Bridget Vanderpuff and the Ghost Train

Bridget Vanderpuff #2

by Martin Stewart

When a ghost train is seen rattling into Belle-on-Sea, Bridget Vanderpuff must use her incredible powers of invention and detection to solve the mystery on her second spooky adventure…


Belle-on-Sea is getting ready for the Night of the Hungry Ghosts, the spookiest time of the year. Mr Vanderpuff's bake will be the centrepiece of the whole parade, but he needs a new creation and he's totally stumped. To make matters worse, salty old seadog, Captain Lufty, and his Hat Rat, Barry, have warned that something is coming to Belle-on-Sea. Something terrible…

When a ghost train is seen rattling into town, and people start to go missing – first the librarian, then the Mayor – Bridget and Tom begin tracking the train's tracks, delighted to be in the thick of another mystery.

Then the unthinkable the ghost train takes Mr Vanderpuff! Someone – or something – is out to destroy Belle-on-Sea. But they've forgotten one important detail… This is Bridget's town.

Bridget must save the missing people from their perilous prisons, rescue the parade, and come up with an idea for Mr Vanderpuff's Hungry Ghosts bake, before it's too late.

Genres: Childrens

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2023

Reviews

[Megan Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I’d place it at primary school level. The writing was quite choppy as if there were parts edited out that should’ve been left in for context, especially in the dialogue. There were some sentences that were overly descriptive for the age group the book is marketed to and did not match the lighthearted jovial tone of the book, for example “The Vast Tunnel’s darkness slithered around them. It was velvety and thick - a darkness you could grip in your fingers”.

The story itself was uplifting with a lovely message behind it. Unfortunately, the clunky dialogue and need for editing made me lower my rating. I would still recommend the book as it was an enjoyable read and kids would enjoy Bridget and Tom’s friendship and love. Pascal and Mr. Vanderpuff were also great characters that really gave a lot of warmth and heart to the story.

All in all, it’s an enjoyable little book. My rating is 3 stars but with a bit of editing and revision in some places, I will definitely put in an order for our children’s section.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting children’s book. In this book you will find a mystery, a ghost train, and lots and lots of cakes. Because cakes really do help everything. Bridget V lives in a very unusual village. She is proud of the village, and of being good at solving mysteries. So the baddies better watch out.! Bridget V (not Baxter- read the book and you will understand) is on the case. Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

[Karen Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book and we all enjoyed it but we did feel the need to eat bakery goods throughout the book. Great family reading but not so good if you are on a diet. Loved the story and so pleased that the second book came along so swiftly after the first.

[LeslecturesdeMylene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une très chouette aventure en bonne compagnie qui m'a donné le sourire et fait vivre des moments intenses !
17/20 - https://www.leslecturesdemylene.com/2...

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever been to a funfair and taken a ride on the ghost train? I am of course assuming they still have them; I am ancient, and they are something I remember from my childhood trips to the funfair. They are also something that truly was scary at the time! So, now is the time to prepare yourself for a scary read because Bridget Vanderpuff, who you may be familiar with from one of her three other adventures, is back and this time her adventure is going to include a ghost train… Bridget Vanderpuff and the Ghost Train is the fourth book in the series, featuring Bridget and her sleuthing sidekick Tom. As a book about a super-sleuthing, mystery-solving inventor you are obviously going to expect mystery, some detective work, and some inventions from its characters. But it expects things from you too. Not only should you be reading this most brilliantly imagined adventure which comes straight from the imagination of Martin Stewart, but you need to pay very close attention to all the clues in front of you in the form of the illustrations by David Habben. If you are ready, have all the gadgets you need then let’s get going.

Before we start, I have one more thing to share. Bridget may be a brilliant investigator. She may be really good at inventing but, and this is important, she is really bad, really, really bad at cooking. This is important to know and understand because tonight it is the Night of the Hungry Ghosts. That means it is the spookiest time of year. It also means that Bridget and Tom have a new mystery to solve. Belle-on-Sea is usually a lovely town. It is home to Bridget’s father’s bakery, Vanderpuff’s, the clock tower, Belle Forest, a wonderful orchard and of course it is by the sea too. But now a ghost train has come rattling into town and people are starting to go missing. It could be that Bridget and her simply abominable bakes are going to save the day, but they are going to make sure it happens before it is too late. With the hunt on for a very special book, some mysterious model trains, tunnels which thy could get lost in forever and people who are not all they seem there is a lot to take note of if this conundrum is going to come to a happy end. There are also plenty of giggles to be had along the way. Now it’s time. Come along, join Bridget and Tom, learn how to bake badly and be the best-ever sleuth.

[Milda Mt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Labai įtraukianti knyga,skaitosi lengvai,net man skaityti dukrai buvo vienas malonumas,pačiai buvo įdomu kaip viskas bus toliau,skaičiau su nekantrumu. O tie stebuklingi kepiniai,oi kaip jų noretųsi :)
P. S pirma knyga patiko labiau,bet su malonumu skaityčiau ir kitas dalis.

[Megan Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I’d place it at primary school level. The writing was quite choppy as if parts were edited out that should’ve been left in for context, especially in the dialogue. There were some sentences that were overly descriptive for the age group the book is marketed to and did not match the lighthearted jovial tone of the book, for example, “The Vast Tunnel’s darkness slithered around them. It was velvety and thick - a darkness you could grip in your fingers”.

The story itself was uplifting with a lovely message behind it. Unfortunately, the clunky dialogue and the need for editing made me lower my rating. I would still recommend the book as it was an enjoyable read and kids would enjoy Bridget and Tom’s friendship and love. Pascal and Mr Vanderpuff were also great characters that really gave a lot of warmth and heart to the story.

All in all, it’s an enjoyable little book. My rating is 3 stars but with some editing and revision in some places, I will definitely put in an order for our children’s section.