Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards

by Susan Tan

Overview

"Susan Tan's writing is funny, fun, and hits straight to the heart."—Christina Soontorvat, two-time Newbery Honor recipient

From APALA Honor award-winning author Susan Tan, a middle-grade novel about a girl who must overcome her worries to find the truth behind her town's urban legend.

Moving to a new town is never easy, but it’s even harder when you’re dealing with a stepdad who just left and a mom who can’t get out of bed long enough to find a new job. But Mo doesn’t have time to dwell on these things.

Because it’s her job to keep her family together. To keep them safe.

So when an elephant starts to haunt her dreams—and a mysterious spirit attacks her home—Mo knows it’s up to her to intervene before things get too dangerous.

With her new friend, Nathaniel, she embarks on an investigation, searching for the truth about the town, its people, and their history. But things are much more complicated and tangled than she thought.

To find out what’s really going on, Mo might have to live a little dangerously after all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250909312
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	04/23/2024
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 5.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Susan Tan is the author of the Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Literature Award–winning Cilla Lee-Jenkins series and the Pets Rule! early reader series. She currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, and is an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. This means she gets to talk about books all the time—both with readers like you and with her adult students—which is basically her childhood dream.

Editorial Reviews

★"A realistic and deeply moving portrayal of a family’s journey through a challenging life transition." —Kirkus, starred review

★"Tan’s narrative employs rich sensory details that immediately hook readers and don’t let go until the very last sentence." —Horn Book, starred review

★"Tan’s prose captures Mo’s preteen mindset perfectly, wavering between profound anxiety and bravery, and bordering on carelessness... A poignant, deeply personal adventure for thoughtful readers." —School Library Journal, starred review

★"Mo’s sincere first-person narrative portrays the way that finding emotional safety—via attending therapy, and bonding with Uncle Ray over music—gives way to a feeling of peace." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Mo's challenges are many, but Tan deftly, realistically includes unexpected kindness and surprising allyship (librarians rule!), which help clear the many stumbling blocks. Tan dexterously navigates resonating topics—anxiety, grief, family dynamics, racism--with patient empathy and gentle humor." —School Library Journal

"This engaging, multilayered story about family history, community, and nefarious ghosts will find plenty of appeal for middle-graders who like fantasies grounded in reality." —Booklist

"[E]ffective and emotional" —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"This book honors the bravery that every kid holds inside them. As always, Susan Tan's writing is funny, fun, and hits straight to the heart." —Christina Soontorvat, two-time Newbery Honor recipient

"A thoughtful book that combines gentle humor with a compelling ghost mystery. Young readers will relate to Mo as she navigates family and friendships, confronts history and loss, and contends with the scariest thing of all: her emotions." —Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor author of Red, White, and Whole

"An absolutely heartwarming and sweet story with an incredibly relatable character you can't help but love. I LOVED this irresistible mystery!" —Ellen Oh, author of Finding Junie Kim

"Susan Tan weaves emotion into this dazzling mystery. In this story, Mo’s voice rings true as she is confronted with a mystery of ghosts, music, and righting the wrongs of the past. Beautiful, heartfelt, and truly unique, this is an uplifting tale you won’t soon forget." —Angela Dominguez, author of Stella Díaz

“Author Susan Tan, in her best work yet, conjures a beautiful story with insight and humor that has Mo learning how to destroy the bad, obliterate fear, and find connections to make herself whole.” —Debbi Michiko Florence, author of Keep It Together, Keiko Carter

From the Publisher

★ 2023-01-25
A 12-year-old Chinese American girl learns to cope with grief, anxiety, and uncertainty in the wake of difficult life changes.

After Mo Lin’s stepfather leaves, her family moves in with her Uncle Ray in a new town. Having a depressed, overwhelmed, and emotionally absent mother means it’s up to Mo to take care of 5-year-old half sister CeCe and herself, even though she is grieving. What’s more, the kids at her new middle school are racist and hostile. Her sense of safety in tatters, Mo sees danger everywhere: Even something as mundane as a piece of toast might trigger a house fire. Most unsettling, Maudie the elephant, who died in a local circus fire years ago, keeps haunting her dreams. Mo finds allies in Uncle Ray, a gentle, perceptive man who shows her how music can provide solace; Nathaniel, a ghost-obsessed Jewish classmate; and Lavender, a Black librarian who opens her eyes to diverse, often overlooked stories from history. As Mo tries to determine what Maudie needs from her, she gains insights into the ghosts haunting her own family that must be laid to rest. Triggering past events in Mo’s life are revealed slowly, echoing her evolving ability to process them. The characterization is particularly strong; Mo displays a full range of emotions, from grief to anger, avoidance to acceptance. Her mother and Uncle Ray are fully fleshed, complex characters as well.

A realistic and deeply moving portrayal of a family’s journey through a challenging life transition. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews