Childish Spirits by Rob KeeleySynopsis: “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 Write Mentor 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.”

My Review

This was good fun, and really nice to revisit a story that I originally reviewed back in 2019 as an audiobook. This is a special 10th Anniversary edition full of extra material that was left out of the original book, so like a director’s cut.

I enjoyed re-reading Ellie’s first experience with the ghosts at Inchwood Manor. I didn’t remember a lot of it so it was almost like reading it for the first time. It was still a great ghost story for middle grade readers. It’s full of humour, spookiness, drama and a great mystery too.

I loved the new short stories at the end of the book, particularly The Spirit of the Season with Francis from The Sword of the Spirit, my favourite book in Rob Keeley’s Spirits series.

Definitely recommended if enjoy fun ghost stories for middle grade readers.

Thanks so much to Rob Keeley for my digital copy.

Book 12 of 20 Books of Summer 2024