SOLVED. YA book about ghost families who get sent to the wrong houses. A mortal boy lives in the house with the nicer ghost family that has adopted a Victorian-era ghost girl. The antagonist ghosts, the Shreikers, are known for murdering mortals. [s]

[Abby]

I read this in probably 2009 or 2008. It was this whole world where ghosts go to an agency that assigns them a house to haunt, and this nice ghost family (that has lost their ghost aunt), move in with a lonely boy and also they discover a little girl ghost and take her in. Meanwhile, these other terrible ghosts (their names were the Shriekers, I think?) were actually supposed to move in with that boy, but an intern at the agency gave them the wrong ectoplasm-covered folder.


SPOILERS:


The little ghost girl turns out to be the Shriekers' daughter who died, and they've been so awful because they were eaten up with grief and couldn't find her. Everyone, including the lost aunt of the nice family, eventually decides to stick around and party with the lonely boy. I remember there was even a picture of all of them hanging out on the lawn at the end.

[Abby]

Emilie wrote: "Sounds like Dial A Ghost by Eva Ibbotson"

Yes! That's it! Thank you!!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Abby. Here's the link for Emilie's find - Dial-a-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson.