The Ghost of Graylock

by Dan Poblocki

Amazon Editors recommend this book for readers who want books with more complexity and length (with content suitable for a pre-teen audience). Does an abandoned asylum hold the key to a frightful haunting?

Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall.

It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances. Eventually, the hospital was shut down, the building abandoned and left to rot deep in the woods.

As the new kid in town, Neil Cady wants to see Graylock for himself. Especially since rumor has it that the building is haunted. He's got fresh batteries in his flashlight, a camera to document the adventure, and a new best friend watching his back.

Neil might think he's prepared for what he'll find in the dark and decrepit asylum. But he's certainly not prepared for what follows him home. . . .

Scary, suspenseful, and surprising, Dan Poblocki's latest ghost story will keep you turning pages deep into the dead of night.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Mystery, Ghosts, Paranormal, Middle Grade, Fiction

258 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Author of The Stone Child, The Nightmarys, The Ghost of Graylock, and the Mysterious Four series,The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, and The Book of Bad Things.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid if unoriginal haunted-asylum story, leaning to the ghostly rather than horror subset.
Unoriginal isn't meant as a put-down here, I mean really what could you do new with "kids investigate abandoned haunted insane asylum" that would remain within genre parameters? I'm not sure why they even keep producing new books with this plot rather than re-issuing the old ones, wouldn't that be cheaper for the publisher? But anyway, if you are a kid who likes thrillers hasn't already read a bunch of books that are similar to this you will probably enjoy it.

It was recommended to me by an 11-year-old who said it was "so creepy." She also likes Mary Downing Hahn. Let me know what else is creepy, goodreaders.

[Farnaz Farid · Rating 3 out of 5]

خب بعد از خوندن ده جلد کلیدر پشت هم به استراحت کوتاهی احتیاج داشتم و این کتاب با صدای دلنشین آرمان سلطان زاده که خب خیلی دوستش دارم بهترین انتخاب به نظر می رسید .
باید بگم بهترین سن برای خوندن این کتاب از ۱۲ تا ۱۶ ساله !
پس قطعا امتیازی که من بهش میدم نمی تونه بالا باشه .
کتاب موضوع مثلا ترسناکی باید می داشت که زیاد هم ترسناک نبود!
برای گذروندن وقت بد نبود .
اگه تینیجر هستین بخونین اگه نه خیلی چیزی رو از دست نمیدین هر چند صوتی کتاب کار خوبی دراومده .

ترجمه خوب
امتیازم ۲/۷

[Tomoe Hotaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ermmm... so this wasn't really geared towards my age group. That screws everything up because I usually have a standard expectation of quality, which I compare against a book when writing a review. This includes character development, plot progression, prose, and other such things that may detract/add to a book when done a certain way.
Of course, Middle Grade novels can also be written with a level of depth in them, so target age doesn't automatically excuse a book from failing short in these aspects.

I actually thought The Ghost of Graylock was a Young Adult horror/mystery novel, since that was how it was shelved in the (deceiving) Goodreads shelves. So I went into the novel, expecting a more mature style than the one that was used.
That meant, of course, that there was no depth to characters, the plot - although creepy in some parts - was simplistic, the mystery was passable but its conclusion seemed jarringly out of the blue as there had been no foreshadowing or any small hints that would lead us to draw such a conclusion.
If this were a Young Adult novel, I would have gone into the details of the problems I've mentioned above. I'd probably go on about the lack of significant parental/guardian supervision for these 12 and 16 year-old children, how unlikely the actions of each characters are based on their (nonexistent) motives, blah blah blah, on and on.
And if this had been a Young Adult novel, I would have given it two stars.

However, it isn't Young Adult. It's Middle Grade -- and even then, it's geared towards the more younger audiences of Middle Grade. The prose was direct and simple, cutting straight to the chase. There are no winding detours in this novel, the plot is focused entirely on the mysteries of Graylock Hall and the horror that follows them home from it. For younger audiences, I can see how this sort of fast-paced, thrilling adventure would be just fascinating.
The Ghost of Graylock also succeeds in the horror department. Middle Grade or no, it managed to creep me out. As a disclosure though, I'm just a wuss when it comes to horror movies/books/you-name-it. Plus I read this from midnight to around three in the morning. The hour of the devil and all that.

Anyway, yeah I'd recommend this for younger enthusiasts of horror and mystery novels, or someone looking for something light and straightforward.

[☠Kayla☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost, a haunted psychiatric hospital in the middle of the woods, a small town, and a many years old myster waiting to be solved. What a great way to end the spooky season.
This book is about Neil and Bree, a brother and sister who move in with there aunts while sorting family issues back at home. They've heard stories about Graylock Hall and the ghost that haunt the building from a couple new friends named Wesley and Eric. The four decide to explore the place and see if maybe they'll be lucky enough to catch a ghost on camera, but they're not ready for the events, and something else, that follows them home after there little adventure.
I really enjoyed this book, it had a really spooky and gothic feel to it that really pulled me in. Plus as I have mentioned many times before in many other reviews and will continue to mention, I love a good ghost story. I also really liked how Dan Poblocki made Neil and Bree's aunts part of the LGBTQ+ community because I don't see that often enough in spooky books especially middle grade novels, which is what this book is. Though it is a middle grade novel it didn't really read as one to me, it's sitting on a fine line between middle grade and YA which again really had me sucked in. I found it super easy to read and always making me question what was going to happen next.

[Hailey Pineda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. I got really engaded into and I recommend.

[Sara Kamjou · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان شروع کلیشه‌ای داشت: یه خواهر برادر که مدتی رو جای دیگه‌ای زندگی می‌کنن و درگیر ماجرایی می‌شن. اما در ادامه چون ضربآهنگ مناسبی داشت، خیلی روون پیش رفت و مدام دوست داشتم بدونم در ادامه چی می‌شه و ماجرا چیه.
به دو دلیل کمی تو ذوقم خورد. یکی اینکه به‌عنوان یک کتاب ترسناک رفتم سراغش و مطلقا هیچ ترس و دلهره‌ای در من ایجاد نکرد. دلیلش هم به‌‌نظرم سن نیست چون هم کتاب کودک نوجوان زیاد می‌خونم و می‌تونن احساسات عمیقی رو توی من بالا بیارن؛ و هم وقتی خودِ ده ساله‌م رو تصور می‌کنم، بازم می‌دونم نمی‌ترسید.
دوم اینکه منطقی که برای هر چیزی ارائه می‌کرد خیلی ساده و دم‌دستی بود و این باعث می‌شد نیمهٔ دوم کتاب رو کمتر دوست داشته باشم.
در کل کتاب راحت‌خوان خوبی بود و دوستش داشتم.
-------------------
یادگاری از کتاب:
به سکون نگاه کرد و به سکوت گوش سپرد.
...
انگار نمی‌توانست با حرفی که تازه از دهانش بیرون پریده بود در یک اتاق بماند.

[Mahnaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان و‌ دوست داشتم . کتاب در مورد یه خواهر و برادره که به دنبال داستانی که چندین سال بین مردم در مورد قتل چند بچه در تیمارستان متروک توسط پرستار بخش رواج داشت ، به تیمارستان می رند و داستان های عجیبی براشون اتفاق می افته.
منم به اندازه اونا اونقدر کنجکاو بودم که در عرض یک روز کامل کتاب رو به صورت صوتی با صدای « آرمان سلطان زاده » گوش دادم .

[Amene · Rating 3 out of 5]

حقش دو نیم ستاره است فیکس!
برای وقت گذرونی بد نبود!البته قابل پیش‌بینی.

[Nastaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

بنظرم اوایل کتاب یکم ضعیف بود و‌هیجان و کششی که بایدو نداشت اما کم کم بهتر میشه و‌ اواخر کتاب(حدود صد و پنجاه صفحه آخر)هیجانش زیادتر میشه و خوب‌ میشه کلا😁👌🏼. به جز اینا ایده داستان جالب بود،شخصیت پردازیش و اتفاقاتی که میوفتاد و روندش همه خوب‌ بودن😍⭐.ترجمه کتاب هم واقعاً خوب بود ، کتاب روون بود و سریع پیش میرفت پس‌اون اوایل کتاب که کم هیجان داره (یا اصلا نداره) اذیتتون نمیکنه و خیلی سریع میرسید به جاهای جذابش💃🏻.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book because I like scary books. It was very interesting, there would be a nurse that would drag kids and teenagers and drown them in a lake next to the hospital. Graylock is a hospital. I recommend this book to people who like to read scary books.

[_ Mhtb _ · Rating 5 out of 5]

میدونستم قراره خوب باشه!
هم از لحاظ داستانی هم شخصیت ها
جزو ترسناک ها عالیه!خوب تونسته ایده رو پیاده کنه
البته یه جاهایی باید به داستان بیشتر می پرداخت ولی اونقدر نیست که بهش پنج ستاره ندم

[Mahshid · Rating 5 out of 5]

بسی هیجان انگیز،اینقدر که اصلا زمین نذاشتمش تا وقتی که تموم شد

[N.a.f.a.s · Rating 3 out of 5]

اتمام
۱۳/شهریور/۰۲
دوشنبه
00:53

[Ofilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid seriously spooky ghost story. I figured out who it was prior to the big reveal, but a creepy mental hospital and vindictive ghost tale totally outweighed that. I also liked the main characters, Neil and Bree, as they seemed like real kids.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

*shudder* A little creepy (for my taste, which is strictly no ghosts and no strange apparitions), but delightfully frightening! However, I believe the characters could be fleshed out more.

