This is the first book in the Shadow School series, and since we read book 3 first, my daughter and I instantly went back to the library and grabbed books 1 and 2.

Here we meet Cordelia Liu and see how her move from California to New Hampshire shaped her new friendships and life. Cordelia’s family had to move for work. She’s an angry sixth grader who didn’t want to leave San Francisco, but soon realizes Shadow School is something special.

Cordelia seems to see some out of place people, but she doesn’t think of them as ghosts. She just figures that her new school is a little odd. It is a Victorian mansion after all. It was not built as a school. It was built as a home for a Mr. Elijah Shadow. The town needed a new school, and as long as no one ever changed anything about the structure, it was allowed for the Shadow mansion to become Shadow School. So if Cordelia sees a random person rushing out of the room, or hiding under the bleachers, well, she figures, it’s an odd school and she’s brand new. Maybe this is normal?

She notices something else. As soon as a ghost hiding under the bleachers starts crying, a boy named Benji pops in his earbuds. Cordelia notices a pattern with Benji, and realizes he can see the ghosts too.

One thing Cordelia wants to try is instead of ignoring and avoiding the ghosts, she wants to help them move on. She discovers how to help them, and each time, with each different ghost, their key to their own personal Bright is different. While she is excited to help the ghosts move on, someone at the school isn’t so thrilled.

Cordelia also made another friend, Agnes, who cannot see ghosts. But they found some glasses they’ve nicknamed Spectercles, so she can see the ghosts inside Shadow School as well. Benji, Agnes, and Cordelia will try their best to move on the ghosts and figure out more of the secrets that Shadow School holds.

This book was a fantastic start to the series. I loved the way the kids interacted, and how they became friends. I like the plot and the concept of the book. My daughter just enjoyed the story. She loves mysteries and books about ghosts that aren’t scary. This feels more like a mystery rather than a scary ghost story. It’s listed as Middle Grade, however I think any kiddo from 8 to 18 (and adults lol) would enjoy this one.

***We got this book from the library