Book cover for Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu. A young girl with wavy brown hair and a green jacket stands in a dimly lit room with unpacked moving boxes, an armchair, and vintage floral wallpaper, looking up with an apprehensive expression. Above her, blending into the dark purple shadows of the wallpaper pattern, looms the large, semi-transparent form of a ghostly girl.

Title: Not Quite a Ghost

Author: Anne Ursu

Cover artist: James Firnhaber

Cover designer: David DeWitt

Publisher: Walden Pond Press / HarperCollins

ISBN13: 9780062275158

Recommended audience: Middle grade

Link to publisher book page: https://www.walden.com/books/notquiteaghost?rq=not%20quite%20a%20ghost

About Julie D. aka :

Willing to stay up way past bedtime to finish a good book. No longer on the public school payroll, I read and love both kidlit and books written for adults. This book is #91 for 2026. Find me on Bluesky at:

What I liked about the book:

It is sort of about the spooky wallpaper in Violet’s new attic room and the not quite a ghost she discovers there, but it is about so many kinds of ghosts. Middle school, you know? Friends who become ghosts, the ghost of the family we thought we knew, the ghost we become when we want to be ourselves but also don’t want to hurt anyone or get in trouble, so…. I also see in Violet’s unexplained, persistent sickness the symptoms I knew about from a neighbor who was eventually diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.So many not quite a ghosts with the wonder of discovering new friends and rediscovering the wonder of a loving family

How I discovered this book:

I don’t remember how I found this title, but it was on a list of want-to-read titles I keep on my library account. I saw my library had a copy on the shelf, so it’s one of the stack I picked last week.I’m familiar with Anne Ursu’s work and follow her on Instagram. Many times I get a title while reading about another book, and it’s possible this book popped up that way! Not Quite a Ghost is also on several 2024 Best Books list, and lists like that are another way I find titles. Every year I add authors and titles long-listed for the National Book Award (U.S.),and Anne Ursu had a book long-listed in 2013 (The Real Boy). I’m just so glad I had the title on my library list, grateful that the library makes it so easy for me to keep and find my list.

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