Mountwood School For Ghosts

Too ghoul for school

Release Date: OUT NOW!

253 pages | £ 9.99 ( hardback)/£ 8.05 ( ebook) Author: Toby Ibbotson Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

Long before letters

swarmed down Harry Potter’s chimney, Eva Ibbotson was writing tales of ghosts, mistreated orphans and supernatural schools. Toby Ibbotson’s debut, based on one of his late mother’s ideas, has a great deal in common with her work.

After a lost ghost ends up in his house, Daniel and his friend Charlotte discover Mountwood School, and end up calling on its pupils for help when their street in a north- eastern town is threatened with redevelopment by a crooked local politician.

The blend of very traditional storytelling with some modern themes mean this should be a favourite with both boys and girls for some years to come – and there’s just the right amount of gore. Miriam McDonald