Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost!
(Book)

The latest in a series of humorous adventures about expert ghost hunter Hetty, her sidekick Tom, and their affiliate ghost, Hugo, this novel offers some unusual characterizations along with nonstop action. Hetty and her crew are called to help solve a haunting problem at a seaside hotel, which requires them to employ everything from crafty detective skills to ghostly slime. Hetty is the brains of the outfit, Tom the spunk, and mischievous Hugo comes through in a pinch. More silly that scary. --Francisca Goldsmith Copyright 2006 Booklist

Gr 3-5-All of the quirky characters are back in this delightful sequel (Chicken House, 2006) to Cornelia Funke's Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (Chicken House, 2006). Nine-year-old Tom, Hugo, the Averagely Spooky Ghost, and ghoul hunter Hetty Hyssop are called to a fancy beachfront resort where the guests are being turned into ghosts. Armed with the tools of their trade, cake icing and champagne, the trio quickly finds the root of the problemAa Gruesome Invincible Lightning GhostAand uses all of their courage and skills to defeat it and save the remaining guests at the resort. Veteran voice actor John Beach skillfully brings to life the madcap adventures by giving each character a unique voice that conjures up fantastic images in listeners' minds. This enjoyable story will thrill both fans of and those new to the series. A must have for every collection.-Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Young Tom teams up with his grandmother's sprightly ghost-hunting friend, Hetty, and an ""Averagely Spooky Ghost"" named Hugo to fight each of the titular baddies. The stories are formulaic but lively, and the interspersed caricature-ish illustrations and humor-leavened spookiness make these excellent Halloween reads (or read-alouds) for those not up to truly scary fare. A ghost protection manual is included. [Review covers these titles: Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost and Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost.] (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Intrepid veteran Hetty Hyssop, her young amanuensis Tom and their moody, slime-oozing spectral associate Hugo nearly meet a fiery doom in this smoothly translated import, the second episode of four originally published in Germany. Responding to the summons of a seaside hotel's manager, the Ghosthunters expect to find only a minor fire ghost to snag--but are instead confronted by a huge GILIG (see title), a spirit so powerful that The Big Ghost Encyclopedia warns readers to avoid contact at all costs. Standing fast as the hotel takes heavy damage and guests flee in terror (some of this last, to be sure, caused by Hugo's pranks), the Ghosthunters discover the GILIG's weakness just as they're about to be turned into ash, and the day is saved. Funke closes with a manual for prospective ghosthunters, plus an elaborate taxonomy of ghostly types, from ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghosts, which is Hugo's category) to FOFUG (Foggy Fug-Ghost). Replete with both spooks and with comically cluttered illustrations, this will win many new fans. (Fantasy. 9-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The latest in a series of humorous adventures about expert ghost hunter Hetty, her sidekick Tom, and their affiliate ghost, Hugo, this novel offers some unusual characterizations along with nonstop action. Hetty and her crew are called to help solve a haunting problem at a seaside hotel, which requires them to employ everything from crafty detective skills to ghostly slime. Hetty is the brains of the outfit, Tom the spunk, and mischievous Hugo comes through in a pinch. More silly that scary. ((Reviewed December 15, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.

Gr 3-5 In this sequel to Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (Scholastic, 2006), the phantom-fighting team is summoned to the remote Seafront Hotel to deal with another case of otherworldly mischief. The clues hot water, steam, and sulfurous odors seem to indicate the presence of a harmless Fire Ghost, but when Tom and Hetty Hyssop try to tackle the sizzling spook, they discover that there is a much more dangerous entity involved. Then Seafront guests begin disappearing, and the duo realize that they are outmatched. Only the third member of the crew, Hugo, an ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghost), has the occult skills to battle the sinister Lightning Ghost before it incinerates the hotel and everybody in it. The Ghosthunters are delightfully diverse: nine-year-old Tom is a cool-headed, cautious type; Hetty is a feisty, no-nonsense senior citizen; and complaining, pouting, ego-tripping Hugo is a reluctant contributor but always comes through in the end. Much of the humor is conveyed through crisp, lively dialogue and dramatic scene descriptions. While the team's off-the-wall techniques are generally played for laughs, there are also some genuinely scary moments. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations add to the fun. A winning combination of chills and chuckles. Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL