Book Review: The Grey Ghost

The Grey Ghost
by Julie Hahnke
illustrated by Marcia Christensen

In 16th century Scotland, eleven-year-old Angus was out with the sheep when his family, members of the Macnab clan, were attacked and killed by the rival Campbell clan. The Campbells are bent on destroying all the clans and controlling the Scottish Highlands, and Angus finds himself alone in the wilderness. But when help arrives in the form of a pine marten and a goshawk, who are able to communicate mentally with Angus, he decides to take matters into his own hands and do what he can to help his clan.

The Grey Ghost is a short book that's a fairly easy read, although some of the words, including a few Scottish ones, may be challenging for some readers. The language and descriptions are lovely, without slowing down the pace of the story. The beautifully-detailed pencil sketches are an integral part of the story; they provide additional information not included in the words, and in some cases help the reader to understand what's happening.

The story is moving, as the losses Angus suffers are tragic, and there are themes of loyalty and leadership. Comic relief is provided by the goshawk, Yann, and the ever-hungry pine marten, Tethera, easily my favorite character in the story.

Angus doesn't try to take on the entire Campbell clan by himself; instead he sets out to accomplish achievable goals that, while still requiring significant risk and heroism on the part of the boy, are fairly believable. Angus is quite an appealing character. As he works towards his goals, displaying both heroism and compassion for the people of the land, Angus develops maturity, depth, and leadership that he has no idea he possesses.

With its illustrations and simple, humorous, and exciting story, I think that The Grey Ghost would be an appealing book for reluctant readers, although the language may be challenging for some. A few scenes, such as a severed head and a picture of a corpse with worms coming out of an eye socket, may be too intense for sensitive readers, although those same scenes will appeal to other readers.

Book Review: The Mystery of the Fool & the Vanisher

The Mystery of the Fool & the Vanisher
by David and Ruth Ellwand

The Mystery of the Fool & the Vanisher is a fascinating and slightly creepy little story, told in the format of a journal-within-a-journal and illustrated with exquisite photographs. In the first journal, photographer David Ellwand follows a strange light through the woods to an old, dilapidated house, where he finds a locked chest. When he is able to get the chest open, he discovers that the chest contains some mysterious items, as well as what turns out to be wax phonograph recordings. The recordings tell the story of another photographer named Isaac Wilde, who in 1889 is commissioned as the official photographer on an archaelogical dig into an old hill fort believed to be inhabited by the faerie folk. What Isaac Wilde discovers at the site, and his attempts to photograph it, put him in conflict with the leader of the dig, and lead him, and Ellwand after him, into trouble.

I enjoyed The Mystery of the Fool & the Vanisher and found it an interesting, although quick, read. The photographs are beautiful, and worth going back and spending some time with after the first read. Some of them are pictures of natural settings, others are still life pictures of the "found items" and meticulously constructed out of natural objects. I studied photography as a teen, and had thoughts of being a professional photographer, so the photographs were definitely the highlight of this book for me. My favorite was a dramatic, sepia-toned photograph of the dilapidated house with clouds behind it.

Although I enjoyed the book, I'm not quite sure whether kids and teens would enjoy it or not, and who the audience may be. It may be too simplistic a story for the fiction readers, but too fictional for the non-fiction readers. I think it's most likely to find a home among kids who enjoy the "ology" books, because it has the same kind of "fiction as non-fiction" approach, although it lacks those books' interactivity. It also may appeal to visually-oriented young people and those with an artistic nature. This may be a book to put out in a library display and let kids be drawn in by the eerie cover and the beautiful photographs.