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Ghost Boy
What will Tyler Scott do after he finds a boy's skull and the boy's ghost asks him for help?
After Tyler Scott finds the skull, he's shocked when the ghost asks him to help find his dad, who has probably been dead for years. He and his friends Addy and David Jacobson set out on the seemingly impossible quest. They have to work hard to solve the mystery before whoever is watching them does more than just threaten.
In Ghost Boy by Jan Burns, we see these children setting out on a seemingly impossible quest to help a young ghost. Will their friendship hold up after things become dangerous?
After Tyler Scott finds the skull, he's shocked when the ghost asks him to help find his dad, who has probably been dead for years. He and his friends Addy and David Jacobson set out on the seemingly impossible quest. They have to work hard to solve the mystery before whoever is watching them does more than just threaten.
In Ghost Boy by Jan Burns, we see these children setting out on a seemingly impossible quest to help a young ghost. Will their friendship hold up after things become dangerous?
- GenresParanormal
98 pages, Paperback
Published June 28, 2022
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September 13, 2023An engrossing yet sad story about three youngsters in a tiny Texas community, once a frontier outpost. Tyler, son and grandson of local sheriffs, and his dad have resided with Tyler's grandparents since the demise of his mother. When Tyler discovers a skull and belt buckle at the old quarry, an unsolved set of cases from three decades earlier rear up, and Tyler is petitioned by the boy's ghost. Together with his friends, siblings Addy and David, Tyler determines to set the record straight and discover the answers to his grandfather's only unsolved case.
October 5, 2023
Author Jan Burns sets readers’ sights on a disturbing discovery leading to an eerie, otherworldly encounter, all perceived and explored by a brave boy and his daring companions in Ghost Boy.
Tyler Scott is having fun sliding and starting little landslides with his friend Addy and her younger brother David in an old quarry near his grandparents’ ranch in Dancing Creek, Texas – until he stumbles on two objects that seem wildly out of place – a belt buckle marked with a B, and a human skull. Since Tyler’s widower father is the sheriff of Dancing Creek, David, always impulsive, rushes to get him. The lawman arrives quickly to investigate. Tyler soon realizes he is an insider on a long-forgotten case that involved his grandfather, who had also been a local sheriff. A boy named Ben and his father John had disappeared years back, and some suspected the two of robbing the region’s silver mine. But the true story was far more complicated and never resolved, leading to his grandfather’s resignation and now, to Tyler’s determination to uncover the truth. His pals will help, while keeping their probing into the past a secret from the adults. The three begin looking for facts about Ben’s disappearance in the town’s library, only to learn later that the very papers they’d been reading disappeared from the library table shortly after they left. That is disturbing enough, but when they find a note begging for help and signed “Ben,” Tyler knows they’re onto something big. Then a mystical dimension will be added to the children’s task - the appearance of a surprisingly lifelike ghost who will join in the search for clues to their town’s ancient mystery.
Burns is an experienced writer of children’s stories, and her zeal for the genre is clearly evidenced here. With Addy joining Tyler in his determined yet dangerous search for facts, readers will see that strong gender equality can be a melding factor in any endeavor, while the younger David, with his tendency to act without thinking, provides credible humor – and occasional peril - to the situation. The children are taking upon themselves a job that the adults are reluctant to pursue, and which will involve a bit of sneaking and fibbing – but never disrespect for their elders. Burns’ plot is directed at a young reading audience who might enjoy group discussion as they navigate this ever-expanding mystery that offers intrigue and action from the first page.
Quill says: Author Jan Burns is a youth yarn spinner of high talent, amply demonstrated here with this fast-moving thriller featuring long-unsolved crimes and three daring youths with the nerve to seek the truth.
