Review: Ghost Boy by Stafford Betty

Stafford Betty's Ghost Boy starts out like your typical supernatural YA book. Boy sees ghosts; boy tells people he sees ghosts; trouble ensues. Although there were some plot twists that made the story interesting, overall it seemed to lack a defining story arc and instead became a series of loosely connected short stories. It is a better fit for a young middle school audience than older teenagers. The lead character, Ben, is 12 so that might be a suitable reading age. There were many elements of the story that are appealing to me, but it was a difficult read. The transitions were practically non-existent and the characters were a little too flat. Ben was the only one who had any sort of development and even that was slight. Still, it was a good story with lots of potential.