The Mystery of the Tree Stump Ghost

Gr 2–4—Three sisters live with their grandfather, the Guardian of the Forest. The girls differ in appearance; Maya is pale with pink hair and antlers, Mia is a yellow-eyed humanoid cat with blue fur, and baby May is pale with red eyes and orange hair. May doesn't speak much, but her thought bubbles show that she understands what is happening. While their grandfather is out helping some forest creatures, a fox arrives asking for help for her kit who has fallen down a hole, so the girls decide to lead a rescue. Their trip seems like Alice's journey down the rabbit hole as they venture underground and find strange creatures living there. Could they be the cause of the mysterious holes in the forest and the ghostly sightings? The illustrations feature big-eyed characters, cotton candy colors, and friendly woodland inhabitants. There is no backstory given about the girls or their grandfather, and the problems they are working on dovetail almost too neatly by book's end. After the trek through the underground tunnels and all the mysteries in the forest, the ending feels contrived.