Ghostlight

Description

Gabe’s summer job scaring tourists with ghost stories turns terrifyingly real when he accidentally summons the spirit of a dead girl—and must join forces with her to protect the world of the living. A new story by award-winning author Ken Oppel for ages 10 and up.

The story of the tragic death of sixteen-year-old Rebecca Strand and her lighthouse keeper father is just an elaborate tale Gabe tells tourists for his summer job on Toronto Island. Or so he thought. 

When his ghost tours awaken Rebecca’s spirit, Gabe is drawn into a world far darker than any ghost story he’s ever heard. Rebecca reveals that she and her father were connected to 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 now the Order has disappeared and Viker is growing even stronger, and he’ll stop at nothing to wreak chaos and destruction on the living.

Gabe and his friends—both living and dead—must find a way to stop Viker before they all become lost souls.A Globe 100 Best Book of 2022
An Indigo Best Kids’ Book of 2022

“Oppel’s latest begs to be made into a movie: visually cinematic with witty humor, nonstop action, a dash of romance, and plenty of heart.” —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

“With a high-stakes premise, harrowing growing pains and moments as chilling as midnight ocean spray, Oppel plays his readers’ nerves like an out-of-tune harp. Gabe is instantly likable and leads a believable cast with hearts that thump (or did once) through a tangible setting with a deep sense of history.” —New York Times

“Ghostbusters meets Stranger Things in Oppel’s perceptive supernatural thriller.” —Publishers Weekly

“Friendship with ghosts can be chilling. A spooktacular story that’s surprisingly insightful.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Action and horror elements propel the fast-paced narrative.” —Booklist

“Even as a battle between good and evil looms . . . this novel offers a timely nod to the utility of ghost stories in healing.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This teen ghost hunter tale set near Toronto is stuffed full of paranormal action and seasoned with local history and solid friendships. . . . [A] fun ride.” —Common Sense Media

“[T]he torment of the unjustly departed is vivid and occasionally humorous . . . Ghostlight is a solid addition to a middle-grade fantasy library.” —CM Magazine

“[W]ith an exciting climax at the peak of the CN Tower, this is for readers with strong stomachs and a taste for the macabre.” —Winnipeg Free Press

“[Oppel] creates characters that captivate and stay with the reader. . . . The action sometimes takes a gruesome turn, but there is humour and emotion in this text as well.” —Montreal Gazette

“Has all the hallmarks of classic teen mystery. . . . [A] complete winner.” —Locus MagazineKENNETH OPPEL wrote his first novel at age fourteen. His books include Bloom, the first book in the Bloom trilogy; the Silverwing trilogy, which has sold over a million copies around the world; and Airborn, winner of the Governor General’s Award and a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavour, The Boundless, The Nest, Every Hidden Thing, and Inkling, which the New York Times Book Review called “astonishing.” Ken lives with his family in Toronto. Kennethoppel.caUS

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