Ghost Knight

Title: Ghost Knight

Bibliographic information:

Author: Cornelia Funke

Translator: Oliver Latsch

Illustrator: Andrea Offerman

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (May 1, 2012)
• Publication Date: May 1, 2012
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English

Reader's Annotation:

Jon has been sent off to boarding school - in Salisbury of all places! To make things more interesting - the place is haunted.   Can he, and his new friend Ella help raise the Ghost Knight and defeat the evil ghosts?

Interest Level: Ages 8-13

Lexile level: 760

Awards, if applicable: Not Applicable

Plot summary: Jon Whitcroft has been sent off to school.  Upset at being, in his mind, “Homeless.  Mother-, dog- and sister-less,” he blames everyone for his isolation.  It just gets more complicated when he is visited by a murderous ghost, who is seeking revenge  Jon, and his new friend Ella, must figure out a way to raise the Ghost Knight and send the evil ghost to his eternal reward.  But can they trust their new ghostly ally?

Critical review:  Cornelia Funke’s use of tone is superb in this book.  She has established a world where grim and ominous deeds might be occurring at any given time.  But the reader is never too overwhelmed by the overarching plot of the story.  Because just when things are getting a bit too grim, she will add moments of levity.  These series of incidents reveal her character’s motivations, allowing the reader to observe their increasing maturity.

Why include it?

I wanted to include some international authors into my collection, and this striking book is a wonderful piece of fantasy, with well rendered and sympathetic characters, a compelling world and excellent use of atmosphere.