Scooby-Doo and his friends may have solved mysteries in haunted hotels, old castles and even in uninhabited places, but here they are stuck in a strange situation. They are visiting an old theatre that might be in working condition, but some people want it to be replaced as a multiplex. Things go from bad to worse with the sudden appearance of a ghost, who scares whatever audience is left.

Jinkies! Will the Mystery Inc. be able to apprehend the ghost, save the theatre from getting sold and later torn down so that a multiplex can be built, that’s the mystery of Scooby-Doo and The Groovy Ghost!

Written by James Gelsey, this adventure becomes interesting when the guitar-playing ghost hurts the operator backstage and abducts a performer in front of everyone. Scooby-Doo and his friends Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy approach the theatre owner with a proposition that includes solving the mystery, restoring the Old Palace Theatre to its former glory and lots of food (for Shaggy and Scooby, of course!).

Do they manage to stand up to the rock star turned real estate magnate who wants to buy the theatre? Do they rescue of the missing pianist who was abducted by the ghost? And how does an architect wearing an unusual dress fit into the mystery?

With Scooby-Doo’s nose taking him and Shaggy the wrong way, Velma disappearing while conducting her investigation, and Fred’s plan not working, as usual, the Mystery Inc. follows the same pattern that gets the job done, but with lady luck’s help.

In this heavily illustrated book, Scooby-Doo and his friends pull the curtain on a spook-tacular mystery but not before making you understand a lot of things. The narrative is written in such a way that everyone who knows how to read can enjoy this mystery; the illustrations give the effect of an animated series whereas the chapter-wise division is easy for the young readers to remember where they last left the story. Add to that the element of mystery and suspense and you have a mystery that is worth your little grey cells.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 26th, 2020