Review: Karen's Ghost (BSLS Graphix 11) by DK Yingst and Ann M Martin

The Baby-Sitters Little Sister series gets spooky once again in a tale of Halloween, haunted mansions and families who just flat out don't believe a highly imaginative kid when she discovers that she is living with a ghost. The latest graphic novel adaption is Karen's Ghost, the twelfth novel in the original series and eleventh graphic novel in the series, opens with Halloween fast approaching and Karen becoming intrigued by the story of Ben Brewer, her reclusive great-grandfather whose biggest claim to fame was that he ate fried dandelions. Or, at least, that was his biggest claim to fame until one night when Karen hears some creaks and groans from the attic of the Brewer family mansion and becomes convinced that it is the ghost of Ben Brewer, who is haunting the attic and third floor. A trip to the attic with her stepsister Kristy leads Karen to discover a diary written by Ben Brewer's son Jeremy, who also believed that Ben Brewer haunts the house--and that every ten years he hosts a party on Halloween. Of course, this Halloween just happens to be one of the years that Ben Brewer will be hosting a party ... and it just happens to coincide with Karen needing to tell a spooky story for school.

This one was all good fun, as is typical with these books. The author gives readers a logical explanation for what is going on when Karen thinks she hears the ghost party, but cleverly leaves readers with a few seeds of doubt. (Either that or Karen's family are the biggest pranksters ever.) Karen is her usual spirited and competitive self, though it is fun to see the kids teaming up to get more Halloween treats. This one was a first for me in a different way--it's the first graphic novel adaption of a Little Sister/BSC novel that I've read where I had not read the original. In some senses that meant it lacked the nostalgia of previous books, though it was a fun read overall.

Recommended.

The next Little Sister Graphic novel is Karen's Surprise which is scheduled to be released in May 2026, with Karen's New Year and Karen's Goldfish to follow. New BSC graphic novels in the works include Jessi Ramsey Pet Sitter which will be released in October 2025 and Dawn on the Coast in April 2026. 

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