‘You’re not getting away that easily.’
Angeline fixed her sights on the faint red glow of the ghost that had appeared on the screen of her Tracker. She and Edgar had been following this particular spectral pest for days, and once again it was almost in her grasp.
She stepped carefully and quickly over the damp forest floor, which was twisted with roots and choked with the musty decay of leaves. Swirls of mist caught in her torchlight, creeping from between the trees and circling her ankles like snakes.
She knew she shouldn’t be her on her own. …
… But she tonight she’d had little time to act, so act she did.
Angeline Usher and her brother Edgar are ghost catchers. They are the youngest ghost catchers in the Ghost Club and very excited to be visiting Transylvania for the annual Ghost Club Convention. Dylan is a more reluctant ghost catcher, but despite this, he has a good eye for details. As a trio, they make an effective team. The highlight for the Convention is a talk by famous (and gorgeous) Ripley Granger. The entire Usher family are besotted by him. Angeline can quote from all his books. But when in Transylvania, surrounded by so many ghosts and stories, even a Convention of Ghost Club ghost catchers can be taken by surprise.
Ghost Club: A Transylvanian Tale is the third offering in this series. The adults stay close by but are still in the background. There’s their ghost catching parents, their inventing grandmother, ghostly grandfather, a poet called Gloom and the agoraphobic and knowledgeable Endora. The three young ghost catchers are able to do their ‘catching’ because of the combination of their skills. Each brings something unique to the team. Abela suggests that ghosts are souls who have unfinished business in this world. Therefore the job of the ghost catcher is to locate the ghost, determine what troubles them and then fix it so they can rest in peace. Dylan’s behaviour gives voice to those who might experience fear and demonstrates that despite it, it’s possible to act when action is required. Recommended for mid-primary readers.
Ghost Club: A Transylvanian Tale , Deborah Abela Random House Australia 2013 ISBN: 9781742758534
review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
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