Even the dead must abide by exacting rules in The Lost Three, the first entry in a charming, bittersweet supernatural middle-grade series by Annie Barrows (Ivy and Bean series).
In early 20th-century Philadelphia, the Maconochie siblings, 14-year-old Genie, 11-year-old Fenella, and nine-year-old Tillotson, are killed in a tragic car crash. Despite being dead, they are still bound to Earth in ghostly forms. At first, they spend their time trying to figure out their own existence in the church where they awakened. But after a prank by Tillotson goes wrong, the siblings smartly move into the cozy-enough Fenstermacher's Fine Home Furnishings. Meanwhile, 10-year-old Aggie is growing up in the municipal orphanage. When Serena Aster, a "beautiful lady" who "looks rich," offers Aggie a home, Aggie is thrilled--until she realizes Serena only adopted her to use her for labor. Serena, who somehow knows an awful lot about ghosts, also suggests that the Maconochies come live in her "elegant mansion." Once the siblings step over Serena's threshold, Serena gleefully explains to them that they are trapped by ghost rules, and she won't release them unless they work for her. The siblings team up with Aggie to escape Serena's clutches.
The Lost Three, with its smirking narrator, depiction of three sweet siblings who repeatedly overcome insurmountable odds, and world where ghosts must follow proper rules and procedures, gives nods to Beetlejuice and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Chloe Bristol (Nonsense!) adds a sense of time and place with black-and-white spot illustrations of Depression-era children, ghosts, and scam seances. The Lost Three is perfect for readers who like their ghosts playful, helpful, and not at all spooky. --Kyla Paterno, freelance reviewer