Who Ya Gonna Call?: Ghosthunters by Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke, noted author of The Thief Lord and Inkheart, also has written a mostly silly, slightly scary, and frankly fun group of books about a spectre-smashing trio who do the ghostbusting at some of Europe's finest destinations--the Ghosthunters series.

The series stars Hetty Hyssop, phantom fighter extraordinaire, who is ably aided by her spunky assistant Tom and their associate apparition, Hugo, the A.S.G. (Averagely Scary Ghost). The first installment in the series is Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost, in which Tom calls in Hetty and Hugo to fight a phantom, the Incredibly Revolting Ghost or I.R.G.), he finds in a dark, dank cellar.

The next case takes the triumphant trio to a the deluxe Seafront Hotel, where they find the fourth floor being held hostage by fire ghosts. Although the ghosthunters know how to deal with this species of spectre, they soon realize that their main foe is the G.I.L.I.G., the Gruesome Invincible Lighting Ghost, which can only be stopped by a winning combination of sugar, champagne, and mega-amounts of super slime from Hugo. The capricious A.S.G. comes through to help Hetty and Tom vanquish the electrical apparition in a flash.

Other entries in the sequence include Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness, Ghosthunters and the Muddy Monsters of Doom, and the newest, Ghosthunters and the Mud-Dripping Monster.

With monsters and mayhem threatening, the trio of Ghosthunters out think, out slime, and outmaneuver the various shades and spectres which they are summoned to exorcise, with some chuckles and chills along the way. Kids who love ghost stories that aren't too frightful and feature friends who face up to their fears and fight phantasmal foes successfully will love Funke's ghostbusting series.