Tag: MG Ghost Story

‘The Scream of the Whistle’ by Emily Randall-Jones

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

When 12-year-old Ruby’s parents split up, she moves into her Grandma’s house in a creepy abandoned railway village called Melbridge with her mum and brother. Ruby is sure if she can just get her parents back in the same room together she can get them to reconcile, so she hatches a plan to walk back home along the abandoned railway line and orchestrate a family reunion. When she encounters the mysterious Green Lady steam train, the conductor offers her a lift instead. But there’s something strange about the train and soon Ruby realises that she’s trapped on a one-way trip towards disaster.

‘The Scream of the Whistle’ is a thrilling and emotive MG horror story about a girl dealing with the supernatural fallout from a historical train crash while she processes her parents divorce. I love a Greek mythology retelling as much as the next person, but it’s great to have a story based on our weird and creepy English folklore instead – set amongst ley lines, stone circles and tors in atmospheric Wiltshire. I’m frequently asked for scary stories in the library and I think this one will go down particularly well – a time slip story with a sinister steam train, ghosts, and an accessible length at 230 pages. (And the cat of course – love Station Ned.) I really enjoyed this one!

Thanks to Chicken House and Emily Randall-Jones for the ARC.

‘The Witchstone Ghosts’ by Emily Randall-Jones

Rebecca RouillardLeave a comment

Autumn has always been able to see ghosts, like her friend Jack – a Victorian chimney sweep, but when her Dad tragically dies, there’s no sign of his ghost anywhere. And even worse, his will compels Autumn and her Mum to leave their home in London and move to a tiny, stormy Cornish island called Imber. Imber, unlike London, is surprisingly devoid of ghosts. Autumn enjoys the peace and quiet, and even makes her first real-live friend, but the island is hiding a sinister secret and time is running out for her to unravel the mystery of the witchstones.

‘The Witchstone Ghosts’ is a dark and captivating story, full of rich details and humorous quips. Autumn is an engaging heroine and I particularly enjoyed the relationships she has with her embarrassing mum and her cockney ghost buddy, Jack. The plot had plenty of twists and turns and I had some theories about the Island of Imber and its inhabitants but I was wrong! 

Can you have a lively ghost story? I think so. I was thoroughly swept away by this lively, atmospheric ghost story and it is perfect for fans of Catherine Doyle’s ‘The Storm Keeper’s Island’ and Victoria Schwab’s ‘City of Ghosts’ series.

And what a gorgeous cover design by Micaela Alcaino – I love the colours in particular, and the illustrations!

Thanks to Chicken House for the ARC.