Tyler Scott is having fun sliding and starting little landslides with his friend Addy and her younger brother David in an old quarry near his grandparents’ ranch in Dancing Creek, Texas – until he stumbles on two objects that seem wildly out of place – a belt buckle marked with a B, and a human skull. Since Tyler’s widower father is the sheriff of Dancing Creek, David, always impulsive, rushes to get him. The lawman arrives quickly to investigate. Tyler soon realizes he is an insider on a long-forgotten case that involved his grandfather, who had also been a local sheriff. A boy named Ben and his father John had disappeared years back, and some suspected the two of robbing the region’s silver mine. But the true story was far more complicated and never resolved, leading to his grandfather’s resignation and now, to Tyler’s determination to uncover the truth. His pals will help, while keeping their probing into the past a secret from the adults. The three begin looking for facts about Ben’s disappearance in the town’s library, only to learn later that the very papers they’d been reading disappeared from the library table shortly after they left. That is disturbing enough, but when they find a note begging for help and signed “Ben,” Tyler knows they’re onto something big. Then a mystical dimension will be added to the children’s task - the appearance of a surprisingly lifelike ghost who will join in the search for clues to their town’s ancient mystery.
Burns is an experienced writer of children’s stories, and her zeal for the genre is clearly evidenced here. With Addy joining Tyler in his determined yet dangerous search for facts, readers will see that strong gender equality can be a melding factor in any endeavor, while the younger David, with his tendency to act without thinking, provides credible humor – and occasional peril - to the situation. The children are taking upon themselves a job that the adults are reluctant to pursue, and which will involve a bit of sneaking and fibbing – but never disrespect for their elders. Burns’ plot is directed at a young reading audience who might enjoy group discussion as they navigate this ever-expanding mystery that offers intrigue and action from the first page.
Quill says: Author Jan Burns is a youth yarn spinner of high talent, amply demonstrated here with this fast-moving thriller featuring long-unsolved crimes and three daring youths with the nerve to seek the truth.
July 11, 2022
Dancing Creek was a dusty old town, a brick and mortar relic of times long past. For Tyler, the old fashion charms it held were also home. Like any old town though, Dancing Creek also held its share of secrets, a fact Tyler learned after making a grisly discovery in the quarry behind his family’s house. By inadvertently stirring up a decades old mystery and a scandal that rocked the small community, Tyler also comes to realize that for every person who’s happy to reflect on the past, there’s another someone who will do anything to keep it buried. Can he help the town finally find closure, or will the mystery endure?
Ghost Boy by Jan Burns hits the ground running from the first paragraph and continues at a steady pace during the remainder of this short book. Painting the image of a picturesque, sleepy town that could be taken straight from the pages of a history book, Burns introduces Tyler, along with his two best friends Addy and David. After finding human remains on his family’s land, Tyler and his friends are naturally curious about who they could be and how they got there. Despite being warned against asking questions, the three decide they simply have to know. What they learn is a story dating back to the days when Tyler’s grandfather was sheriff and Dancing Creek was still an active mining town. As it turns out, the disappearance of a miner and his son has haunted Tyler’s grandfather for years, and is the only case he never solved in his role as sheriff. I enjoyed the solid foundation to this story, setting it up to be an intriguing mystery on its own, but we’re then given a compelling supernatural layer as well. This turns an intriguing mystery story into a riveting paranormal crime thriller.
While Ghost Boy follows some common genre tropes, I found the characters of the story to be well-developed and one of the main reasons I kept coming back to this book. Add to this the seemingly deep back story (or surprisingly deep for a novella anyway) and you have a story that fans of paranormal mystery novels will find hard to put down.
The plot is curious and absorbing, but I felt it was too short. The story is concise and ensures readers are consistently entertained, but I felt like this was a blueprint to a larger more compelling story that begs to be explored further. I would have loved to read more of the history of Dancing Creek and the lives of the characters from its mining days.
Ghost Boy is an absorbing supernatural crime thriller with a captivating murder mystery at its core and a cast of interesting characters that elevate this short story and makes you beg for more.
