I was offered a chance to read this ARC for a review - I'm actually my family's screener/reader! it's listed as genre: Children's Fiction/Horror - I supposed "mid-grade" isn't an option.

The kids, especially, Zel are fun characters - the main theme of the story isn't "horror" to me though but the importance of a solid support system when dealing with loss and chronic illness. She needs a therapist!

Amadeus Everest Mancer, the name is VERY reminiscent of the NecroMancer characters from D&D type fantasy but he makes a fun baddie.

But Zel's sister Tori is heart-breaking, and their Mom... that whole family needs a good therapist or we'll all have Down Days!

The setting and characters were fun
There was a bit of redundancy and some questions remained unanswered
Quick and fun for what it is

chilling, atmospheric read packed with eerie thrills and dark humor. A perfect blend of spooky and fun—highly recommended!

I thought this book was absolutely great for a YA book. I knocked this book out in a couple of hours reading and it really took me back to my childhood while reading. I highly recommend reading this book. Everyone needs a trip to The Ghost Show.

Thank you to Netgally for allowing me a sneak peak into this book.
This book was an easy read for my son.

With its haunted history, Leonardtown, Maryland has been shaped by tragic events that have occurred there. Three friends- Zel, Lucien, and Theo- known as the Creepy Club, are fascinated with the paranormal and are determined to encounter a ghost. When mysterious posters for a Ghost Show start appearing around town and a massive five-story skull materializes out of nowhere, the Creepy Club is thrilled they might finally get proof of the supernatural. But as they step into the Ghost Show and uncover the terrifying truth behind it, they’ll need to unite to stop a dark force threatening to destroy the town.

When I originally requested this, I didn’t realize it was a middle grade book, but I ended up really enjoying the story! Zel felt so relatable to me because as a kid, I also dreamed of being a ghost hunter. I loved the concept of the Creepy Club and really enjoyed the dynamic between the three friends.

While there are some spooky moments, this is perfect for young readers who love horror stories. It gave me major Goosebumps vibes while reading this and offered a fresh twist on the typical ghost story.

This was a quick and fun read about a group of kids unraveling a mystery, a town with a dark past, and plenty of ghosts!

Oh my goodness this book was so freaking cute! As a grown adult reading this children's fiction, I still enjoyed it from beginning to end!! Zel, Theo and Lucian are so adorable and I love Zel so much. I loved the idea and the plot. Very well written. Thank you so much for letting me read this as an ARC on Netgalley.

Leonardtown, Maryland, may seem like an ordinary town, but it has a haunting history. It’s home to the haunted Corpse House and the even more haunted place called the Remains.
The Remains is what is left of the company GloWyrm Chemicals that exploded in 2016, claiming the lives of almost thirty-five hundred people. Then in 2017, people in the town started to get sick because of the disposal of the toxic chemicals. Now, the town has to deal with orange slime called glop that can burn your skin and even kill you.
The town may seem like a nightmarish place to live, but for three young friends, Zel, Theo, and Lucien, it’s great! They are in a club together they named the Creepy Club. They dedicate their time to trying to prove the existence of the paranormal.

So, when posters for The Ghost Show start appearing around town, they know they must visit it. The Ghost Show ends up being an attraction that looks like a black, five-story human skull, and it just pops up on the edge of town. It is run by a mysterious man who claims to be a self-proclaimed ghost catcher who offers them the chance to see actual ghosts. He keeps the ghosts inside glass tanks, but they don’t look like what the kids were expecting of ghosts.
The Ghost Show ends up being so much more than it appears to be!


This was a fun, fast-paced read for young readers who love horror.
The way The Ghost Show posters start popping up around town and how it just appears reminded me so much of the carnival in Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Then for us adults, I was getting Thirteen Ghosts vibes with the ghosts being in glass enclosures.

✨Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

When I first requested this book I didn’t know it was aimed towards Middle Schoolers, I just liked the title and cover. But then I figured why not read it since I have a ten year old son.

This is a very unique book. I’ve never seen ghosts imagined quite like this. The vivid language was very impactful and memorable. The kid characters are believable, even if they’re dealing with very unusual circumstances.

I loved how the idea of “ghosts” is used to represent the need to move forward after loss. The idea that you can want your loved one back, but you will never get that, and that’s okay. You can let them rest without losing the love you shared. That part is indelible.

Definitely this is a pretty unforgettable book and I think it has the potential to provide not only thrills to young readers but also a depiction of how the healthy thing to do after loss is to keep going and not get trapped in a past that can never return.

