Soon-to-be sixth-grader Billy Broccoli has a new family (his mother has recently remarried), a new school, and a new room, which unfortunately still bears the pink pony wallpaper of its previous occupant. It also comes with its own ghost, Hoover Porterhouse. The Hoove is everything that Billy is not: confident, mischievous, and gifted with fashion sense (well, for 99 years ago). The Hoove is also in danger of failing his ghost exams if he cannot pass Responsibility and Helping Others. Billy's goals, on the other hand, are to avoid public humiliation and make some friends. Can the two boys, who are initially at odds, learn to cooperate and help each other reach their goals? Much like Billy and Hoover's relationship, the series is a work in progress as it lays the groundwork for future installments. Billy and Hoover have a snappy repartee, although the Hoove sometimes sounds more modern than turn of the twentieth century. Billy is a likable protagonist whose trials and tribulations should resonate with middle-school boys. This odd couple shows promise.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist

Hank Zipzer collaborators Winkler and Oliver launch the Ghost Buddy series, introducing an endearingly uncool hero with the dorky name of Billy Broccoli. Despite his acute clumsiness and preference for wearing fart-themed T-shirts, Billy is articulate, witty, and good-hearted. None of which, unfortunately, will win him popularity in his new middle school, especially since his mother is the principal. This new series would fall clearly into the genre of silly realistic fiction were it not for the presence of a 113-year-old ghost, Hoover Porterhouse, into whose room Billy has just moved, and who undertakes the task of turning Billy into a hip and agile 11-year-old. After Billy's initial fright, he accepts the ghost's company and guidance while Hoover, forever age 14, struggles with his own ghostly goals. An amusing cast of broadly drawn secondary characters play their expected roles-snobby older half-sister, embarrassing mother and stepfather, pretty and kind classmate, and neighborhood bully with an embarrassing secret. Readers will root for Billy to conquer his klutziness as well as the bully; his final feel-good triumph is satisfying. Ages 8-12. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 3-5-Eleven-year-old Billy Broccoli's name is only the start of his problems in the coolness department. He's also plagued by a fondness for T-shirts with fart jokes on them, and he has the grace of a clown with two left feet. Now he is starting at a new school, and his supreme dorkiness is sure to cause him trouble. Fortunately, he has an ally: the ghost of 12-year-old Hoover Porterhouse III, who is stuck haunting the house that Billy's family has just moved into. Hoover is the sultan of cool and coaches Billy on what to wear and how to act. Despite his best efforts, though, the boy's first days of school are disastrous, mostly due to a bully named Rod Brownstone. Hoover calls for revenge, but in the end Billy manages to stand up to Rod. Billy is still nerdy at the story's conclusion, but it looks as though Hoover will be sticking around, which means that there may be hope for him yet. This title is chock-full of nuggets that will have boys cheering, from the grossness of Billy's embalmed tonsil to the hilarity of Rod's attachment to his baby blanket. What's more, parents and educators will cheer when Billy stands up to Rod without resorting to bullying tactics. Readers may wonder how Hoover died, but hopefully the authors will reveal more about the sassy apparition as the series progresses.-Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Fantasy. 10-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.