Ghost Hunter's Daughter

by Dan Poblocki

Overview

A spooky stand-alone middle-grade novel from Dan Poblocki, perfect for fans of John Bellairs and Mary Downing Hahn.

"They say if you see him, it's already too late."Claire doesn't believe in ghosts, even though her dad is a ghost hunter on TV. But then her dad disappears. And a strange boy in her class, Lucas, knows something about ghosts. One of them has a message for her: Her dad has been taken, and he's in grave danger.Together, Claire and Lucas set out for the town of Hush Falls, where her dad was last seen. Legend says that a tall man in a dark tattered coat lurks near the local reservoir, and anyone who gets too close to old Lemuel Hush is never heard from again.Claire and Lucas are determined to rescue her father. But how can they save him from the ghost of Hush when everyone knows that seeing the ghost means that you're destined to die...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545830058
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	964,791
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dan Poblocki is the author of The Stone Child, The Nightmarys, The Ghost of Graylock, The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, The Book of Bad Things, and the Mysterious Four series. He lives in New York with two adorable cats and more books than he has room for. Visit him at danpoblocki.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Book of Bad Things:"Ghostly...grotesque...eerie." — Booklist"Poblocki's return, full of mystery, monsters and ghosts, is sure to satisfy his fans. Old-school, John Saul-style horror." — Kirkus Reviews Praise for The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe:A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selectionA Junior Library Guild selection"The social dramas mesh well with the supernatural elements...Poblocki creates a real sense of suspense." — Booklist"Poblocki creates danger by not pulling punches. An atmospheric, creepy ghost story best read at night." — Kirkus ReviewsPraise for The Ghost of Graylock:A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selectionA Junior Library Guild selection"Poblocki is in his element with eerie happenings and atmospheric settings. Short chapters with cliff-hanger endings and several twists and turns in the plot will ensure that the pages turn quickly. Give this book to Mary Downing Hahn fans and others who enjoy spine-tingling mysteries." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2020

Gr 5 Up—While Lucas and Claire are both new transplants to their school, Lucas's awkward glances and comments toward Claire make her nervous. Her dad is a ghost hunter on television, and Lucas's grandmother has powers to speak to the dead that Lucas might have inherited. When he's visited by Claire's deceased mother, they team up to travel to Hush Falls Holler, the last place Claire's dad was seen before his mysterious disappearance during a ghost-hunting trip. Chilling ghost stories are Poblocki's topic of choice and for good reason: His skilled organization of plot points and creepy characters in haunted settings captivates even the youngest readers. The story itself is an accessible mystery, providing complexity through red herrings that move the plot at a breakneck pace to heighten its dark mood. This is juxtaposed with the uplifting connection that emerges between Claire, Lucas, and Dolly, a Hush Falls native. Dolly's singular focus on saving the town and Claire's dad effortlessly solidifies their friendship and provides a foundation to root for a positive outcome. VERDICT An easy sell as a ghost story or mystery read for middle graders, with extra creepy cover art as a bonus.—Alicia Abdul, Albany H.S., NY

School Library Journal

2020-04-08
When a famous ghost hunter vanishes on the job, his daughter and her spirit-sensitive classmate brave a vengeful curse to bring him home.

Everyone in Archer’s Mills knows Claire Holiday, and all her classmates want to be her friend—but not on her account. Her father, Miles Holiday, hunts down and banishes ghosts on the popular TV show Invisible Intelligence. Unlike Claire, no one wants to be friends with Lucas Kent, who moved to Archer’s Mills two years ago to live with his paternal grandmother, who talks to ghosts and firmly disapproves of Miles Holiday’s methods. Forces from beyond the veil bring Lucas and Claire together when Lucas receives a desperate visitation from Claire’s dead mother, who warns him that her father is in grave danger. This fast-paced supernatural mystery switches between Lucas’ and Claire’s perspectives, so readers see both characters struggle with their own insecurities, discover potential in themselves, and grow by working together. The story is set after an unidentified natural disaster that devastated the East Coast, and cellphones no longer receive reception. All of the primary characters are presumed white, and the background characters fall into a white default. Poblocki deftly sustains tension until the resolution. Not all of the characters receive a happy ending, but the conclusion is satisfying and ties up loose ends all the same.

Suspenseful and spine-shivering. (Paranormal mystery. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews