Not only does Paloma have to navigate starting at a new school in a new city, and a new state, but she also has to figure out her newfound psychic availabilities! As with everyone else in her family, Paloma can see ghosts. She dreams of being a famous medium like her grandmother, who had a well-known tv show as a medium for celebrities. However, Paloma’s parents move her and her sister across the country from Florida to California to start fresh. Paloma decides to work on her abilities herself, starting a business of live-streaming readings at her new school. Which starts out great, until a reading goes wrong…
This is a middle-grade story seeing as how Paloma is 12. It’s written in a way that it feels like the story is being told by a 12 year old. I think it’s great for middle-grade readers, but adults, like myself, can definitely enjoy it too. Also, in keeping with Paloma’s perspective, I think that some of the interactions she has are a bit exaggerated. Mainly with her relationship between her mom and sister. It seems that Paloma is always doing everything wrong in her mom’s eyes, while her little sister is perfect. It might seem unnatural, but as an older sister myself, I can say this is accurate to how it feels sometimes. My sister would do something wrong, and I’d be blamed for it, or I’d be in trouble because I’m older and should know better. As a kid and an older sister, it would feel unfair sometimes. So as exaggerated as it may have seemed, these interactions are accurate to how it feels.
One thing I loved about this story was that Paloma is Cuban-American. We get a touch of Latin American culture throughout, from the foods that are eaten to words that are used. Spanish words are used occasionally, but there are plenty of context clues to allow any reader to understand what’s being said. This book is great for Latin American readers to have representation in stories and have a character they can relate to. It’s also great for non-Latin American readers to gain exposure to the differing culture.
Overall, this story was a fun, easy read for me. It’s also great for the spooky season, seeing as how it’s centered around ghosts. It’s spooky enough to give a bit of a thrill, but not so scary that younger readers can’t enjoy it.
This is a middle-grade story seeing as how Paloma is 12. It’s written in a way that it feels like the story is being told by a 12 year old. I think it’s great for middle-grade readers, but adults, like myself, can definitely enjoy it too. Also, in keeping with Paloma’s perspective, I think that some of the interactions she has are a bit exaggerated. Mainly with her relationship between her mom and sister. It seems that Paloma is always doing everything wrong in her mom’s eyes, while her little sister is perfect. It might seem unnatural, but as an older sister myself, I can say this is accurate to how it feels sometimes. My sister would do something wrong, and I’d be blamed for it, or I’d be in trouble because I’m older and should know better. As a kid and an older sister, it would feel unfair sometimes. So as exaggerated as it may have seemed, these interactions are accurate to how it feels.
One thing I loved about this story was that Paloma is Cuban-American. We get a touch of Latin American culture throughout, from the foods that are eaten to words that are used. Spanish words are used occasionally, but there are plenty of context clues to allow any reader to understand what’s being said. This book is great for Latin American readers to have representation in stories and have a character they can relate to. It’s also great for non-Latin American readers to gain exposure to the differing culture.
Overall, this story was a fun, easy read for me. It’s also great for the spooky season, seeing as how it’s centered around ghosts. It’s spooky enough to give a bit of a thrill, but not so scary that younger readers can’t enjoy it.