Sinister, blood-thirsty ghosts in fog-filled cemeteries, a Medieval cathedral and castle-turned boarding school, and an angry 11 year old boy sent away from home when his widowed mother becomes engaged to a new man. A story spun with all the cinematic detail, coming-of-age life lessons, and supernatural qualities of her other works, Cornelia Funke‘s newest book, Ghost Knight, is a tale full of danger, bravery, and friendship.
Jon Whitcroft tells us the story of his first year at an English boarding school, where he was sent after some very terrible behavior towards his mother’s fiance. Jon had expected to be miserable in Salisbury and for the first few days there, he was. Then one night out the boarding house window, he saw 4 menacing ghosts on horseback watching him through the window. When the ghosts confront him and he learns they’re going to hunt him down and kill him out of vengeance for a centuries old wrong, Jon doesn’t know where to turn. Then he meets Ella, a smart, no-nonsense girl who has a taste for adventure and some serious experience with ghosts. Together they call upon the help of the knight buried in the cathedral for help; but there may be something in this knight’s past that makes him as dangerous as the terrifying ghosts already trying to kill Jon.
Funke’s story is greatly enhanced by Andrea Offermann‘s many ghostly illustrations throughout the book. On its own, Funke’s writing has always had a very visual quality – it’s so easy to see exactly what she’s describing – but since this book is intended for younger readers (ages 8-12), the illustrations are a welcome addition to the story. Some of the urgency of the action is muted, however, by the fact that it’s a 20 year old Jon telling us the story. This retrospective narrative voice alludes to future adventures that will take place after Ghost Knight ends, so there’s certainly more adventures to look forward to, but I felt like a lot of the tension and terror was lost because we know from page 1 that everything ends up OK. This issue aside, there’s plenty of spookiness and thrilling episodes in this fast-paced read to make it a hit with both boys and girls in its intended age range.
Posted by Cori