The Claiming

This second installment in “The Last Resort” series picks up right after book one, where Teddy and his new friends, Lila and her younger brother Caleb, have defeated the Fire Maiden phantom. Teddy is excited to begin seventh grade with Lila by his side, since he has had difficulty making friends ever since the death of his best friend Ethan. However, the new school year gets off to a rocky start when Lila’s body begins flickering in and out because she is being pulled through a portal into the land of the dead. The kids must figure out which spirits are haunting Lila’s family home before she disappears through the portal forever. Warga gives depth to the characters, particularly Teddy who is dealing with grief and friendship issues. The dialogue and narration provide plenty of backstory to segue from the first in the series to this new entry. The books offer QR codes that readers can scan to interact with the ghosts featured in the story, paired with haunting black-and-white illustrations. Teddy is partly of Jordanian descent; the other characters appear to be white.