Ghost Ranch:The Legend Of Mad Jake
Kid Caramel, P.I. series

By Dwayne Ferguson

     Caramel Parks, also known as Kid Caramel, Private Investigator, and his friends, Earnie and Kayin are excited when they get to spend a weekend at Boseville, an abandoned western town once occupied by a Black settlement. Now it is said to be haunted by a cowboy called Mad Jake. Caramel, known for solving mysteries, is eager to learn just why Jake is mad and why he's haunting Boseville, a place he apparently never lived. When an unearthly laugh interrupts their campfire snack, Caramel and his friends are on the job.

     In the fourth installment in the series, author Dwayne J. Ferguson does an excellent job of creating yet another interesting mystery for eight-to-ten year olds who love to read. Like the previous book in the series, “Mess at Loch Ness,” the chapters are short and the language and style of writing are age appropriate.

    One of the elements I like most about this series is that, along with the mystery, readers are given a mini-history lesson designed to encourage them to want to learn more about the subject of the mystery, in this case Black cowboys and Black settlements in the west.

     Parents looking for books that will encourage and challenge their children to read, can feel good about introducing their offspring to the Kid Caramel Private Investigator series. Young readers with inquisitive minds are sure to enjoy “Ghost Ranch, the Legend of Mad Jake.” After reading Caramel's latest adventure, they will look forward to the next book in this engaging series.