Bill, my daughter has always loved ghost-type pokemon, and now that she’s turned eight my wife thinks we should get her one. She won’t be going on her pokemon journey yet, but we thought this would be a good way to introduce her to taking care of her own pokemon. However, I’ve heard that ghost-types, as a whole, don’t tend to be very good around kids. Is this a misconception? And which pokemon would you recommend we get her?

At the risk of being blunt, it is indeed a misconception. While some ghost-types are more difficult to control than others (spiritomb, for example), most ghost-types can be very docile in the hands of someone willing to give them proper attention. Moreover, while it’s true that a ghost-type’s abilities can be rather dangerous, the truth of the matter is this isn’t unique to the ghost-type. All pokémon are gifted with fantastic powers that can be highly destructive or even deadly if handled recklessly, but most pokémon are fully capable of controlling these abilities. It’s only when a trainer forces a pokémon to use its powers recklessly or when a trainer fails to respect a pokémon as a living being that pokémon become threats.

In other words, seeing as your daughter loves ghost-types, I have no doubt she’ll be safe in the company of them. It’s usually those who adore particular pokémon or types who can see the beauty in them and thus know how best to respect them.

That having been said, it depends on where you are and what your daughter would like. Start off by asking her which one is her favorite, and consider getting her the most basic form of that pokémon’s evolutionary line. If she has no preference, allow me to share a few notes on the matter:

• Many ghost-type enthusiasts start with gastly, as these tend to be the hardiest and most readily available ghost-types in existence. (They live in practically every region except Unova and Hoenn, and they’re far more common than even native species of ghosts.) However, they can be tricky to handle, not because of their capricious natures or poison-typing but instead because they don’t learn especially powerful moves until they evolve. Not to mention they’re famously difficult to evolve into their final forms as well.
• If your daughter is interested in ghost-types that also share elements with traditional starters, litwick and frillish are both exceptional choices for fire and water, respectively. At their most advanced stages, litwick (or chandelure, rather) possesses formidable offensive power that pairs well with its particular battling style, and frillish (jellicent) grows to be fantastically resilient, especially given either of its potential hidden abilities.
• As for a grass analogue, pumpkaboo may be the better choice (over phantump), especially if you can obtain one of the “super-size” varieties. This is largely due to the fact that pumpkaboo—particularly at that size—is all-around faster and more defensively capable than phantump … and also partly because of, well, what phantump likely is. However, either way, remember that both pumpkaboo and phantump are difficult to evolve, so if your daughter wishes to train either of these, she should be aware that the road ahead of her may be difficult than that of most trainers.
• As an alternative, rowlet may not be a ghost-type, but it eventually evolves into one. Never rule out pokémon that evolve into ghosts just because they don’t start out as one, as that may exclude several potentially excellent partners, such as froslass and Alolan marowak.
• If your daughter is interested in more unconventional ghost-types, or if she’s more interested in personality than in type or battle capabilities, golett, being automaton pokémon, are naturally loyal to humans, or at least possess more of an affinity for them. They’re also fairly easy to care for, as they don’t need much more than food, a bit of liquid (but not much at all, given that it’s made of clay), and weekly grooming by way of polishing.
• Honedge is likewise more docile than most ghost-types as well as resilient (being part steel), but it’s important to note that the warnings concerning its hilt are true and that honedge can easily be a bad choice for a starter if your daughter is particularly curious.
• Sableye is just as easy to care for as golett (its needs consist of water, a plentiful source of rocks, and dark spaces), but as it prefers a quiet life in the darkness of a cave, it may be a bit of a handful for a novice trainer unless the sableye in question is one of the more docile varieties (or unless your daughter befriends it quickly by giving it particularly valuable rocks to eat).
• Finally, as ghastly as it may sound (forgive the pun), yamask are also excellent partners for new trainers. Their needs tend to be simple (food, water, and a place to sleep, as with golett and sableye), and like golett, many tend to be loyal and friendly. However, it’s said that yamask are actually incarnations of deceased humans, so in some communities, it may be … not exactly taboo as it is awkward. And even if you don’t believe in the idea that yamask are the returned departed, that they all have complex personalities, and it’s vitally important that you make sure you find a trustworthy, actually friendly yamask to give to your daughter.

Best of luck on your daughter’s journey, anonymous!