Title: Childish Spirits (10th Anniversary Edition)
Author: Rob Keeley
Published: May 15, 2024
Genre: MG ghost story
Buy Childish Spirits 10th Anniversary Edition
Summary:
When Ellie and her family move into Inchwood Manor, Ellie quickly discovers strange things are happening. Who is the mysterious boy at the window? What secrets lie within the abandoned nursery? Who is the woman who haunts Ellie’s dreams – and why has she returned to the Manor, after more than a century?
Ellie finds herself entangled in a Victorian mystery of ghosts and tunnels and secret documents – and discovers that life all those years ago isn’t so different from the world she knows today...
First published in 2014, this five star-reviewed children’s novel was longlisted for the Bath and WriteMentor Children’s Novel Awards and nominated for the People’s Book Prize.
This is a tenth anniversary special edition with new material and also includes four Spirits short stories never before published in book form. A must for all fans of the Spirits series and Rob Keeley’s work.
Me:
If you've hung around this blog for a while, you know I can never say enough about Rob Keeley's Spirits series, in particular, the first book in that series: Childish Spirits. I first "read" it (actually I listened to the audiobook, which was also a great time) 5 years ago. I thought it was sweet, suspenseful, and just creepy enough.
Now that the book has been out for 10 years, I revisited it in the 10th anniversary special edition, which includes a few extra scenes and some bonus short stories from the world of the Spirits. I'm pleased to report it was just as delightful the second time around. Of course, this time, I already knew how the mystery would unfold, but while I may not have been on the edge of my seat, I discovered it was still funny, creepy, and adorable. (Read: Edward still has my heart.)
So here, for the 10th anniversary edition, are 10 reasons to read Childish Spirits:
1. There are GHOSTS
Need I say more? OK, probably. Set in historic Inchwood Manor, Childish Spirits has not one, not two, but three ghosts. (Actually there might even be a few more that make brief appearances.) In addition to Edward, who's ultimately harmless despite his mischievious nature, there's also a tragic, much scarier ghost who's bent on vengeance. It's kind of a perfect little ghost story.
2. It will keep you guessing
Full of as many twists and turns as the Manor itself, this story should keep you guessing until the end, and, complete with clues, ghostly happenings, and disastrous turns of fate, it will also keep you in suspense.
3. It has a great main character
Ellie is a little girl with big ambitions. Artistic, curious, and brave, she's sure to resonate not only with middle grade readers, but readers of any age. As she tries to unravel the mystery of Inchwood Manor, she gets herself into many a scrape, and to add to the stress, she's dealing with a new home and her parents' recent separation. All of this makes her very sympathetic: she's an optimistic girl trying her best to work through some very real problems - as well as some ghostly ones.
4. Edward is just the cutest
Edward Fitzberranger haunts the manor his family used to own, and which he would have become master of had he not died of scarlet fever at age 10. His favorite pasttimes include pranking unwitting visitors, exploring the tunnels beneath the manor, and playing with his toy soldiers in the nursery where he spent most of his life.
5. It's a ton of fun
This book is just very fun to read. I already mentioned the suspense and mystery, but it's also got some funny moments, and a host of laughable characters - such as Ellie's bossy older brother and her mom's clueless boss.
6. Inchwood Manor is swarming with secrets
Inchwood Manor is crawling with secrets, and we only tap the surface of them in this first Spirits novel. From Ellie's first sight of the Latin inscription over the door, to her exploration of the seemingly untouched nursery and the hidden priest's hole beneath the manor, we can tell this big old house has stories to tell.
7. Ellie and Edward = friendship goals
Edward starts out as Ellie's nemesis, but despite all his teasing, he soon comes to rely on her. And despite his spoiled, often infuriating nature, Ellie comes to love him as well - risking her own life to get him out of some serious danger. Their sweet relationship is one of my favorite things about this book.
8. Bonus content!
If you read the 10th anniversary edition, you'll get some "deleted scenes" and four very fun little ghost stories as a bonus add-on. One of these stories takes place in Victorian times, one in medieval times, and two in modern times. While they all relate to the world of the Spirits series, you don't necessarily have to have read all the books to understand them - though if you have, they'll be even more fun.
9. There's an audiobook!
If you prefer audiobooks, listen up: there is an audio version of this book and it's great. Sally Millest does a fantastic job giving the story life and doing all the character voices.
10. It will make you smile.
If you don't find yourself smiling as you read this book, you may need the Ghost of Christmas Past to come pay you a visit. It's a great story to read to kids, but even if you read it to yourself, you'll fall in love with the sweet characters, the mysterious world, and the shenanigans Edward and Ellie get up to (mainly Edward gets into them and drags Ellie along). I for one couldn't stop smiling as I read it.
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