[Satrina T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neil’s dad went away to California to pursue his acting career and Neil’s mom is having a hard time with this decision, so Neil and his sister Bree move to Hedston to spend the summer with Anna and Claire, their aunts. Neil and his new friend, Wesley decide to visit the local abandoned asylum where the legend says the ghost of a killer nurse haunts the place.

Favorite character: I liked Neil and Bree for the kind of relationship they have. I also would have liked to see more of Wesley, I liked him.

Favorite part: The last third of the book was good. I also enjoyed the chapters set in the old asylum. Some time ago I followed a few accounts about abandoned places and the photos were haunting and beautiful and sad and this book reminded me of those images.

Least favorite part: I had a bit of a hard time with the beginning of this book, but I’m guessing it had more to do with a busy schedule and tiredness than with the book itself. I also felt that in the beginning we were introduced to several characters who, as the book progressed, were left aside.

[Fateme H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

از این انتخابای ناگهانی بود، همین‌طوری نگاهم بهش افتاد و گفتم چرا نخونمش؟
انتظار داشتم دست‌کم یه ذره ترسناک باشه، نبود.
مجرم داستان به نظرم از همون اول‌ قابل‌تشخیص بود.
در کل برای وقت‌گذرونی بد نبود، در همین حد.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) In the aftermath of their parents’ separation, Neil and his older sister Bree go to stay with their aunts in a small town in the middle of nowhere. There’s not much to do there — not much, that is, except breaking into Graylock, the abandoned mental hospital in the woods. Along with two new friends, Neil and Bree explore the old asylum, and soon afterward find that a spectral presence has followed them home…

The Ghost of Graylock is a ghost story for middle-grade readers, and it’s also a mystery, because Neil and Bree have to figure out who is haunting them and why. Roughly the first two-thirds of the book are relatively slow, building up the spooky atmosphere without giving the reader many clues to chew on, but it genuinely is spooky and it works anyway. When the clues do start coming, they’re bombshells; I think I gasped when I read one of them!

Again, this is a middle-grade book, and so the writing style “reads young” in a way that’s hard to describe. However, Dan Poblocki does add some depth to the novel that adult readers will appreciate, particularly Neil’s feeling of kinship with Graylock’s former patients (the kids’ mother is dealing with what appears to be depression, and Neil worries that he too has a “shadow” that could come to rule him) and Bree’s reflection that most ghost stories are sad. She’s right, of course, since almost all ghost stories start with a tragic death, and this one is no exception. So, there’s some meat here for the adult reader to chew on, in addition to the spookiness. And for a 9- or 10-year-old reader, this will be a great read in every way.

And now I get to the aspect of The Ghost of Graylock that most impressed me. It may seem like an odd thing to zero in on, but it worked so well that I just have to. I’ll call it… Chekhov’s Building. Or maybe… architectural foreshadowing. Neil and Bree, as mentioned above, explore Graylock early in the book. Then, the climactic scene also takes place in the asylum. Every single quirk of the building that is relevant to the climax is set up during that first exploration. If there’s a second way in or out of a room, we’ve seen it. If there’s a structural weakness that comes into play, it was already implied to be there. Thus, whenever some aspect of the building helps either the kids or the villain, we’re not thinking “Well, isn’t that convenient,” we’re thinking “Of course!” It works extremely well.

The Ghost of Graylock will be highly enjoyable for the target audience. Older readers may prefer a more complex prose style, but to those readers it will still offer good chills and some depth. I enjoyed it.

www.fantasyliterature.com

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that scary.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly creepy story - at least at first. I think the targeted audience would appreciate this. Not being the targeted audience I had some reservations about it. One of the biggest is the kids not listening to adults but then again, if they did, there wouldn't be a story to tell. But, overall I enjoyed this book.

[Celestria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't actually like stories about real ghosts, usually I avoid them, but this book was gifted to me for my birthday, so I felt obligated to read it. It wasn't as creepy as I was expecting (thankfully lol) and it wasn't hard to guess who the killer was.

[Moj · Rating 1 out of 5]

بدترین کتابی بود که در تمام عمرم خوندم! اصلاً نتونستم باهاش ارتباط بگیرم و به نظرم بهترین سن برای مطالعه این کتاب ۱۲ تا ۱۶ سال هست.

