A brand-new Desmond Cole book, and do ghosts ride bikes or not?

Last year I read the first book in this series and I really liked it. I loved the idea that this town has ghosts, spooky history, and more creepy going-ons. I also loved that a little kid had a ghost hunter job and that kids even called him if there were things happening that weren’t natural.

In this book we have tons of bikes. Andres is still getting used to the town and to the ghosts that live in it, and so he is very excited when he discovers a course for bikes. Only… the course is all right at first but there is one big obstacle, The Kicker, where spookyyyyy things happen. If you ride that your bike gets stolen from you and you just fly, floooop in the mud.

Desmond is immediately intrigued by the mystery and of course goes off to discover what is going on. He discover that there is ghostly stuff on the bikes that were taken by whatever is haunting the bike course. More things happened, and they discover what is going on at The Kicker. I was delighted, it was no surprise of course, to no one, but it was still lovely when we finally got to see what was haunting that obstacle.

And then later more spooky things go on and we even see Desmond try out bikes. I was very surprised that he didn’t know how to ride a bicycle. Maybe it is because I am from a country where everyone knows how to use a bicycle from a young age.

Eventually we learn that ghosts have all sorts of interesting abilities. How handy. Your ghost is friendly and he can help out.

I also love that people can see the ghosts, or at least the kids can. Which is a change from many books in which people can’t see them (adults and children alike) only a couple chosen ones can see them. I do think it was a bit silly the ghosts look so much alike, given that there are so many creative things about the ghosts here I had hoped that the ghosts looked different or that there were different groups of ghosts.

Of course, like the other book, this one is illustrated and not just a few images, oh no, tons and tons of them. And the style is just so fab!

I got more of this series waiting for me, and I do hope I can read them during Halloween. And otherwise I will just see if I can keep them until next year… if I can manage not reading them that long. Teehee.