Claribel A. Ortega

Speaking as someone who has never had "nice hair," I really appreciate the message that this book tries to convey. I don't have the same ethnic background as Marlene, but I was told frequently as a child and young adult that I had "Black hair" (which was followed up by various statements depending on the race of the person that said it to me... Nothing derogatory, but man, what a cultural insight on stereotyping!) I'm still learning on how to embrace my thick, frizzy hair, but I wish I had show more had a book like this when I was in middle school. Getting bullied is never fun, but hopefully this book will help other kids who have struggled with their looks. The best lesson from this comes from Marlene's Tia Ruby: "All hair is good hair." Now I just have to remember that on a "bad hair day!" show less

I wish this book existed when I was a kid, I would have LOVED it! No worries, because I can love it now just as much!

Mysticism, a chonky cat, best friends, ancestors, bonds of family, witchy feels... Ghost Squad has everything I need in a book.

Goonies references made me smile. Chills on my arms during one of the battles! I can see this being made into a magical movie!

I listened to the audio of Ghost Squad via audible, but now I want to buy myself a hard copy too!

Looking forward to seeing show more what happens next in the characters’ lives... maybe a series is coming? :) show less

Some middle grade books just kick you right in the feels and this is one of them. Deftly navigating the cultural divide that designates some hair "good" and curly hair as bad, this book celebrates embracing what you have and learning to care for it -- Marlene is a totally engaging character and I'm just so glad her Tia was able to come to the rescue. It's a book about bravery, and about finding your authentic self and it is beautiful.

Marlene’s drawn so adorably here that admittedly at no point did I ever think the girl had “bad” hair, to me she was just a cutie no matter what, however in this story as in life there are kids and adults who make Marlene feel ugly because of her hair.

I could definitely relate to the childhood discomfort and occasional tears that came when my mom brushed (or was it ripped?) the knots from my hair, and hopefully the young girls out there who see even more of themselves in Marlene than show more I did, who share her hair texture, find this book or better still have a friend and/or an aunt like Marlene has in her corner, loved ones who listen and reinforce that there isn’t just one type of beautiful.

Maybe it’s because I’m an adult reader, but I particularly liked that the mom has her own mini-emotional arc here, it smartly ties in her childhood experience, how beautiful her husband made her feel and how she wants her daughter to feel, the mom’s story doesn’t by any means take over, it just nicely adds depth. show less