Series: Cassidy Blake #1
Published by Scholastic on August 28, 2018
Genres: YA, Middle Grade
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
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Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspecters, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.
When The Inspecters head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.
As I mentioned in my Spirit’s Key review, my youngest is all about the mysteries but with a ghost or paranormal element. Being that she’s only 8 years old, we don’t want anything actually scary. Our amazing librarian recommended this book and it was a hit!
Cassidy Blake died. Sort of. She drowned but came back. She wasn’t pulled out of the water by paramedics or even a passerby…she was pulled out by a ghost. In doing so, it ties them together and Jacob is no longer stuck in the river, he can go anywhere she can. Twelve year old Jacob and twelve year old Cassidy become best friends. He goes to school with her, hangs out with her at home, everything. But one of the quirks that came with escaping death is that Cassidy can slip into that in-between space she calls the Veil. Where ghosts live, stuck in their death. She and Jacob are able to slip between the Veil and real life as they please. And they are really looking forward to a ghost-free vacation when Cassidy’s parents drop the news. No beach house this summer, instead they’re going to Scotland.
Cassidy’s parents are paranormal investigators, and they’ve just been given the good news that the book they’ve written has led to a TV show! Their show will be a combination of history meets paranormal. They’ll travel to haunted places, tell the history about the area, and hopefully capture something interesting. And while Cassidy and Jacob will be tagging along, they aren’t really sure how this will work out. With Jacob being a ghost and all.
Well, first stop Edinburgh. And Cassidy and Jacob find out that Scotland is far more haunted than her school back home.
In her home town, the Veil is a persistent tapping, but in Edinburgh, it’s a knock, it’s a bang, it’s able to drag her through without her permission. The B&B she stays at has a girl around her age staying there too. This girl, named Lara, winds up being like Cassidy as well, except she calls herself a ghost hunter. She shows Cassidy and Jacob a whole different side to their talent. They are meant to help move ghosts on, not just visit and “sightsee.”
This series is fantastic, and even though it sounds scary, it’s not. It’s so well-written. I wound up immediately buying the whole series on my Kindle after reading this book. Instant gratification and all 😉 But seriously, my third grader and I read this series and loved it. We now own several more books by this author, so hopefully they’re all just as good and intriguing.
The Cassidy Blake series is exciting, intriguing, beautifully written, and addictive. I hope it isn’t finished and my daughter and I have more to look forward to.
*** I borrowed this book from the Library