Ghost Boy by Jan Burns hits the ground running from the first paragraph and continues at a steady pace during the remainder of this short book. Painting the image of a picturesque, sleepy town that could be taken straight from the pages of a history book, Burns introduces Tyler, along with his two best friends Addy and David. After finding human remains on his family’s land, Tyler and his friends are naturally curious about who they could be and how they got there. Despite being warned against asking questions, the three decide they simply have to know. What they learn is a story dating back to the days when Tyler’s grandfather was sheriff and Dancing Creek was still an active mining town. As it turns out, the disappearance of a miner and his son has haunted Tyler’s grandfather for years, and is the only case he never solved in his role as sheriff. I enjoyed the solid foundation to this story, setting it up to be an intriguing mystery on its own, but we’re then given a compelling supernatural layer as well. This turns an intriguing mystery story into a riveting paranormal crime thriller.
While Ghost Boy follows some common genre tropes, I found the characters of the story to be well-developed and one of the main reasons I kept coming back to this book. Add to this the seemingly deep back story (or surprisingly deep for a novella anyway) and you have a story that fans of paranormal mystery novels will find hard to put down.
The plot is curious and absorbing, but I felt it was too short. The story is concise and ensures readers are consistently entertained, but I felt like this was a blueprint to a larger more compelling story that begs to be explored further. I would have loved to read more of the history of Dancing Creek and the lives of the characters from its mining days.
Ghost Boy is an absorbing supernatural crime thriller with a captivating murder mystery at its core and a cast of interesting characters that elevate this short story and makes you beg for more.
September 27, 2023
Thank you so much to Atmosphere Press and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Tyler finds a skull of a dead boy in the quarry on his grandpas land, and suddenly feels drawn to solving the entire case. He his friends Addy and David with help of the ghost of Ben, sneak around, asking questions and solving a 30 year old cold case.
This was interesting it got you into the mystery behind it as you really wanted to solve it with the characters, needing to know exactly what it was that had happened all those years ago. After being introduced to the dead boy you start to get the answers which you get slowly as you read through the story.
I liked that it was a mix of mystery and paranormal, we got a few different storylines merged into one, with the mystery of Ben and his dad, then the ghost of Ben appearing, the owner of the mines and his secrets, the brewing storm, the stalker following them. There were lots of elements that kept you reading the story, they all worked really well entwined together.
The friendships of the kids was great, it didn’t sound like many kids lived in that place much, so I liked how they’d formed a friendship. I liked the setting in the middle of nowhere, everyone knows each other and each others business, it enhanced the story as he was getting information from them all, different people knew different things from what happened.
The ending was a little anticlimactic honestly, I was really hoping for a bigger ending we just got one final answer and it was done. I also hoped we’d have gotten a bit more with the stalker storyline, that also felt a bit rushed and short when it came to fruition.
Overall I enjoyed reading this story, it was gripping and you were certainly wanting to know what had really happened all those years ago in the small town, what happened to Ben’s dad, who took the missing silver. I would recommend you read this especially if you enjoy a good mystery this would be a fun read, I enjoyed figuring it all out with Tyler a pond his friends.
Tyler finds a skull of a dead boy in the quarry on his grandpas land, and suddenly feels drawn to solving the entire case. He his friends Addy and David with help of the ghost of Ben, sneak around, asking questions and solving a 30 year old cold case.
This was interesting it got you into the mystery behind it as you really wanted to solve it with the characters, needing to know exactly what it was that had happened all those years ago. After being introduced to the dead boy you start to get the answers which you get slowly as you read through the story.
I liked that it was a mix of mystery and paranormal, we got a few different storylines merged into one, with the mystery of Ben and his dad, then the ghost of Ben appearing, the owner of the mines and his secrets, the brewing storm, the stalker following them. There were lots of elements that kept you reading the story, they all worked really well entwined together.
The friendships of the kids was great, it didn’t sound like many kids lived in that place much, so I liked how they’d formed a friendship. I liked the setting in the middle of nowhere, everyone knows each other and each others business, it enhanced the story as he was getting information from them all, different people knew different things from what happened.
The ending was a little anticlimactic honestly, I was really hoping for a bigger ending we just got one final answer and it was done. I also hoped we’d have gotten a bit more with the stalker storyline, that also felt a bit rushed and short when it came to fruition.
