Ghost Boy

by Felicity Pulman

Froggy dreams of drowning. Just as his nightmare is coming true, he is saved by a Ghost Boy, Tad. But is Tad telling him the truth, and why can Froggy now see back to the past - to 1881, when Sydney was gripped by a smallpox outbreak and the Quarantine Station was full of the stench of death?

With Cassie's help, Tad and Froggy realise they must trust each other in order to find what has been lost for more than one hundred years... and allow both boys to be set free.

Genres: Paranormal

225 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

I grew up (a long time ago!) in a small bush town in Africa. No TV, iPods, computer games and surfing the internet – you could say I had a very deprived childhood! Not so. Instead, for entertainment I learned to read. Books became my windows to the world: they told me about dragons and fairies and magic. They told me about other countries and other cultures. They told me about myself. And I have never stopped reading, because I love stories.

I guess I always did things back to front – the hard way! In Africa, when I ran out of books to read, I wrote my own. I love writing stories, but I never thought about it as a grownup occupation. As a grownup, I had to go back to school to find out that I really was a writer. After doing the HSC at the age of 40, I went on to do a BA (Communications) degree at UTS. My major was creative writing, and suddenly I found myself experimenting with all sorts of genres and, in particular, writing the sorts of stories that I love to read – crime and timeslip fantasy back into the past.

Reviews

[Jasmine S]

The book ghost boy is sensible For a teenage audience this is a horror novel not to be read to 3-7 year olds
The main character is Froggy ,Tad in the book Tad is they to warn him about his fate.But can Froggy really trust Tad.
Froggy has a big fear of water.in middle Tad and Froggy go to

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book at the Q Station Hotel and thought it would be a fun read during my stay. However, the only thing that was fun about this book was reading about Quarantine Station and the surroundings I had just discovered myself.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a massive hit with my year 5 and 6 students! They are super lucky to be able to go on an excursion to the quarantine station in Manly (we live a bit over an hour away) and have adored the story!

[Katerina Babajanov]

Great book

[Sofia Walia · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% will be my favourite book forever of all time

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A recent visit to the Quarantine Station prompted me to read this book. It's a young adult book set in 2 time periods - during a 19th century smallpox outbreak in Sydney, as well as the present. It is also a coming of age story about a boy becoming comfortable with himself and his situation. I enjoyed the way the 2 time period stories were intertwined.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best and most exciting kids books I've read - it's set around the Quarantine Station on the northern beaches and although it was written 25 years ago is remarkably relevant to what's happening with the pandemic today.