I don’t know about the rest of you but I am one of those people who can’t walk by a library book sale without cringing because I know I could possibly be bankrupt by the time I leave the building or at least down a mortgage payment or two.
Last year we hit one of those horrible ones where there are like seven thousand million books and everyone is a keeper. You know the kind.
So I grabbed this sweet little book because it was for middle grade teens and I have never really grown up, so am always re-reading my Nancy Drews and always watch for anything that will keep me happily believing I am still 14.
Imagine my surprise to discover this really was a Canadian book with Canadian terms and cities and lots of stuff that made me feel I was entrenched in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, a place most have never seen or at least can’t pronounce if they live south of our border.
This book keeps your attention from the get-go and is full of nice little twists and turns, a bit of historical fiction and some historical non-fiction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG9cdpMdow4 ) which is great. I did not know Al Capone hung out in Moose Jaw during prohibition and it was known as Little Chicago and filled with bootleggers. Did you?
There are ghosts and scary bits here and there, teachers who don’t take any guff from the kids, polite Canadian children who are clever and witty without being obnoxious and rude. It was a a joy to dig into!
I was pleased to see Arthur has lots of books available because I know I will be wanting more of his work.
Great read! 5***** Five Stars all the way! Wonderful for your pre-teen and middle teen friends and family, and of course those who are like me, young at heart. :o)
Canadian Author: Arthur Slade
Here’s his long bio from his website:
Well, it all started in a small hospital in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was July the 9th, 1967, a day that will live in infamy. I arrived a month early, and ever since I have been early for appointments.
I was raised by my parents (Anne & Robert) on a ranch in the Cypress Hills—a peculiar geographical upthrust that exists on the edge of the prairie. My parents also raised about 500 Herefords, countless gophers (Richardson’s Ground Squirrel), several dogs, 3 other sons and a variety of horses. Yes, I did learn how to ride a horse. Yep, I drove a tractor and threw bales. Yep, I hate that itchy chaff that sticks to your skin. No, I didn’t wear a cowboy hat.
As a kid, I’d spend my spare time at the library in the small town of Tompkins (Population 219) reading anything I could get my hands on (first the bottom three shelves, then as I grew I could reach the top three shelves). My favorites were the Old Norse, Greek and Celtic Myths, Ray Bradbury, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, Robert Heinlein, and lots more.
I went to high school in the metropolis of Gull Lake (Population 1500). There I started writing my first novel and was finished it by the time I graduated. None of the eight publishers I sent it to wanted it. So I wrote another. And another. Meanwhile I attended the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Then I wrote another book. And another. Did I mention that none of them have been published?
I received an English Honours degree and then disappeared into the flashy world of radio advertising copy. I had a dental plan! A regular pay cheque! Then after five years, I was officially jingled out.
I jumped ship without a paddle (read: quit my job). I sent my seventh novel, Draugr, to Orca Books who were kind enough to pick it up. They also were kind enough to contract my next two novels The Haunting of Drang Island and The Loki Wolf. Then suddenly I was writing a biography of John Diefenbaker for young adults, a frightening ode to W.O. Mitchell, called Dust, an anthropology thriller called Tribes and…well, I shouldn’t tell you any more….
Oh wait, did I mention I got married in 1997? (I was early for the ceremony). Tune in maybe my biggest dream yet will come true: getting my own dental plan!
Return of the Grudstone Ghosts
A chilling tale of ghosts and villains. As soon as Daphne sees her teacher plummet from the belfry at the top of her school, she’s plunged into a spine-tingling mystery. Soon she and her friends Nick and Peach are all that stand in the way of a truly horrible criminal.
Published by Coteau Books
Winner of the 2003 Diamond Willow Award
Also in the Canadian Chills series:
Ghost Hotel
Invasion of the IQ Snatchers
Return of the Grudstone Ghosts is available on
Amazon.ca at: http://tinyurl.com/mjvfrca
And from Amazon.com at: ht http://tinyurl.com/jw5g2l9tp://tinyurl.com/jw5g2l9
Check out Arthur’s author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Slade/e/B001H6EMG4/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Contact link: http://www.arthurslade.com http://arthurslade.com/frontpage/index.html
Natter and Review 