I was intrigued, at first, but the depiction of hauntings in this book. Jasmine's encounters weren't fully what you expect from ghosts, almost more akin to psychic manifestation than ghostly activity. So I was curious to see where this one was headed. It got a bit muddled as the plot wore on, a bit slow moving and perhaps too much talking around lore. Ultimately, less spooky and less satisfying than I had hoped.

Jasmine Is Haunted is a middle grade paranormal book with themes including grief, friends, acceptance, etc. I liked the characters and I liked that the grief aspect was age-appropriate. The ghost aspect isn't very "scary" so I wouldn't worry about that if you're concerned.

I really enjoyed the narration and thought the narrator did a great job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me an ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this! I've been going through my list of ARCs that need reading and noticed this one that for some reason I didn't remember to review when I read it.

My kids and I really enjoyed this spooky book as a way to continue to read diverse books for ELA in our homeschool. With a great friend group to support her, Jasmine deals with her grief over losing her father and struggles to figure out why she is haunted. Her mom's unwillingness to discuss ghosts and believe her was heart-wrenching, but her new friends are there to help. She joins the GSA at her new school, in this case, the Gay-Supernatural- Alliance, and is able to explore her identity as well as the identities of those around her. The audio was well done and I am all for an opportunity to rest my voice while still enjoying books with my kids.

Middle Grade Grief horror. I think these sorts of books are important for all ages, but they are very much not my jam. That aside I thought this book was very okay. I liked the characters, mostly. I found it odd that Bea and Jorge vote Jasmine into the GSA and then immediately keep running off to investigate things and not one time asking Jasmine to come along... I also found Jasmine's Mama's actions weird-her complete 180 felt unrealistic.

I did really like the descriptions of the hauntings and the spookiness they brought- I really felt for Jasmine who felt very alone and hopeless. This was the first book I've read with a genderfluid character and I absolutely loved that representation.

I absolutely loved *Jasmine is Haunted*! The story is the perfect mix of suspense, heart, and the supernatural. The narrator’s performance made every moment feel so real—I got actual chills at times! What really stuck with me was how the haunting tied into Jasmine’s personal journey of grief and resilience. It’s spooky, emotional, and unforgettable. Highly recommend it!

Jasmine Garza is tired of moving, she’s tired of switching schools, and she’s tired of her Mami not believing her. Ever since her father died, she’s been haunted—but not by him. By a ghost who wants to ruin her life, apparently, because it keeps getting her into trouble. She’s tried to talk to her Mami about it, but she doesn’t believe her. She’s also pretty much given up on making friends, since she’s probably just going to have to move again, but on her mother’s insistence, she decides to give it one last try and joins her middle school’s GSA. There, she meets Jorge Barrera and Bea Veracruz (who is genderfluid and changes pronouns throughout the book). She likes the two of them, but she feels like they’re hiding something from her. Soon, she learns that the GSA is also known as the Gay Supernatural Alliance: Bea and Jorge are obsessed with the paranormal.

Against her better judgement, Jasmine shares her situation with them, and they are determined to help. Bea’s parents are paranormal investigators, and while Jorge is nervous about ghosts, he wants to face his fears. One thing I appreciated about Jasmine is Haunted is that there’s no question that there is something paranormal happening: objects float and are thrown around. This is a very active haunting, and Bea and Jorge immediately agree that she’s being haunted.

Instead, the problem becomes their attitude around this fact. Jasmine begins to feel like the ghost hunting is fun for Bea, and that they’re ignoring the real problems this has caused in Jasmine’s life. Bea is also prone to bulldozing over her and Jorge, leaving Jasmine doubtful of whether she should have ever gotten them involved.

Unsurprisingly for a book about ghosts and hauntings, it’s primarily about grief. Jasmine feels isolated not just because of the haunting, but also because she’s still grieving her father after his death three years ago. She feels like she should have moved on. Slowly, she learns that so many of the people in her life, from teachers to neighbours to friends, are also grieving.

This is a book about ghosts, but it’s not very scary, so you can feel free to give this to kids who aren’t able to stomach horror: it really is mostly about grief and Jasmine’s relationships with her friends and family. I think it is a great pick for the younger end of middle grade readers.

It’s nice to be at a point with queer middle grade books that this can be such a taken for granted aspect: Jasmine, Bea, and Jorge are all queer, but that isn’t the focus of the story.

I’ve been following Mark Oshiro since before they published their first book, so I love seeing how successful they’ve become in the publishing world. If you have a chance to show up to one of their events—they’re doing a big book tour for this title—I highly recommend going!

Jasmine just wanted to ignore the ghost who's been following her for years. But when she starts in a new school, her first friends happen to be super interested in supernatural beings - and they'd love to help her prove ghosts are real.

Themes of friendship and family are strong in this book, with characters who are engaging and likeable. Jasmine navigates her grief about her father, who died years ago, and her growing frustration with her mother in relatable ways. Readers will enjoy the growing friendships!

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?!

Only read this book if you're ready to sob uncontrollably about a beautiful found family figuring out out to handle the grief of lost loved ones

I quite enjoyed this book! It's about Jasmine Garza, who is haunted, and this haunting has caused her and her mom to move to different houses, changing schools, when the ghost gets a bit too active.

Now in her new school, Jasmine meets Bea and Jorge, two other students in the GSA, who are also totally into paranormal investigating. When Jasmine tells them about her haunting they immediately commit to helping her solve whatever is causing the ghost to haunt her.

I really liked the variety of queer identities in this, especially for it being a middle grade book. It's so important for kids of all ages to see people of all genders, orientations, and ethnicities in the books that they read, and Mark Oshiro is really great at doing that.

I also really liked that this was a tween-age appropriate look at grief. Jasmine's father died, so she and her mother are dealing with the grief from that, and as the GSA investigate, more ghosts appear to Jasmine, so we are able to hear from others who have also lost loved ones in a variety of ways and what they do to deal with that grief.

Overall, a really solid book and one that I will be recommending to anyone looking for a haunted middle grade read!

Also, loved the narration by Vico Ortiz. I will listen to basically anything they narrate, ever.

Mark Oshiro tells a story about a girl who is lost. She doesn’t know how to live without her Papi and the only thing she has to remember him by is a locket given to her right before he died. Oshiro allows the reader to step into the role of a middle school girl, struggling through the normal concerns faced by every middle schooler PLUS a girl who has lost her father, moves a lot, and is haunted. I was invested in her ups and downs, really hoping she would find something to make her happy. I enjoyed the realistic friendship issues between Jasmine, Bea, and Jorge as not everything is easy when making friends. Vico Ortiz does a great job with different voices to express the characters and their personalities, especially honoring the hispanic voice. The book also touches on topics middle schoolers are faced with in school like gender identity and same-sex marriages.

I wasn't a fan but it's only my opinion. I listened to the audibook via Netgalley and was excited for supernatural happenings for a middle grade audience to read for the month of October however I didn't find it creepy enough, mysterious enough, funny enough, focused enough to get into it. As a comparison, I've thoroughly enjoyed Bayron's middle grade Vanquishers series because it hits that mix of friendship, humor, and light mystery that keeps readers invested. It's what I was looking for here but I didn't feel the friendship vibe and it didn't have a mix of serious (grief over a dead father) with the light (Jasmine's a nexus for ghosts that the friends are discovering through their GSA (where the S stands for something a little different)).

So it was a "not for me" title but I'm sure it'll get all the love elsewhere.

After Jasmine’s father dies in a car accident, Jasmine is worried she’s haunted. There are strange happenings & mysterious sounds, and she and her mother have moved four times in four years. It’s not until she meets Jorge and Bea, members of the school’s Gay Supernatural Alliance, that she starts to feel understood.

I don’t think I have words for this. This book had everything. The childhood fear of not fitting in, that joy at finally making friends, the overwhelming grief after losing an important family member. I absolutely adored this whole thing and I immediately ordered a copy for myself and my nibling.

The friendships that Jasmine develops, but still feels scared over, are such a delight to read. Her tentativeness in learning how to lean on other people made me feel so seen. The casual and effortless diversity from the main characters through side characters to characters only mentioned a couple times were wonderful.

And the nuance of Jasmine’s grief. I have lost family around the same age as Jasmine was, and the way that grief can cling, overwhelming you at the most random moments, the way Jasmine’s grief was shown all resonated with me. But also how the story addressed that everyone handles grief in a different way, and the most important thing when you’re feeling overwhelmed is to communicate with the people who love you.

And this narrator! I cannot speak highly enough of the emotionality and the passion, while still retaining Jasmine’s youth.

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and to Dreamscape Media for this ARC, and to Mark Oshiro for writing a book I wish I had had as a child.

Dreamscape Media has done it again with Jasmine Is Haunted by Mark Oshiro. This is a middle grade, LGBTQ+ book that I feel will become what someone once called a “gateway read” (this is usually a book that is the stepping stone for someone that might not enjoy reading to become a true bookworm) for many young readers. The entire book had me pulled in from the start with the haunting being front and center and I was carried through with the story with details of many different delicious foods and the emotional thrills along the way. I will say the thing I loved most about this book was the unapologetically queer characters of all ages and backgrounds. It also felt good to have queer characters facing issues that had nothing to do with their queerness and everything to do with their day-to-day lives. At the end of this book I learned more about my own queerness as an adult from this book (I didn't know "genderqueer" was even a word let alone an option), making me feel much lighter and very much in the mood for Spooky Season.

