Terry Fide and the Bakery Ghost Review

Terry Fide and the Bakery Ghost by Jeanette Stampone, illustrated by Jasmine Berry (About Kids Books)

Terry Fide’s dad is a brilliant ghost detective. When Mr Horry Fide is called to a haunting, he talks to the ghost to find out why it's so scary. Problem solved!  Terry wants to be just like him, but the trouble is, Terry is afraid of ghosts! All except his ghost dog, Bones. Terry didn’t inherit his family’s unique way of dealing with unruly spirits. Instead, every time a ghost comes near, Terry gets wobbly knees and an itchy belly that makes him feel like a thousand fleas have invaded his clothes. Worse still, he scratches and jiggles and simply cannot stand still.
 
But when Dad is called away to Sydney to attend to several meddlesome ghost sightings, he leaves Terry in charge to sort out the ghost in Miss Quibble’s bakery. Along with Bones and his best friend Max, he reluctantly heads over to the bakery. On the way, the boys see Avery, who is in the same class as the two boys and insists on coming along to ‘…check this out – like it’s even true.’
 
Chaos and mayhem ensue when they try to get the ghost to talk to them. Avery, now a firm believer in ghosts, devises a clever trap, and once caught, Terry can finally talk to the ghost and find out the true reasons behind this very messy haunting.
 
This is a fabulous, fast-paced, spooky adventure that will have readers hooked from the very first page. The language, settings and characters are all easily relatable for the target audience. Love the play on words for the main character’s name – Terry Fide (terrified) and his dad Mr Horry Fide (horrified) – and the way the author expertly has us emotionally invested in Terry from the beginning with sentences like - In fact, he feared anything remotely spooky – spiders, rats, creaking floorboards, even the dark and Terry felt sick. Even a spelling test would be more fun than chasing after ghosts. I know that’s exactly how I would feel!

Themes of kindness, bravery and friendship are embedded in this first book of the Ghost Detective series, with the other two central characters – Max and Avery - appealing to both boys and girls. STEM plays a part in the story, too, with Avery’s character interested in inventing and designing.

The black-and-white illustrations seamlessly support and enhance the narrative throughout, and readers will love their fun, comic-book feel. And the endpapers are delightful!
This will be a must-have series, especially for those looking for something engaging and challenging and a step up from early readers.

Teaching themes could include friendship, bravery, resilience, ghosts, design thinking, engineering, inventions, and problem-solving. 

Find out more about Jeannette Stampone
Find out more about Jasmine Berry

Published by About Kids Books
Release date March 2026
ISBN: 9870994642813
Highly recommended for ages 6 to 9