Author Greta K. takes the first line “We all knew the cafeteria was haunted” and adds one school athlete, two math-loving friends, and three puzzles to create the formula for a suspenseful and clever story about overcoming differences. The ALGEBRA club and the tetherball team don’t get along until math whizzes Fox and Eleo are forced to join up with Martina, the team captain, to solve the mystery of who or what is haunting the cafeteria. The “ghost” turns out to be Mr. Fernsby, math teacher and tetherball player, whose scheme to bring the mathletes and athletes together is a rousing success.

In “Haunted Cafeteria,” writer Logan Q. introduces CJ, a 15-year-old amateur ghost hunter who is determined to figure out what’s going on in the abandoned forest ranger station. Armed with ghost-hunting equipment, library research, and bravery, CJ and his closest friends confront the ghost and help him find peace. Logan concludes his story with the powerful observation: “People can be more than what you make of them. And sometimes, the best solution to our problems is to face them with compassion, and bring light to the darkness.”