realizes he’s the only human student enrolled in a school for ghosts…

What I liked:
The story itself is delightfully Halloween-y, and strikes a great balance between being spooky, whimsical and humorous. The author almost seems to go with a vibe of “Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book meets Captain Underpants”. As an adult, it’s not as enjoyable as Gaiman’s work, but I can absolutely see the appeal to kids of 8-10 years of age.
There’s a cute and whimsical cast of side characters, a vivid setting of a creepy castle converted into a boarding school with an equally creepy and quirky staff, and a mystery to be solved.
The book is available as a physical copy, e-book and audiobook, allowing for maximum accessibility for readers of all abilities, which I always appreciate.

What I didn’t like:
Although nothing about the story stood out to me particularly, until the 90% point I was happy to give it a 3-star and call it a day. Then the ending came and…
Let’s play a little game; think of the top 3 most hated tropes and ending-twists that any writing-1.01-course will tell you to avoid. Got them in mind? Go to the bottom of this post, below the spoiler warning to see if you've guessed it, because I'm fairly sure a majority of you will be able to. “Even in a kids-book” (and mind you, I don’t believe in that argument to begin with), this is such a disappointing twist that undercuts so much of what came before.
Speaking of very prevalent tropes that I personally hate in middle-grade: this strongly has the “absent/uncaring-parent” trope. I understand it’s a tool to get them out of the way so our protagonist can have an all-kids-adventure, but it still sends such a sad message to kids to see adult and parents only portrayed as useless and uncaring…

Many thanks to Amazon Crossing for providing me with an (audio-)ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

SPOILERS BELOW
Did your list of hated tropes include the “it was all a dream” twist"? Congratulations: you've guessed the ending of this book...