Author: Kenneth Oppel
Genre: Fiction ; Middle Grade ; Ghosts ; Paranormal ; Horror ; Fantasy ; Mystery ; Supernatural
Publication: September 6, 2022 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 400
Format Read In: Audiobook
Summary from Goodreads (GOODREADS LINK)
One teen’s summer job scaring tourists with ghost stories takes a terrifying turn when he accidentally summons the spirit of a dead girl—and she has demands. . . .
The award-winning author of Airborn delivers a roller-coaster ride of a story about the wakeful and wicked dead.
Rebecca Strand was just sixteen when she and her father fell to their deaths from the top of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse in 1839. Just how they fell—or were they pushed?—remains a mystery. And their ghosts haunt the lighthouse to this day. . . .
Gabe tells this story every day when he gives the ghost tour on Toronto Island. He tries to make it scary enough to satisfy the tourists, but he doesn’t actually believe in ghosts—until he finds himself face to face with Rebecca Strand.
The true story of her death is far more terrifying than any ghost tale Gabe has told. Rebecca reveals that her father was a member of the Order, a secret society devoted to protecting the world from “the wakeful and wicked dead”—malevolent spirits like Viker, the ghost responsible for their deaths. But the Order has disappeared, and Viker’s ghost is growing ever stronger.
Now Gabe and his friends must find a way to stop Viker before they all become lost souls. . . .
Trigger warnings: Past death of a parent ; Body horror ; Ghost cannibalism ; Grief ; Systemic issues with immigration ; Vague discussion of past atrocities on indigenous peoples in Canada
My Review:
I picked this book up as it was in a category for the Aurora Awards 2023. This cover is so pretty! I love the contrasting blue and yellow shades, and the way ghosts look!
What I Liked
- The ghosts are very creepy and the way hauntings occurred was really cool! I think this had the right level of spookiness for it’s audience without holding any punches (kind of like Oogey Boogey from A Nightmare Before Christmas).
- The action was very riveting and moved smoothly so you can’t stop reading/listening until the scene is over! It was fun to watch the characters travel from a bizarre séance to the CN Tower (and it was cool that it was set in Toronto so I recognized some iconography).
- The good writing kept the tension up for Gabe and his friends, including during the climax.
What I Didn’t Like
- Sometimes, the friend group felt less like a coherent gang helping each other out to a group just following Rebecca’s orders without much input allowed from the humans.
- The romance between Gabe and Rebecca was predictably boring but as an adult, romances between child characters wouldn’t interest me normally.
- There was a weird depiction of stereotypical emotionless First Nations man, though we do see some depth later on, but it leaned into the stereotype of Natives being these tough, deep, emotionless warriors.
Conclusion
This was a very excitable romp into MG ghost stories!
My Rating: Raining
Where to Find Me
sweaters.and.raindrops@gmail.com
Sweaters & raindrops 