The Secret Room

Now that the ghost, Kaz, can finally pass through walls, he is excited to explore Beckett’s secret room at the back of the library. In it he finds an envelope, some empty soda bottles, and a ghostly doll. Are any of these things connected? Kaz wants to return the doll to the ghost it belonged to, but that may be harder than he thinks. 

With the help of his living friend Claire, Kaz and the other ghosts travel to various locations, looking for an older person who may remember more about the house that Kaz haunts. During their journey, the story often refers to ghosts who have been blown away in the wind. In previous books, Kaz and his siblings were blown away from their family. In The Secret Room, they are finally reunited with their grandparents, but the reunion doesn’t last long because Kaz and his siblings return to the haunted library so they can “be with people their own age.” 

The Secret Room revolves around the mystery of who built the secret room and why. To talk to other people who might know more about the house, Claire interviews several people. However, to do this, Claire lies to her mother. Secrecy seems to permeate Claire’s family — both Claire’s mother and grandmother can see ghosts, however, they never talk about their experiences. In the end, the family members finally share their ghost-seeing experiences, which allows them to understand each other better. 

Because of the ghost terms and lack of background information, readers who want to jump into The Haunted Library Series should begin with book one, The Haunted Library. The story includes black-and-white illustrations that will help readers visualize the characters and actions. However, the complicated plot includes a huge cast of characters that may be overwhelming for some readers. While Kaz and the other ghosts are good friends to Claire, Claire’s mom discusses a childhood experience with a mean ghost who caused quite a scare.  

Readers who want a ghost story with a simple plot will enjoy A Good Night for Ghosts by Mary Pope Osborne and The Blue Ghost and The Green Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer. Plus, curious readers can learn more about real haunted places and famous ghosts by reading Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Ghost by Mary Pope Osborne & Natalie Pope Boyce.  

Sexual Content  

• None

Violence  

• When Claire’s mom was a child, she could see ghosts. She lived in a house with a ghost named Annie. Claire’s mom says, Annie “was a nasty, nasty ghost.” When Molly, another ghost, made Annie angry, “she pushed Molly through the wall. I ran outside to try to help Molly, but there was nothing I could do. I never saw her again.” The wind blew Molly away.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None

Language  

• None 

Supernatural 

• The story includes several ghosts who can shrink in size and travel through walls.  
• Kaz discovers that he has the power to transform objects that are solid objects into ghostly objects. “A ghost is either born with the ability to transform an object or he’s not.” 
• To transform solid objects into ghostly objects, Kaz has to “touch the very tip of your thumb and your second finger to whatever it is you want to transform, and then quickly pull your hand away.”  

Spiritual Content  

• None