The Girl and the Ghost

 The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf, 280 pages.

Suraya is very young when she inherits a pelesit from her witch grandmother. The ghost, who she names Pink, is her only friend for many years, but Suraya doesn't know that pelesits are dark, mischievous creatures. As she learns that her oldest friend has a side to him she's never seen, she has to find a solution as things keep getting more dangerous, for everyone. 

This was a pretty interesting middle grade book! I don't believe I've ever read a book set in Malaysia, and this one did a great job immersing me in the culture, in both a historical folklore sense and a normal life in the modern day sense. The characters and conflicts were a little simplistic, but that's not unexpected for a middle grade book. I think this exciting, slightly spooky book would be a great choice for middle schoolers, especially those curious about how kids in other countries live.