Overall I enjoyed reading this story, it was gripping and you were certainly wanting to know what had really happened all those years ago in the small town, what happened to Ben’s dad, who took the missing silver. I would recommend you read this especially if you enjoy a good mystery this would be a fun read, I enjoyed figuring it all out with Tyler a pond his friends.
November 25, 2023
Two stars for this junior mystery story, that offers some genre interest but ends up really quite flawed. We watch as our young narrator discovers a child's skull in the grounds of his grandparents' ranch, which opens up a can of worms with everyone aware of who the dead could be, and which proves to be a cold case still of interest to many people. Facing threat, he and his friends then encounter the ghost of the skull's previous owner, who needs help before moving on, etc etc. Add in rumours of treasure, murderous thieves and so on, and you have a lot to contend with, and on the whole the bulk of it is done poorly.
For one thing, this seems modern day and yet I could never get a handle on when the past crime was supposed to be – at one time it seems ancient and the next thirty years ago. Stylistically this seems for older children, and yet I think it would have worked a lot better if shorn of a lot of nonsense detail (just why do we need to know the number of aircon fans in the library?!) and presented as one of the hi-impact stories from dyslexia-aware publishers. The run-up to the end really could have avoided the pathetic fallacy that it indulges in – but it's the ending that knocked stars off for me, for being so blatantly rushed and far, far too open.
OK there are other questions as well, and really it is a waste of mental energy for me to remember those, and/or sit and work out the answers, for this seemed a weak and very forgettable effort. The author doesn't seem to have spent too many hours in this genre for this age range for her preparation, and it shows. It's not heinously dumb, but it doesn't work nearly like enough for me to deem it enjoyable.
For one thing, this seems modern day and yet I could never get a handle on when the past crime was supposed to be – at one time it seems ancient and the next thirty years ago. Stylistically this seems for older children, and yet I think it would have worked a lot better if shorn of a lot of nonsense detail (just why do we need to know the number of aircon fans in the library?!) and presented as one of the hi-impact stories from dyslexia-aware publishers. The run-up to the end really could have avoided the pathetic fallacy that it indulges in – but it's the ending that knocked stars off for me, for being so blatantly rushed and far, far too open.
OK there are other questions as well, and really it is a waste of mental energy for me to remember those, and/or sit and work out the answers, for this seemed a weak and very forgettable effort. The author doesn't seem to have spent too many hours in this genre for this age range for her preparation, and it shows. It's not heinously dumb, but it doesn't work nearly like enough for me to deem it enjoyable.
October 3, 2023
This is a perfect October book for kids who like stories that are eerie but not terrifying. Set in a small Texas town, the story is about kids who solve a 30-year-old missing persons case while setting the soul of the ghost boy, Ben, free. Along the way, there are plenty of things to hold your interest...a closed silver mine, threatening anonymous messages, secret panels, a hidden journal, and a monster storm.
Ben & Tyler are close to the same age, lived in the same house, and both lost their moms to cancer. As a teacher or a parent, these are great personal issues to explore. With climate change affecting all of us, even the intensity of that summer storm could lead to some wonderful discussions. As a retired teacher and a grandmother, I can't help noticing opportunities like that. I plan to give this book to my younger grandchildren, a third-grader & a fifth-grader, and I know they will love it! (It's available in paperback.)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.
Ben & Tyler are close to the same age, lived in the same house, and both lost their moms to cancer. As a teacher or a parent, these are great personal issues to explore. With climate change affecting all of us, even the intensity of that summer storm could lead to some wonderful discussions. As a retired teacher and a grandmother, I can't help noticing opportunities like that. I plan to give this book to my younger grandchildren, a third-grader & a fifth-grader, and I know they will love it! (It's available in paperback.)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.
October 20, 2023
DNF @ 8%
It’s perfectly fine! Engaging narrative voice, but skims past details in a way that’s very typical of middle grade.
Only read it because I accidentally requested it on Netgalley, but I need to focus on BFYA 2024 reading.
It’s perfectly fine! Engaging narrative voice, but skims past details in a way that’s very typical of middle grade.
Only read it because I accidentally requested it on Netgalley, but I need to focus on BFYA 2024 reading.
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