Bella Bright and the Ghost Game

by Carolyn Ward

Eleven-year-old Bella Bright has just moved into Darkling House in Castleton. On her first day at her new school, she is spotted by a pair of manipulative mean girls, Skylar and Regan. They push her into inviting them to a Halloween sleepover. Another much friendlier girl, Lex, comes to Bella's rescue and offers to join the sleepover to support Bella, who is delighted to be making a real friend.

On Halloween night, things start getting spooky for the four girls, when the huge front door appears to shut itself, and their mobile phones lose signal. They decide to order pizza using the landline, but a hair-raising whisper comes down the line.

Skylar suggests they play hide and seek, but as she utters the words, the house appears to wobble and they discover all the exits are impossibly locked. Bella searches the manor and a ghostly teenage girl appears in front of her. She reveals herself to be Alice, a young girl who died in the house 150 years ago during a game of hide and seek gone terribly wrong. She has hidden Bella's three friends, and gives Bella a rhyming clue to find them in the enormous and cavernous house.

Bella has until midnight. After that, Alice will get to keep the girls as her playmates for ever...

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

Children's author/Viking/Ma.
Follow @Viking_Ma on Twitter for updates.
Debut Middle Grade novel Bella Bright and the Ghost Game is out August 31st - pre-order now.
linktr.ee/carolynward

Reviews

[Abbybear • MysticMoonFox • · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bella Bright and the Ghost Game was such a cool and spooky book! I loved how Bella is super brave and never gives up, even when things get really creepy. The ghost game, a kind of hide and seek, was exciting and I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to know what would happen next. The mystery kept me guessing and some parts actually gave me goosebumps! The characters were fun and I felt like I was right there with them. The way the story was written made it feel real, like I was part of the adventure.

What made it extra fun for me was that I discovered a mistake in one of the book's illustrations, and my dad and I looked it up—it really was a drawing mistake! I won’t say more; you’ll have to find it yourself.
If you love ghost stories with a bit of mystery, this book is perfect for you. I give it five stars because it was awesome!

[Shelly Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading a book when I've also had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing the author. To have that experience of being a part of their writing world is a gift that keeps giving.

BELLA BRIGHT AND THE GHOST GAME was a spooky treat. It was deliously descriptive and the addition of lovely illustrations drew me further into Bella's world. I also must say, the creep factor was there in all its glory; I might have even shivered several times!

I was on board with Bella from the first page. I related to many aspects of her character and was very invested in her finding her happy ending. Everyone needs a friend like Lex and I loved how a ghostly experience brought in an unexpected found family.

A very exciting plot that will make you laugh, sit up straighter, give a shiver and maybe even shed a tear. A straight up 5 star halloween read!

Thank you, Carolyn. Loved it.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book, in exchange for an honest review.

As this is a middle grade, I am reviewing as my middle grade self would. I know as a younger person, going to primary school, I would have loved this. I loved ghost stories, and monsters. I give this 4.5/5 out of five stars. As a child and an adult I loved the characters. The girls were great fun, I was concerned two of them would be bullies, but they weren’t and they develop well in the story. As a adult the mum is questionable lol! But as with everything, if adults were around half the fun would not happen!
This is a fun spooky story for children to enjoy any time of the year, but especially in October. I has a great fun eerie feeling, and the illustrations are fab. I’m sure any adult reading this with their children would really enjoy it to.

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was AMAZING!! Some really creepy moments that had me jumping. I loved the way the friendships bloomed and thought it was a perfect ending!

[Yvonne Banham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction for MG readers to haunted house fiction. Great level of scare and the developing friendships were really well portrayed. Hoping for more adventures with Bella Bright

[Lis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This action-packed and spooky MG horror had me hooked from page one. Ward's funny, punny storytelling, with quirky but relatable characters (I definitely recognised a few of the girls I went to school with!) took in the difficulties of a peripatetic childhood, the additional struggles of secondary-school friendship, and the phantasmic perils of occupying period property. The plot unspools in a pacy fashion, with suspense, along with a sense of the uncanny, building via mini-climaxes to a satisfyingly explosive conclusion. This will keep 8-11's gripped from cover to cover.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a good time reading it. It gave a spooky vibe but not too much that I can’t read at night

[Alex Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and spooky read with a mystery at its heart. I loved the main character of Bella and sympathised with her from the beginning. Stuck with being the new girl at school every time her mum renovates a house and then moves to the next project doesn't make her life easy. But when she moves into Darkling Manor and hosts a Halloween sleepover with three girls from school a ghostly game of hide and seek begins. The girls can't afford to lose or they'll be trapped in the haunted house forever and some of the games are seriously creepy. But this is middle grade and so although some of the scares are genuinely scary, it's balanced really well with the developing friendships and a happy ending for all.

