Author: Cornelia Funke.
Genre: Fiction, Ghosts, Legends, England, History, Children, Knights.
Plot: Eleven year old Jon Whitcroft is miserable. Sent away from home for the first time and for the longest amount of time in his short life, all he can think about is the horrible things he would like to do to his mom's new boyfriend - code-named The Bread. When the train pulls into the rainy little town of Salisbury where he will be attending boarding school, Jon has no idea what he is in for.
Despite homesickness weighing him down, Jon quickly makes friends with his roommates - Stu and Angus - as well as a mysterious, rather frosty girl named Ella. He even manages to eat the awful food. What Jon never expected however was that a vengeful ghost with a grudge centuries old would come around, hunting the last of the Hartgills. Jon is a Hartgill on his mother's side and he isn't prepared for the lengths to which the ghosts will go to get at him, and when the situation takes a turn for the worst, Jon calls upon a long-dead knight bound by an ancient oath to defend the helpless to come to his aid. But can he trust the knight?
Creatively written and lively, with clear colorful characters, this is one summer read that hold you at the edge of your seat.
Likes/Dislikes: While I enjoy Ms. Funke's writing style and creativity as well as her ability to paint vivid pictures with as little description as possible, this particular book was rather subpar. It was most likely just me as I don't particularly dig ghost stories. The characters were all creative and lively - Zelda's unique habit of cursing using strange plant names was a real treat for me. I loved that little character quirk! From a Christian perspective, this book is silly; everyone knows that if you rebuke the ghost in the name of Jesus it will flee away. *winks* Still, I liked the knight and his sweet, sad story. And the illustrations were beautiful!
Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for content which includes ghosts and their ghostly, bloody descriptions. The reading level is easy. I recommend having a parent or older sibling check this book out first if ghosts are an issue in your household.
Date Report Written: August 30, 2012.