4/5 stars. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Very enjoyable middle grade horror! Was just the right amount of fun and spooky moment. Fun and like able characters make this a recommended read, especially during Halloween.

Welcome to the Ghost Show! Who doesn't love a good children’s fiction book. Especially a horror one. This was an easy read and I really enjoyed it.

Zel has a creepy club and she is always looking for paranormal activity. There’s something in the sky, a building sized skull looming above the town.

When Zel and her friends are given the chance to go into the ghost show they do. Who wouldn’t want to see a ghost! But they end up seeing the dark side of Mancers motives and the towns past. They must free the trapped souls within the ghost infestation.

I loved the characters. They definitely made the story fun! And I really enjoyed the ending.


This book is perfect for younger kinds without it being scary. It’s a little spooky but nothing that would give a kid nightmares. I loved these types books growing up and I loved this one as well.

Prepare for a GLOPPING good time!

Welcome to the Ghost Show by JW Ocker is a spooky adventure perfect for readers of any age. This story is packed with thrills, chills, and—more importantly—SPILLS of mysterious liquids everywhere! The Creepy Club is on the case to help their small town uncover the truth behind the Ghost Show, a super mysterious roadside attraction promising proof of the existence of ghosts. However, the price of learning about ghosts intertwines with other town drama, and the fast-paced plot explodes from there.

The main trio of characters in this story are utterly lovable. Zel, in particular, is a standout—her struggles with grief and her attempts to navigate her down days are heart-wrenching. She’s just trying her best to cope during a tough time, and her journey feels deeply authentic. JW Ocker captures these emotions beautifully, creating a narrative that resonates with younger readers while also touching the hearts of older ones.

Be warned: some scenes in this story are downright freaky! Gruesome depictions and cleverly crafted jump scares had me furiously flipping pages to find out what happened next. (Pro tip: you might want to read certain scenes with the lights on!) The story’s pacing is spot on, racing toward a tumultuous and satisfying conclusion that manages to be both tongue-in-cheek funny and emotionally fulfilling.

Welcome to the Ghost Show is perfect for fans of RL Stine, Victoria Schwab’s Cassidy Blake series, or Paul Tremblay’s Another. Don’t miss this spooky and heartfelt adventure!

A group of 3 friends, penned The Creepy Club, are committed to finding evidence of the paranormal. This fearless group of kids have conducted 3 different investigations inside Corpse House, a house of horrors hidden away in Leonardtown Maryland with quite the horrific reputation, but are left disappointed. Yet…..they leave to find something else scary awaiting them. These kids are desperate to see a ghost, what they get is something stranger: a 50 story tall skyscraper appearing at the edge of town, shaped like a skull. To add to that, this building sized skull happens to lie in The Remains, the factory ruins of a chemical explosion that killed over 3000 people, a place in Leonardtown even more haunted than the Corpse House.

The setting of this book was great, complete with both a tragic backstory and a haunted house, which brought me back to those old Fear Street books I used to like. As far as the horror part though…this book was more like a book with horror elements rather than an actual horror story. It had all the elements of a horror story, with the haunted small town setting and grotesque imagery. But makes a horror story a horror story isn’t the presence of ghosts or supernatural. What makes a horror story horror is scares and urgency within the confines of a controlled, safe, fictional environment. Having those horror elements without the scares or urgency…it kind of destroys the point to me. That’s not why I read horror. I read for scares and urgency. This almost feels like just throwing ghosts into the plot and calling it horror.

Reading this feels like this book was written with the intention of an adventure story and not with the intention of actually being scary. Growing up, was every Goosebumps book scary? Not necessarily. But, there absolutely were memorable scares too. I just don’t see that happening here. But again, it’s geared towards kids, so I wouldn’t judge it with the same standard as YA or adult. Maybe it intentionally wasn’t written to be scary. This was still a fun, creepy supernatural adventure story geared towards kids. I think some younger readers would get a kick out of this.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review!

An original story set in Maryland. Three young friends, Hazel(Zel), Theo and Lucien , already outcasts form a group named The Creepy Club. Their interests include aliens, big foot and most importantly ghosts. When a mysterious event called The Ghost Show comes to town, situated on a disaster site, people are intrigued, especially the kids. This is no fun house, this may be the real thing! It was ok. I found the repeated references referring to clothing and nails were just that, repeated references that had no other relevant meaning. I had many unanswered questions after finishing that would clarify things but these weren’t addressed but all in all a good story.

