Twelve-year-old Ollie Oxley is moving-again. His mom is starting another new job, this time at the Bingham Theater in Granite City, California. Moving all the time means Ollie has struggled in the making friends department, but he quickly connects with a boy named Teddy. To Ollie's surprise, though, his first friend in town is a little more . . . unique than those he's made in the past. Teddy is a ghost.
Befriending someone who lived during the famous California Gold Rush sure does make things interesting for Ollie. But when the school bully, Aubrey, targets Ollie and it looks like the Bingham Theater might close, the stakes couldn't be higher. Can Teddy and Ollie work together to take down Aubrey, save his mom's job, and solve a mystery years in the making? ( )

12-year-old Ollie Oxley and his younger sister, DeeDee, are moving again. Ever since their dad left there’s been a lot of moving. Each place turns out to be about the same- Ollie doesn’t make any friends and he gets in a bit of trouble. He also knows he’s not at any school long enough that it will make a difference. But now their mom has a new job, a permanent job, at a theater in Granite City, CA. When they get to their new home Ollie is less than happy about the color of it, and inside seems a little spooky. Then, for the first time ever Ollie connects right away with a boy named, Teddy. Maybe this town will be okay. Unfortunately, it isn’t long before Ollie has a run-in with the school bully, Aubrey. Finding out that Teddy is a ghost only makes Ollie more nervous that he’s going to be targeted. He doesn’t want to be the weird kid who talks to a ghost, but he also likes Teddy’s company and sense of humor. Being friends with a ghost who lived during the California Gold Rush does have some perks, like the possibility of a buried treasure that could change the course of Ollie’s life. If only Teddy knew where the treasure was, but he can’t even remember where he lived in the town when he was alive. Is there really a buried treasure? Will Ollie and Teddy be able to find it if it exists? Is there any way to get Aubrey to stop bothering him? Pick up this fast paced book to find out!

After I set up a Skype visit between Lisa Schmid and my 5th grade students for World Read Aloud Day I knew I needed to checkout her debut book from my school library. I was hooked! I loved during the Skype when she talked about the writing process and the fact that she lives in a town where the Gold Rush began. Ollie Oxley and the Ghost: The Search for Lost Gold looks like a spooky book, but it's a story filled with a lot of humor. Ollie and DeeDee have a typical sibling relationship. They fight, but they get along too. I loved that Ollie made a friend, but I also worried that kids wouldn’t be kind if they thought he was talking to himself or a ghost. Teddy likes to crack jokes, so I think he is a great friend for Ollie, plus he helps push Ollie out of his comfort zone. I was really intrigued by the buried treasure. I know I am always up for a mystery and searching for buried gold sounds like a lot of fun to me. I got to discover the clues with Ollie and Teddy, and it was exciting trying to piece together the puzzle. I would recommend this book to anyone ages eight and up who likes to laugh and enjoys a good mystery. Now I am hoping there will be more adventures for Ollie and Teddy in the future! I bet their town has a lot more to discover!
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Another new town. A new school. No friends. It's all happening again. Ollie Oxley and his family have just moved to Granite City, CA. Ollie hopes this move will be better than the last...but it's doubtful. They live in a pink house. He manages to offend the local bully on the first day. And, his new best friend is a ghost. Poor Ollie.

I enjoy reading middle grade books. I read a lot of horror, mystery, thriller type stories...and sometimes I just need a palate cleanser. I always head to children's books to clear my head. This story is fun to read, and a great adventure story. Middle school is enough of an adventure for anyone (Glad I am wayyy past those years!)...add in a ghost, a mean bully, and hunting for treasure and you've got a great story!

I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author. I love the mix of humor and mystery in this book. It made for a nice afternoon of reading. The story is completely middle grade appropriate. Nothing too scary....just lots of middle school antics, humor and adventure!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from North Star Editions via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

I received an ARC of this through NetGalley.

I’m just messing with you. My sense of humour didn’t die with me.

Sometimes, all you need is a fun, easy-to-digest middle grade adventure. With a snarky ghost.

I was drawn to this book by the cover, and the promise of mystery and ghostly adventures, and it didn’t disappoint. I’m going to be honest, at first I groaned at little details such as the main boy character hating the colour pink, or the stereotypical bully stealing lunch money (seriously, who does that? if anyone kept stealing my actual MONEY every day, my mom would have went in and kicked everyone’s asses from the principal to the bully’s parents. Is this something that actually happens?). However, even my little annoyances were subverted or fixed by the end of the book.

The best part of this book is very obviously the ghost kid, Teddy. I adored his snarkiness, his jokes, and his puns about being a ghost, even if Ollie was often annoyed by them. I also liked that while he appeared as a kid, he was old enough that one of his friends that he met as a child was actually an adult, but they still acted as friends.

Also, there’s a ghost cat, so, you know, automatic extra points.

In short, if you’re looking for a middle grade book for yourself or maybe a kid in your life, I definitely recommend picking up this one. ( )

Ollie Oxley and the Ghost: The Search for Lost Gold by Lisa Schmid is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. This is a delightful middle school book with great characters, dialogue, plot, and mystery! I enjoyed it and I am not a middle grade kid!
I think my 12 and 13 year old grand kids would love this book! Even kids younger than that but like I said, I would even like it! Suspense mixed with mystery and humor! ( )