as a coney island fan, i was originally drawn to this story of an amusement park by the sea facing threats from a Huge Developer who wants to tear down the amusement area to build luxury condos.

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Strong family ties, evildoers who get their comeuppance, friendly ghosts -- middle grade readers will root for the family, especially Aurelie, who are on the good side and will cheer when the bad guys get their due. ( )