Thank you so much to @dreamscape_media for the early audiobook of JASMINE IS HAUNTED! This Middle Grade horror releases on October 1, 2024!
•
There’s nothing that makes me happier than a spooky middle grade read! JASMINE IS HAUNTED hits PERFECT for the upcoming Halloween season; so cute & filled with so many ghosts.

I felt for Jasmine — there is so much grief and heartbreak in JASMINE IS HAUNTED. Not only is she still suffering from losing her Papi, but her mother doesn’t seem to believe her about the supernatural presence surrounding them and she’s, once again, the new kid at school.

But this book isn’t all doom & gloom! There’s so much cute and happiness within the pages too!

In any haunted book, my favorite parts are obviously the ghosts — however, I also absolutely adored the friendship & family aspects. We love a ride or die group of people ✨

Also, JASMINE IS HAUNTED is a Queer read, and sexuality and gender identity is brought up several times throughout. I mean, our core group of kids are in the Gay Supernatural Alliance, so duh.

JASMINE IS HAUNTED is such a solid read & the audiobook narrator was phenomenal. 10/10 recommend checking this one out!

Jasmine Garza struggles with the ghost of her father, who has been haunting her since his death, while navigating her complex relationship with her mother and the pressures of fitting in. With the help of her new friends, Bea and Jorge, she embarks on a journey to confront her supernatural experiences and uncover family secrets that haunt her both emotionally and spiritually.

This book was really good! First, Jasmine was a very sweet character who could not figure out why she was being haunted and she struggled to make friends. Jorge and Bea were not about to let her off the hook and they kept working at being her friend, which I loved. Jorge cracked me up but also felt very deeply, which was a wonderful character arc. Bea’s fluidity with their pronouns and how they felt on any given day was refreshing and awesome to see in a middle grade book. The ending wrapped up nicely and I loved how they got there.

The audio was really well done, the book is well-written, and it was a nice way to start my weekend. I particularly loved the voice for Jorge! Each voice felt distinctive.

*I received an audio copy of this book for review, all thoughts are my own.*

Jasmine and her mom have moved a lot. Being in middle school is difficult for a shy girl & her mom wants her to make friends.

This story was simply delightful.

The characters are mostly all LGBTQ.

Jasmine joins her new school’s GSA club. This is where she meets 2 friends, the only other members of the Gay Strait Alliance. The 2 other members had renamed GSA, the Gay Supernatural Alliance. The 3 friends have a connection, the supernatural.

Together they will find answers to mysteries both personal & external.

There were so many lessons shown in the actions of the 3 friends. Such a cozy fun coming of age story with a side of supernatural suspense.

Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media. A wonderful book with so many positive vibes. Good audiobook.

Ever since Jasmine’s Papi died, she has been haunted. When she ignores the ghost (ghosts?) they get loud, so loud her and her Mother end up having to move to a new apartment. They move into a house Jasmine is a new student…again. She quickly ends up meeting the only two members of the school's Gay Straight Alliance, Bea Veracruz and Jorge Barrera. Are the more than they seem?

I enjoyed this story of loss, and friendship. Middle school is hard, it’s much harder when you are haunted. Vico Ortiz does a beautiful job nararting the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy. #JasmineIsHaunted #NetGalley

In Jasmine Is Haunted by Mark Oshiro, Jasmine Garza and her Mami are constantly moving (for reasons) so she’s always the new kid in school. At her new school she wants to join the GSA but finds out there’s only two other members, Bea Veracruz and Jorge Barrera. It’s also the Gay Supernatural Alliance and they tend to hunt monsters and the supernatural. After her Papi died, Jasmine has been haunted by ghosts but is unable to communicate with them. Slowly after joining the GSA and with her two new friends by her side, Jasmine decides to investigate why she is haunted. Many people she encounters are also dealing with grief. Middle grade combined with ghosts and grief will always pull on my heartstrings. Thankfully there are some hijinks in between the heavy. Vico Ortiz’s narration kept me engrossed in the story. There’s plenty of LGBTQIA+ representation as GSA usually refers to Gay Straight Alliance. Family ties and friendships win in the end. ALC was provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley. I received an advance listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

i adored this book so much! spooky middle grade is such a favorite of mine, and this was wonderful. so much good exploration of grief and friendship and family. absolutely beautiful.