[Audrey Slaughter-Biello · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up
It was a good book, not exactly what I was expecting and slow to start, but it was interesting all the same

[Haniyh Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

قلم دن پابلوکی واقعا زیبا و تسخیرکننده‌اس که فکر میکنم داستان رو برای هر سنی جذاب می‌کنه!
فکر میکنم جدا اگر یه نفر بخواد خوندن این ژانر کتابا رو شروع کنه انتخاب اولش باید این نویسنده باشه.
همیشه غیرقابل پیش بینی ترین اتفاقات توی داستان‌هاش اتفاق میوفتن و همیشه سرنخ‌ها به زیباترین روش ممکن بهم وصل می‌شن:)

[Lilith.on.adventure · Rating 2 out of 5]

actually 2.5 🌟
خب خب اول از همه بگم این داستان رو باید تو سن ۱۴ تا ۱۷ بخونی تا بهت بچسبه و الا مثل من نمی‌تونی ازش لذتی که باید رو ببری😂
در واقع تنها دلیلی که امتیاز کم از من گرفت همین بود
داستان عنصر وحشت و رمزالودی خودش رو داشت ولی نه زیاد و اونطور که به درد سن من بخوره بیشتر این کتاب رو به نوجوونایی پیشنهاد میدم که از ژانر وحشت خوششون میاد
ولی اینم بدونین که کلا وحشتش از ۱۰۰ میشه گفت ۵۰ هست
خلاصه که اره
(جدیدنا نوشتن نقد برام سخت شده نمیدونم چرااا😩)

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on Books Take You Places.

I was lucky enough to be gifted this book by my very dear friend Brittany for our All Hallow’s Read book swap and I know she struggled in finding me a novel with the proper amount of horror. I have a very high threshold, you see, and she wanted to make sure that I was properly scared! I am happy to say that this book was just right for me, it has just the right amount of thrill that kept me glued to its pages.

The characters in The Ghost of Graylock were fun and relatable. Neil and Bree are the new kids in town, and their curiosity shows through their many adventures. What I liked about Wesley and his brother is that they weren’t those stock “weird” kids in town. In fact, Wesley’s older brother is kind of a “cool” kid who has some typical teenage male snarky behaviors, which I think made him more real! Parents were missing from this one, but Neil and Bree’s aunts are their and take care of them well enough, I would have liked to see more from them.

One of the best things about The Ghost of Graylock was the way in which Dan Poblocki compliments the story with very vivid imagery. I found myself to be so engrossed while reading The Ghost of Graylock that though the book was not overly scary or horrific, I still jumped out of my skin a few times. The author provides the reader with such detail that I found myself hearing the drip of lake water falling from a ghostly girl. I felt terror as the characters ran and hid for their lives in the walls of the old asylum. The end of The Ghost of Graylock was incredibly twisty and though I suspected some aspects, I did not fully see it coming. I love it when that happens! I definitely had a look of surprise upon figuring out just who the real bad guy was and what terrible things crimes they had committed.

One of my sincerest wishes is that Dan Poblocki forays into adult horror, because he completely has the ability to scare even the most fearless reader. I have a very high tolerance for the scares, and this one felt a little bit juvenile to be classified as a proper horror novel. However it was still wildly entertaining and just the right amount of creepy, and comes highly recommended if you are looking for something to have you looking over your shoulder from time to time.

[Barton W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Graylock was a hospital meant for healing ... but it wasn't. A nurse would drag kids and teenagers at night and drown them in the lake next to the hospital. Soon after the hospital was shut down, and it was never to reopen. Now the ghost of the nurse still lurks in teh hallways waiting for her next kill. Or so the myth says.
As the new kid in town, Neil, wants to find out for himself if the myth is true, but soon after strange events haunt him giving him more than what he bargained for...

I personally think this book is and incredible story. It kept me turning the pages until the very end. I would recommend this book to people who don't scare easily and like mysteries bcause if you get scared easily you might end up sleeping with the lights on. The title tells the start of the story and it does not give away anything. The way the story ends is a perfect ending for an almost perfect story. I also felt as if the characters were as if it was their destiny to do what they did, so the way the characters are displayed is very excitng through out the book.

[Sahar · Rating 5 out of 5]

خیلی کیف کردم تابستون منو ساخت
اصلافکر نمیکردم اینقدر خوب باشه همینطوری برای وقت گذرونی از اکانت یکی از دوستام از طاقچه خوندمش ولی واقعا عالی بود
داستان یه تیمارستان توی یه شهر کوچیک که نیل و خواهرش بری رفتن اونجا تا با خاله هاشون یه مدت بمونن که حال مامانشون بهتر شه
با دو تا پسر محلی دوس میشن و میرن تو تیمارستان و روح ربکا میاد سراغشون اول فک میکنن قاتلش پرستار جنت بوده و بعد میفهمن یارو سیاهپوسته (من اینجوری فکر کردم) نا پدریه ربکا بوده و کار خودش بوده بعدم یارو میافته دنبال این دوتا . هم ترسناک بود هم مهیج. خیلی خوش گذشت 🥰😍پنج ستاره نوش جونش

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was so good. it has a very suprising ending!!

[Kerry Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the last 50% in one sitting, just couldn't put it down.