Andres and his parents have moved again. This time, next to a boy his age. Great! Right? Well maybe not as Desmond seems a bit… odd. To say the least. Especially for someone as normal as Andres. However, when supernatural things start to happen, Desmond is exactly what Andres needs to save the day in this first of a new series.
Very basic text and basic illustrations scattered through the book mark this as a book for that early chapter readers (ages 7-9). Andres breaking the fourth wall sometimes gets a little tedious, but this makes him more relatable to the targeted reader. There is a classic feel to the style of writing (nothing really goes wrong, few chairs fly around, some lasagna gets eaten by a ghost) but also the language and the attitude of the characters make it contemporary. Aimed at the person who likes “boy/bathroom humor” (the ghost “throws up/slimes Andres”) this is not a one size fits all story. However, while the main characters are boys, there are hints of more characters to come and even girls could enjoy.
A few plot points are quickly tossed out at you, but this is due to the small size of the book overall. It would be an easy recommend to a child who is not nearly an avid reader. The mystery, realistic-fantasy and buddy genre points help it to cross over to multiple type of readers, but mostly for readers into realistic fiction who can suspend belief that there are ghosts.
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