Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel had such a cool premise, and I really appreciated the depth behind the ghost lore and the ghostlight itself. The cast of characters was solid, and there were some really interesting moments throughout. That said, it felt a little long for a middle grade read, and I found myself losing interest at times.

A suspenseful and exciting middle-grade novel of ghosts, friendship, and family

Ghostlight is a suspenseful and exciting middle-grade novel about ghosts, friendship, and family. In addition to the fictional tale, the book includes some serious and highly discussable topics such as divorce, the death of a parent, immigrant experiences, and what happens after you die. This is definitely one I would have been glad to share with my boys when they were that age for the excellent story, superior storytelling, and the diverse conversations it most likely would have prompted.

The ghostly aspects of the story are unique. I enjoyed the author’s vision of how ghosts exist, hidden on the edge of regular daily life. The descriptions of the evil Viker were scary, and I could clearly visualize his appearance and the changes he underwent. His consuming the other spirits and the images of the ghosts crossing the water to get to land both gave me the willies. And I worried from the start about Rebecca draining the energy from Gabe; it seemed so realistic.

The setting was fresh (Toronto), and I enjoyed the quest the four friends conducted to find the answer to Rebecca’s terrible problem (trying to avoid spoilers there.) The kids, including Rebecca, were well-drawn, each different from the others, but a well-matched, balanced group with interesting backstories. I liked that Callie was continuously researching for clues, and Yuri was steadfast in his focus on improvising the best way to combat the evil ghosts. These kids were serious about what they were doing yet still displayed their fun, young, and modern side. (Even Rebecca is intrigued and learns to use some modern conveniences.) They were or became friends, and some of their dialogue had me laughing out loud.

“Steaming pile of yak dung! Who says such a thing?”
“Me, from now on!”

With its unique setting, characters, and ghostly afterlife to its suspenseful and exciting plot, I recommend GHOSTLIGHT to middle-grade readers who like stories that involve puzzling out a mystery or a search, ghosts, or a setting during a summer job at an amusement facility or waterside in Toronto.

Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel had such a cool premise, and I really appreciated the depth behind the ghost lore and the ghostlight itself. The cast of characters was solid, and there were some really interesting moments throughout. That said, it felt a little long for a middle grade read, and I found myself losing interest at times. I think younger readers who are really into spooky adventures might get more out of it, but it just didn’t fully hold my attention. Still, there’s a lot to admire in the world Oppel created!

This book was my third by Kenneth Oppel, and it was an absolute gem. Oppel balances creepy, mysterious, and coming of age themes beautifully and the book is endowed with so much heart and humor. I highly recommend this book for middle grade readers and adults alike.

I was surprised that this one was actually pretty spooky. The intersection of urban legend with ghost story makes for a fun and thrilling mystery. Elements of Canadian history are sprinkled throughout in a pretty natural way.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this! I used the audiobook from my library as well to share with my child while catching up on my ARCs.

My 6 year old LOVED this. It was nicely spooky and well-paced. There was a great friend group and light romance.

Thank you Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed reading this. Nothing more nostalgic than children and ghost adventures. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel was a fun and interesting ghost story about a lighthouse. Overall an interesting story with interesting characters. If you like spooky reads, you will enjoy this one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel.
I am a huge fan of Kenneth Oppel, and this book did not disappoint. Combining three unique individuals to work together to solve a fast-paced ghost mystery, this book will be an easy recommendation for middle-grade readers.

Gibraltar Point Lighthouse, located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was begun in 1808, and it is the oldest existing lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Besides being part of the Great Lakes lighthouse system which guided ships through the Lakes, in 1815 it became the site of a mysterious but true murder. In Ghostlight, Gibralter Point becomes the site of a 1839 fictional accident, which resulted in the deaths of Rebeca Strand and her father, the lightkeeper. Unbeknownst to Rebecca, her father is a member of the Order, a secret society of lighthouse keepers who communicated amongst themselves to protect the inhabitants of the harbors and coastlines from malevolent ghosts. In the event of a ghost siting, The Order would alert the keepers to mount their amber ghost lights, which were kept hidden when not in use, and use them to thwart the ghoul's attack. Fast forward 200 years and we meet three 16 year olds --- Gabe, who accidentally stirs Rebecca's ghost while working at the lighthouse as a tour guide, Yuri his tech savvy friend, and Callie, a researcher who runs a ghost blog. The plot is packed with colorful people and places from Toronto's history, and all the creepiness of an excellent ghost story. Not sure what I like best--the history, the ghost story, or the cover, but I definitely recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers for the digital ARC copy of this book.

Oppel has created a compelling mythology here, a unique set of rules for ghosts to follow. I like that we have more of what might be called hungry ghosts here. They take from the living world, all of them on the border of becoming monstrous. Details aside, it's a fairly standard quest type story - villains to fight, rules to learn, equipment to gather. A solid read.

