by Diana Corbitt

Something just stepped out from behind the tree. It’s the little ghost girl. Or, at least, I think it’s her. With her face half hidden by shadow, the one eye I can see is just a black hole.

I take a breath and find my voice. “What do you want?” I croak.

Help me.

Like a lot of other ghosts, her lips don’t move. But I hear her words well enough, and I’m surprised by how dry they sound, like withered cornstalks rustling in a field.

It was already cool under the tree. Now, it’s downright chilly. My arms and legs prickle with goosebumps as I force myself to ask, “Help you how?”

For a few moments, she’s as still as the tree beside her. Then, one arm rises to point at the mountains behind me. Again, her raspy words crackle in my brain.

Find me.

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Camp Sapuki looks perfect with all the normal outdoor stuff: swimming, hiking, toasting marshmallows by the campfire, but when you’re a Ghosters kid, normal is hard to find.

Theresa, Kerry, Joey, and Elbie arrive at Camp Sapuki excited to be in the great outdoors: trees, a lake, cabins, archery, canoeing, swimming, hiking . . . They’re not so excited about seeing the sad spirit of a girl standing in the distance watching them. They discover, too late, the place is called Camp Spooky. “Great. There’s like a million campgrounds in the country, and I pick the one that’s haunted,” Theresa says with a sigh.

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Come gather around the campfire with Theresa, Kerry, Joey, and Elbie as they roast marshmallows and hatch a plan to release the ghost girl from her hidden grave. With the aid of a trickster tree spirit named Bad Jack and a mysterious Native American ghost, their quest takes them through beautiful forest and through a cave with wondrous discoveries underground lakes, waterfalls, and ancient drawings. Camping will never be the same without a few ghosts to liven things up.