The Ghost House

Description

By the award-winning author of The Ghosts on the Hill comes a tale of resilience and recovery, set in the Christchurch Red Zone. For readers 8–13 years.

Reviews

Sonya Wilson, author of Spark Hunter – ‘A gentle, poignant story about the things we hold on to when disaster strikes, and the things we leave behind.’
Zac McCallum, My Best Friends Are Books blog – ‘Mystery, ghosts, memories and hope … the perfect read-aloud that will have the whole class enthralled.’

Alex Eagle, Kete Books – ‘Nagelkerke says ghost stories are “a wonderful and meaningful metaphor for writing/righting the past in a contemporary context,” and indeed, he uses this concept to full advantage in The Ghost House. It is in his home town of Christchurch and takes place a decade after the devastating earthquakes shook the city. 

‘Several of my young reviewers admitted to knowing very little about the South Island earthquakes. As a result, many questions were asked, internet sites searched and information shared. As well as the impact of natural disasters, The Ghost House touches lightly on other deep topics. A number of these resulted in some great conversation starters amongst my reading group; a recommendation to teachers or parents of 8-13 year olds looking for a book to encourage discussion. The black and white sketches by illustrator Theo Macdonald, scattered throughout the book, also add to the experience and the comments.’

About the Kiwi author

A former children’s librarian, Bill Nagelkerke has written short stories, poems, plays and books for all ages, as well as translating other people’s books from Dutch into English. He has won the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award, and The Ghosts on the Hill (2020) was a Storylines Notable Book and joint winner of the 2021 Storylines What Now Kids’ Pick Award.