WELCOME TO THE GHOST SHOW by J.W. Ocker
Thank you HarperCollin's Childrens and Netgalley for the earc (Aug 26)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Creepy Club is on the hunt for ghosts. Failed after failed attempt they're begining to give up. Then the Ghost Show comes to town. After the first viewing, Zel is invited back to see a real ghost, which takes her on a trip to save the town.
WELCOME TO THE GHOST SHOW is quick, fast-paced read. Because it is a middle grade/children's book the horror isn't super over the top, but the author managed to write a creepy book that had me wondering what was going on, and if Zel would stop it
This book to me back to my Goosebump days. It had the feel and creep factor that R L Stine writes. It was pleasant to be taken back to that vibe. Plus it didn't hurt that this book was interesting.

Thank you Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for a DRC of this book.

This book is this generations Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark Lovers. There was a lot of nostalgia while I read this book, as it took me back when my sister and I would obsession over spooky stories in childhood. The cover is so fitting, and the writing was creepy and really grossed me out (not a criticism, definitely a compliment to the writing.)

There were a lot of elements intertwined and sometimes it was hard to keep up with the omniscient point of view of the characters. However, I loved the banter between the kids and the premise of the story is so original to me.

I really like how the author created his own version of what ghost are, having the reader re-imagine all the tropes they have gathered in a lifetime of what a ghost is. I really enjoyed the story of the town, and how it was integrated into the plot of the story.

I know that I am an adult, and this book is for kids a third of my age, but I think that millennials that grew up loving Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and the like, would enjoy this book, as well as share it with their kids. My son loves Goosebumps, and I will be excited to share this book with him when it comes out.

A quirky wild ride of a story with basis that is not too farfetched grounded and inspired by events which is not unheard of within the scientific and history department. This is is the Willy Wonka of the spooky community. A great beginner's introductory to the category if they want to dip their toes into it without being too overwhelmed.

Welcome to the Ghost Show! I love a good children’s fiction book sometime! Especially horror ones.This was an easy quick read and I really enjoyed it.

Zel has a creepy club and she’s always looking for paranormal activity. There’s something in the sky.. building sized skull looming above the town. Spooky!!

When zel and her friends are given the chance to go into the ghost show they do. Who wouldn’t want to see a ghost! But they end up seeing the dark side of Mancers motives and the towns past. They must free the trapped souls within the ghost infestation.

I loved the characters. They definitely made the story fun! And I really enjoyed the ending.


This book is perfect for younger kinds without it being scary. It’s a little spooky but nothing that would give a kid nightmares. It definitely gives me goosebumps vibes. I loved those books growing up and I loved this one as well.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books | Storytide and J.W. Ocker for the E-ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication: August 26th 2025

#NetGalley #WelcometotheGhostShow

WHAT STARTED OFF AS A HUNT TURNED INTO SOMETHING WORST. BE CAREFUL!

i've loved middle school horror books when i was younger and i still love them now. this one popped off it was so good. it has the perfect amount of paranormal elements, jump scares that you cannot look away from and characters that are really likeable.

hazel & her friends are being bullied because they are part of a ghost club called CREEPY CLUB, Zel, being the founder of the group- she’s always looking for paranormal activity (and the team is 0 for 20 when it comes to actual spooky stuff)

then a mysterious ad for the ghost show appear around town, nobody can tell what it is, turns out the Ghost Show is a black, five-story human skull that appears on the edge of town as a sort of supernatural attraction. Stepping inside, the creepy club is greeted by the eccentric Amadeus Everest Mancer, a self-proclaimed ghost catcher who guides them through an aquarium full of vaporous floaty things—sheets that cover amorphous gobs of dripping red goo.

then the Mancer offers Zel what she’s always wanted: the chance to see a real ghost. but it turns out to be more than she bargained for and is accompanied by chilling revelations about the town’s past and Mancer’s sinister motives. to stop him, the Creepy Club must fight a massive ghost infestation and free the trapped souls within, culminating in chilling battle that blurs the line between reality and the supernatural.

this was a super quirky read for young readers or if you love children's horror books like i do. think of Goosebumps the tv show + small town vibes, if you like those 2 things then Welcome to the Ghost Show is the book for you! this comes out October of this year-your Halloween read

thank you Harper Collins for a copy!

I was hooked from the first page and so glad I got to read this, it had me captivated by the story and was glad I was able to read this. It had that supernatural suspenseful atmosphere and was glad everything worked overall. The characters were everything that I was looking for and was on the edge of my seat for them. J.W. Ocker wrote this perfectly and enjoyed the Ghost show.