Who isn't at least a tiny bit terrified of a lighthouse? A skeptic is proven very wrong in this wildly fun ghost story.

This was such a fabulous book - I read this one with my daughter (13yo) and we were both excited to see what was going on. Many Toronto Landmarks are mentioned and looking them up added to the fun for us. We loved about Gabe a modern boy and Rebecca a two hundred year old ghost and the friends who come together to save the living and the dead from a power hungry ghost. We highly recommend this ghost story !

There were some great things to love about this. I loved how much history and real world building Oppel put into this story. Callie, a teen girl ghost blogger, was a lot of fun. I think the complicated feelings about parents you've lost was very poignant.

That said, this one just didn't hit for me. It's marketed as middle grade, and it reads that way, but the characters were in high school so that felt a bit off. The "romance" between Gabe and the ghost was super weird and unnecessary, much like the stage adaptation of Newsies that insisted on putitng more of a romance storyline in. The pacing seemed off, and it felt just a tad too long. Overall, I'm sure there will be plenty of middle grade readers who love this one but I don't think it's right for my small store.

cw: death, death of a parent, violence, grief

DNF at 64%

The first 40% of this book was very interesting and kept my attention so well.
Following a group of kids and a ghost this was right up my alley. I just found myself slowly not caring about what happened next and I knew if I kept going I would regret my time reading. I also felt really any time the villian showed up I was rolling my eyes like "not again".

I would really recommend this to people in the proper age range for this. Kenneth Oppel did a great job with the writing and weaving in history throughout the adventures the kids found themselves in.

3 stars.

Exciting story with interesting historical tidbits and a diverse cast of characters. Gabe and his friends end up in a race against an evil ghost, and must team up with a ghost of their own to fight him off.

I loved the fun historical details about the islands in the Toronto Bay and all the glimpses into the past. The kids are so different and quirky, and each has awesome talents to share. Their dynamic is great.

The supernatural elements are very creative and make for exciting plot points. At times they turned pretty quickly without a lot of explanation, but generally the structure was put together well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

This book was exciting and thrilling and kept me engaged from page 1. I loved the main characters, Gabe, Callie, Yuri and Rebecca, who self-identified as weird but were full of spunk and special talents. They were passionate and brave and fierce friends. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good ghost story. Excellent fall read!

Thank you to the author and publisher for my gifted copy.

Wonderfully moody right from the start! Gabe, Yuri, and Callie make a fantastic team, weaving through twist after twist. Supernatural suspense done superbly!

Ghostlight is a mildly spooky middle grade novel that dragged a little too much in the middle for me to have really gotten sucked in. I loved the setting (Oppel does a great job of painting a picture of Toronto, and many of the places mentioned I ended up googling to get a really clear picture in my head). I also liked most of the characters, though Yuri was a real standout for me.

Unfortunately, the book felt too long to be a successful read for many middle schoolers. The action occasionally felt repetitive, and some of the chapters ran on too long to keep the pages turning. I also didn't love that the main characters ages being 16 in a book marketed towards middle schoolers, although this might be personal preference as a librarian. There was nothing inappropriate for middle schoolers in the book, but buying books with characters the same age group as patrons is a general rule of thumb that many librarians follow; if only because those books tend to circulate.

Overall, this was a decent read, but I don't know if I'd pick up a sequel.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Ghostlight, a spooky middle-grade novel, by Kenneth Oppel has a riveting introduction and kept me engaged till the last page.

The book starts with the story of Rebecca Strand and her father who fell to their deaths from the top of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse. Was that an accident or a murder?

Well, the truth was scary as hell.

After reading the introduction, I could not stop reading the book.

Ghostlight is full of action and ghosts. Oppel led me on an exciting journey which I enjoyed thoroughly despite being an adult. Gabe and his friends, with help from the ghost of Rebecca Strand, are on a mission to find the lost ghostlight which can defeat the wicked ghosts. Alas, getting it proves to be extremely difficult since they have to sift through two-hundred-year-old evidence and put the pieces together to solve the puzzle.

Thanks to Oppel’s vividly descriptive writing, middle-grade readers would be able to envisage everything that is going on in the book (which is a lot) easily. The book features well-fleshed-out characters. They go through grief and loss and exhibit exceptional bravery in circumstances that could have easily unnerved an adult.

“My body may be long dead, but my ambitions and wishes still burn with the same passion. That’s the curse of a ghost. To contain this explosion of need and desire, and have no way of achieving it.”

Oppel deftly expresses Rebecca’s anguish. Consequently, I couldn’t help but empathize with Rebecca. She died young right after her father introduced her to an exciting (and dangerous) job of a Keeper who protects the city from ghosts. She never got the chance to fulfill her wishes.

It’s a fast-paced story. However, I did feel that after 60% of the book, the story became less creepy and more action-packed. Overall, I loved reading Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel and would heartily recommend it to my middle-grade readers.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary digital copy via Netgalley. It doesn't affect my opinion on the book.