July 18, 2022
Ghostbusters meets Stranger Things in Oppel’s (Bloom) perceptive supernatural thriller. Despite his summer job giving ghost tours of Toronto’s historic Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, Greek-cued teen Gabe Vasilakis—who’s grieving the death of his largely absent father—harbors a deep skepticism about the otherworldly until he inadvertently wakes the ghost of 16-year-old Rebecca Strand, who died in 1839. Rebecca was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper who, as part of a secret order, also warded the ghostlight, a mythical amber lens used to “protect the living from the wakeful and wicked dead.” His summer vacation ruined and perception overturned, Gabe is saddled with the knowledge that his hometown is crawling with specters, including the driven spirit of Rebecca’s murderer: powerful, human-devouring Nicholas Viker, who means to find the missing ghostlight and employ its terrible power. Alongside friends Yuri, a Russian-born inventor, and Callie, an intrepid ghost blogger of Goan descent, and working with historical ghosts, including Mississauga allies, Gabe must revisit clues buried in Toronto’s history before Viker gets his way. Blending frights, mystery elements, and a tender relationship, the story conjures considerable tension and a deep sense of place as it overlays Canadian history and the paranormal atop a feverish plot. Characters largely read as white. Ages 10–up. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
July 15, 2022
Friendship with ghosts can be chilling. Thanks to constantly repeating Rebecca Strand's name while leading the Island Ghost Tour at Toronto's Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, teenager Gabe Vasilakis awakens her ghost and accidentally clasps hands with it, forging an otherworldly connection between the pair that strengthens Rebecca while chilling Gabe. Fortunately, this happened just in time, as wicked ghost Nicholas Viker has reemerged after many years of slumbering. Viker was a ghost who battled Strand and her father--and ultimately killed them--as they attempted to use a ghostlight to send trapped spirits on to their final destinations. Greek Canadian Gabe's work to defeat Viker before his plans to rule both the spirit and moral worlds can come to fruition begins. He's helped by Rebecca; his best friend, 16-year-old Russian STEM prodigy Yuri; and ghost-story blogger Calli Ferreira, a girl he meets during his tour whose family came from Goa. The plot sounds complicated--and it is--but readers looking for a spirited read that's grounded in factual Toronto history will appreciate this modern-day ghost story. Subplots on the treatment of Indigenous peoples and the ability of past ghosts to acknowledge their roles add some soul to this supernatural thriller and may provoke conversation among readers. Although the story wraps up skillfully, hints of future adventures for the earthly ghost fighters will have readers consulting the spirits to see if a sequel lies ahead. A spooktacular story that's surprisingly insightful. (Fiction. 11-15)
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September 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 "A giant cannibal ghost is taking over the city, and we have to stop him." That's the gist of Oppel's latest, uniquely set on the Toronto Islands, where Gabe is giving ghost tours for the summer. He's not a believer himself, but he enjoys the history and storytelling aspects of his job. It's with a chilling jolt, then, that the ghost of 16-year-old Rebecca Strand takes his hand to reveal herself to him along with the truth of how she and her father truly died at the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse. It's a grizzly tale that ends with the aforementioned cannibal ghost, Viker, consuming Rebecca's lighthouse keeper father and knocking her to her death. She's desperate to free her father's spirit by destroying Viker, who is now amassing a ghost army, once and for all. Action and horror elements propel the fast-paced narrative, which interestingly blends local history with the present. Lighthearted touches and the earnest camaraderie between Gabe and the friends he enlists to help (all in their early teens) give this supernatural adventure meaningful substance.
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Starred review from October 1, 2022
Gr 4-7-Gabe's summer job leading ghost tours at a Toronto amusement park takes an unexpected turn: he summons an actual ghost, Rebecca, who died in 1839. She and her father were murdered by Nicholas Viker, a villainous ghost who consumes his enemies. Rebecca wants Gabe to help save what's left of her father's spirit, and Gabe learns of Viker's plan to destroy modern-day Toronto and all its residents. On Viker's side? A dark universe with an army of the "wicked and wakeful dead." Team Gabe? Ghostly Rebecca, Gabe's uber-mechanic friend Yuri, and daring ghost blogger Callie. The four 16-year-olds (Rebecca's a teen spirit) take readers along on a thrill ride of a plot packed with harrowing escapes, puzzling mysteries, and Viker in hot pursuit at every turn. Along with the action, master storyteller Oppel adds depth through memorable characters. Yuri's family emigrated from Russia and faces challenges assimilating in a new country. Gabe struggles with anger toward his deceased father who left the family for another woman. Callie, who is of Indian descent, brings contagious enthusiasm for the wealth of historical facts Oppel seamlessly weaves into the narrative. Callie observes, "Ghost stories are kind of like history class, only better." The novel's satisfying conclusion leaves the door open to more ghostly adventures. VERDICT 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. A first purchase for all middle grade collections.-Marybeth Kozikowski
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