The Second-Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street

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About The Second-Best Haunted Hotel On Mercer Street

Product Description A family-run haunted hotel’s livelihood is threatened when a bigger haunted hotel opens nearby in this hilarious, spooky story   Twelve-year-old Willow Ivan’s family has run the Hotel Ivan for four hundred years. Through thick and thin, they’ve held on tight to their title as the Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street. That is, until the Hauntery—a corporate chain of haunted hotels—moves in down the street. As the Ivan’s business fades, so do their ghostly staff. And Willow begins to worry that The Ivan’s days are numbered. Then Willow meets Evie, a Hauntery ghost who’s forced to play the part of a Spooky Little Girl even though she longs to be a Terrifying Phantasm. So when Willow offers her a job at The Ivan, Evie accepts—but she doesn’t tell Willow that she’s still working for The Ivan’s competition, for fear of losing her new job and friend. Together, the girls come up with a plan to save The Ivan. But with The Ivan ghosts already fading and Evie’s secret threatening to come out, will it be too late?   From School Library Journal Gr 4–6—After her mom dies suddenly and her dad slips into a depression, 12-year-old Willow finds herself running the Hotel Ivan. Hotel Ivan has been in Willow's family for 400 years, a Victorian mansion that employs ghosts from all eras to help run the hotel and engage with guests. The Hauntery is the recently built chain hotel in direct competition with phony claims and new, cheap structures made to look old. Ghosts employed by hotel chain are rotated through the locations and bossed by the living with a heavy hand. One day Evie, an eternally 12-year-old ghost, runs from the chain hotel in frustration and meets Willow at the local public library, where they bond over their shared favorite book series, the "Deena Morales Mysteries." Hotel Ivan is up for an inspection from the Zagged guide and it needs a five-star, number one review to draw new guests and keep its doors open. To make an impression on the inspector, Willow and Evie hatch a plan to recreate a murder mystery from the Deena Morales books. All of the ghostly staff conspire to help, but things go awry. Sparse greyscale illustrations in this novel add a touch of charm. VERDICT For any young reader who enjoys a bit of mystery, tales of unlikely friendships, and amiable ghosts, this spooky-sweet title is a first-rate choice.—Lindsay Persohn, Univ. of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Review "This straightforward, heartfelt narrative with engaging, well-developed characters will have readers rooting for the underdog." , Kirkus Reviews "For any young reader who enjoys a bit of mystery, tales of unlikely friendships, and amiable ghosts, this spooky-sweet title is a first-rate choice." , School Library Journal About the Author Cory Putman Oakes is the author of Dinosaur Boy, Dinosaur Boy Saves Mars, and Witchtown. She lives, writes, and often bakes in Austin, Texas. Jane Pica is a freelance illustrator who lives in Dubai.