It's only a few more days before the spooky season sets in, but I'm already gearing up for the fun. Today's read should set the stage for ghosts and more. I'm expecting some mystery but also some heart, since it should touch upon forming friendships, too. So, I'm suspecting that today's read isn't necessarily chilling or creep, but rather, gently opens the door to the realm of ghosts and mystery.
So, let's dive in and see what this ghost is up to!
THE SPIRIT OF
LOUGHMOE ABBEY
by Megan Wynne
Our Street Books
Middle Grade Paranormal
192 pages
ages 8 to 12
COMING...
OCTOBER 1st!!!
Troubled Gwen doesn’t fit in at boarding school, but everything changes when she encounters a mysterious ghost who reveals a family secret.
'I live on the other side.'
Gwen swallowed. 'Of what?'
'Of life.' The spirit girl’s eyes shone with silver tears.
What if the dead could help the living?
Home schooled all her life, Gwen is packed off to boarding school when her mother goes into hospital. Gwen believes the key to making her mother better is to be a success at school. Trouble is Gwen doesn’t fit in. She is bottom of the class, useless at games, and doesn’t get along with her classmates, but in 1980s Ireland, nobody has heard of neurodivergence - especially in girls! Gwen wishes she could make friends but doesn’t know what a ‘real’ friend is. To make matters worse she is haunted by a mysterious spirit who wants to help Gwen and her mother.
Can Gwen trust the spirit? And can the two of them make Gwen’s mum better? An extraordinary ghost story about a family mystery and finding ‘real’ friendship.
MY TIDBITS
Not all ghost stories are only about spooks and scares, and this one embraces its paranormal with heart.
Gwen has been homeschooled her entire life, but things have changed. Her mother has grown more and more unstable mentally and needs help. To offer some room, her father insists on sending her to boarding school but promises to bring her back home in several months if she doesn't like it and her mother is doing better. Unhappy, Gwen heads off to school and has more than a little trouble adjusting. Nothing goes right, and it only grows worse when she meets a ghost. But it might be the best thing that ever happened to her.
I picked this one up expecting a ghost story, which it is, obviously, but not as much as I thought it'd be. Instead, it's also so much more.
The plot centers around Gwen, who is neurodivergent in a time where that wasn't recognized yet. This creates all sorts of problems as she's tossed, for the first time, into boarding school, where she has to deal with other people on a day-to-day basis. Even share a room. The first 25% of the book lets the reader get to know her, her situation, and her struggles as well as understand the dynamics she has with her mother. And it's these relationships with her mother and others, which truly sit at the foundation of this read. Readers get a good understanding of the school life as well, as she spends quite a bit of time, at first, dealing with the other students and the teachers. So, there's quite a bit of depth and character arc with the ghost offering a layer of haunting excitement, and a lead toward hope and guidance in an original way.
There's a lot of care put into this read, but pacing and tension aren't forgotten. As the tale moves along, Gwen lands in one problem after the other and struggles to understand what's going on. The interaction with the other students offers uncertainty, especially with a bully or two, and the ghost slides in an exciting dose of mystery and tension later on. This will keep readers, especially those who enjoy a little middle school drama and boarding school difficulties, wondering how Gwen will steer everything.
On the message end, there's a lot of food for thought. Gwen has to learn about her own special way of handling things and how that melds with society...which is a harsh lesson after being so extremely sheltered. This also made her a little difficult to connect with, since she was very defensive and difficult for awhile. Then, there's the issues surrounding a parent, who's dealing with mental health issues, and this was handled very nicely. The problems with forming in friendships and letting down the walls to allow others in rounded off the goodness in a lovely way.
And here she is...
Living in Dublin, Ireland, Megan Wynne is a writer and fully qualified teacher. Megan gives workshops in journaling to support mental well being. She also teaches creative writing to children, teenagers and adults. In 2022/23 Megan was an awardee on the Evolution Programme for emerging writers with the Irish Writers Centre. In 2022 and 2024 she received an Agility Award from the Irish Arts Council. She has received five literature bursaries from her local County Council Arts Office. Megan is a member of Poetry Ireland’s Writers in Schools Scheme. She teaches workshops at literary festivals, in libraries and schools. www.meganwynne.com
2 comments:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review and taking the time to read The Spirit of Loughmoe Abbey. I am so glad you enjoyed my book!
This story has a definite contemporary theme as well as a ghost story. It sounds really good. Thanks for sharing it this week.
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