It comes in handy again when they later rashly agree to clear Combe Carey Hall, renowned for centuries of sudden deaths and regarded as one of England’s most haunted manors.
All are, however, resourceful and quick on their feet, which stands them in good stead when they inadvertently set fire to a house while discovering a murder victim’s desiccated corpse. The work is fraught with peril, not only because a ghost’s merest touch is generally fatal, but also, as it turns out, as none of the three is particularly good at careful planning and preparation. As its third member, she teams with glib, ambitious Anthony Lockwood and slovenly-but-capable scholar George Cubbins to entrap malign spirits for hire. Narrator Lucy Carlyle hopes to put her unusual sensitivity to supernatural sounds to good use by joining Lockwood & Co.-one of several firms that have risen to cope with the serious ghost Problem that has afflicted England in recent years. Three young ghost trappers take on deadly wraiths and solve an old murder case in the bargain to kick off Stroud’s new post-Bartimaeus series. Mary Downing Hahn fans will enjoy this just-right blend of history and spooky. All characters, including the ghost boy, assume the white default. The historical details are fascinating, and the lessons Claire learns are lightly delivered. In the process, she also learns that jealousy hinders female solidarity. And as finding the ghost’s story becomes her mission, she researches a true Chicago disaster that killed more lives than the sinking of the Titanic. As she tries to apply the scientific method to the paranormal mystery, Claire realizes as well that there’s a human story behind every historical event. When Claire can no longer keep the ghost a secret, she recruits her older brother, along with Casley and Emily, to help her discover his identity. Also scary to the middle schooler is losing Casley, her best friend and science fair partner, to Emily, the new girl in school who’s preoccupied with makeup. Currie’s visceral descriptions of the boy’s haunting-scratching behind walls, dripping water, icy air, scrawled notes, and more-exude creepy. Their worlds collide when Claire must help out her father at the last minute, and a ghost boy not only becomes an unwanted passenger on the bus, but follows her home and around the city. Seventh grader Claire loves the predictability of science while her father relishes the paranormal, running a ghost-tour business in Chicago. A ghost haunting prompts a Chicago girl to investigate her local history.
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