By Emma Carroll (author) , Kaja Kajfež (illustrator)
"The tensions of summer 1914 perfectly captured in this unsettling ghost story"
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
View All Editions (1)
The grounds of a country house in the summer months of 1914 provide the setting for Emma Carroll’s spooky novella and she uses it to explore themes of growing understanding and the awful, looming threat of war. Brought together after an accident puts him temporarily into a wheelchair requiring someone to push it, Leo and Fran form an upstairs-downstairs friendship.
Fran is unsettled by a series of strange, seemingly supernatural coincidences that seem to be warnings of things to come, while Leo is obsessed by events in Europe and what they may lead to. Their different worries merge in a deliciously spooky scene where the two young people encounter the ghosts of an Anglo-Saxon army, something they interpret as a warning of what is to come; sure enough, the story concludes with the announcement of World War I.
Despite a sense of foreboding, we know that their friendship will endure and feel certain that, whatever happens, the future will hold good things for both. Emma Carroll is one of our foremost authors of historical fiction for children and creates a tangible sense of the tension of those summer months as well as an appealing, believable set of characters.
Published by Barrington Stoke, the book is accessible to all readers, including those with dyslexia, and highly recommended.
From award-winning author Emma Carroll comes The Ghost Garden – a powerful and spine-tingling story of childhood on the brink of war. Renowned for her evocative and much-loved historical fiction, Emma's impactful Barrington Stoke debut is no exception.
Read the full description
SUMMER 1914 In the first of a series of unsettling coincidences, Fran uncovers a bone in the garden of Long Barrow House on the same afternoon that Leo breaks his leg. Leo is left wheelchair bound for the rest of the summer and Fran is roped in to keep him company, forced to listen to his foolish theories about the looming threat of war in Europe.
Suddenly the garden she has loved all her life seems to hold threatening shadows of the future, and Fran starts to fear what she and Leo might find next ...
Once told by the poet Ted Hughes her writing was 'dangerous', it took Emma Carroll twenty years of teaching English and a life-changing cancer diagnosis to feel brave enough to give her dream of being an author a try. Nowadays, she's a bestselling writer, and has been nominated for and the winner of numerous national, regional and schools awards - including the Books Are My Bag Readers' Award, Branford Boase, CILIP Carnegie Medal, Young Quills, Teach Primary and the Waterstones Book Prize.
Emma's home is in the Somerset hills with her husband and two terriers. She still can't believe her luck that she gets to write dangerous books for a living.
Hi-Lo Books - perfect for engaging struggling and reluctant readers, those with English as an additional language and those with dyslexia
Emma Carroll - our Guest Editor of the Month
The Accidental Vikings
Frankenstein: Accessible Symbolised Edition Every Cherry
Frankenstein: Accessible Easier Edition Every Cherry
Island Vet 1 – Pirates and Sea Monsters
A Bad Day for Jayden
A Most Peculiar Toy Factory
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Ghost Garden and determined it is suitable for children aged 7-8 years old
The Ghost Garden features in the following genres: Books to Motivate Reluctant Readers age 7+, Recommendations, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 7+, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 9+, Historical Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Horror & Ghost Stories, Featured Books for 7+ readers
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Ghost Garden was written by Emma Carroll and published by Barrington Stoke Ltd
The Ghost Garden has 89 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.