[T.M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly fun and spooky story, exploring the importance of friendship in a deliciously creepy haunted house. The characters were vivid and relatable … even the ghostly ones!
My reading-adverse daughter is seriously invested in the story - the author perfectly balances the scary bits with humorous moments. Fantastic read.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun and spooky story full of twists, turns and deliciously dark imagery, pitched perfectly for Middle Grade readers (and older ones too!). Hide and Seek will never seem quite the same again after reading Bella Bright and the Ghost Game! Can't wait to read more from Carolyn Ward.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy scary, spooky stories and I really enjoyed reading this book! Bella is the same age as me, which made it easy to like her and she is a kind person, which made me like her lots too. She really wants to settle down and stay in one place but her mum moves around a lot, because she buys houses and renovates them and then sells them, and Bella enjoys helping her. Although this time, she definitely bought the wrong house!
Two horrible girls at Bella’s new school, invite themselves to a sleepover and Bella doesn’t know how to say no to them. (Although by the end Skylar and Regan are not as mean as they first appear.) Bella’s new friend Lex agrees to come too, but things go badly wrong. What Bella doesn’t know is that there is a ghost in the house, of a girl called Alice, who died 150 years ago and she wants to trap them in the house forever so they can play with her! There are lots of creepy and scary parts to the story and it keeps your heart racing, hoping that Bella will be able to solve the clues and rescue the girls before time runs out. It’s definitely a page turner and I read it really quickly because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I also really loved the illustrations throughout the book. If you’re a fan of Aveline Jones then you’ll really love this too! (Be warned - there are spiders!!!)

[Gwenhwyfar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun middle grade horror. I was really impressed by this book, however, it did need some more editing. Two of the characters' roles in the action had obviously been swapped at some point as there were a couple of instances of the wrong name being used and the wrong character being included in the illustrations, which I could see being a little confusing to a younger audience. This was such a shame because otherwise, it was a really solid little book with some genuinely spooky moments, including some insect and arachnid scenes that made my skin crawl. It is probably also worth noting if you are thinking of giving this book to a young person, that the bullying element that was raised at the beginning of the book wasn't really addressed but this is the first book in a series, so I am hoping that it might be resolved in the next book. Despite those few issues, I think this is definitely one of the stronger middle grade horror books that I have read.

[Angela Kecojevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It's completely my kind of read - dark and scary! It jumps onto my bookshelf as a favourite MG horror read. Bella is a great character. I loved her need to fit in and the friendships she builds ( even when they aren't always straightforward). The setting was deliciously spooky and the 'critters' along the way had me hiding behind a pillow! The illustrations beautifully complimented the author's writing. I can't wait to grab hold of the sequel. A fabulous read and highly recommended!!

[Nova]

This was a fun little middle grade spooky read, perfect for the younger kids at Halloween time, gives scary instances but without the real danger.

I didn’t like how the book started with the scary stuff from page 2 there is zero build up to anything also what parent lets their 11 year old stay in the towns dilapidated house with zero parental supervision, after knowing the new tenants 3 days? The girls were just mean to Bella and there was zero bonding but overall the story and the plot was fun and I enjoyed the hide and seek elements

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. A great Halloween read for middle grade readers, set in a spooky house, full of secret rooms and ghosts. Bella and her friends have a sleepover and play a deadly game of hide and seek. There's some creepy crawlies, genuine scares and some good gothic horror for kids included! There is also discussion about family and friendship, and fitting in. Some good humour, lots of puns. Readers aged 11+ would enjoy this one. It was cute!

[Estelle Tudor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spook-tacular, spine-tingling fun!

What better place for a spooky game of Halloween Hide-and-seek than an old manor house with a deathly secret. I love how the group of girls band together over the course of the game to bring it to its satisfying conclusion.

This was an absolutely great Halloween read, full of suspense, action and jump scares! Can't wait to read more from this author.

[Emily Randall-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It feels contemporary and classic all at once - and Carolyn Ward has such a deft way of juggling the spookiness and the contemporary worries of young people, especially around friendships. A real heart-wrenching story behind it too, despite the cheekiness of the spectre...

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Middle Grade Novel

What a great horror novel with a brave and realistic heroine . She oozes courage, bravery and empathy. I encourage you to read this book for pure entertainment and more.

[Alkisti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this, but as others have also noted, there are inconsistencies in both a few pages concerning characters' names and in illustrations and it would have been preferable if these were caught by the editor. It's a pity to let otherwise good stories published with such blatant mistakes.

[Vika Ryabova · Rating 4 out of 5]

О, детям должно понравиться :) Мрачный дом с привидением, Хеллоуин, смертельные прятки и куча гадких инсектов - брррр, пробирает. При этом есть место юмору и игре слов.

[LudmilaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. A proper ghost story, spooky and entertaining, atmospheric, with storyline that has a good pay off. Great Halloween read that actually takes place on Halloween.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book though I do have plenty of questions! I can't wait for book 2.

[Mousellina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found the book to be kind of extreme for the middle grade. It’s scary and sadistic - coming from a 37 old. If I were to read this as a kid it would probably traumatise me. To each its own I suppose.

What annoyed me was the discrepancies in the story and illustrations. At one point author mixed up character’s name, at two other points wrong characters are drawn in the illustration. These kind of mistakes are inexcusable imo.

Also, some things made no sense, such as using a comb to pick the lock or folding umbrella into a flute one can blow - how do these things even work? Is it my poor imagination or were they some nonsensical ideas? It’s like watching AI make mistakes.

Then there are less obvious but still questionable things. Why is the child so strong and has stamina of an athlete? Surely she would be sickly from the chronic toxic mould exposure? Why is the kid with the bleeding head and swollen ankle not getting first aid? By the sound of it she had moderate hypothermia too. But I digress.

There are lots of trigger warnings.

[Kitchen Sink Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sleepovers are lots of fun. You can spend the night with a group of friends, all together in one room, laughing, talking, watching films, enjoying midnight snacks. Have you ever tried a spooky sleepover though? Maybe you would like to but aren’t quite sure what it might involve? Carolyn Ward has come to your rescue with her Bella Bright and the Ghost Game a story that features fabulously spooky illustrations throughout (I love the chapter headers) by Beatriz Castro and introduces us to a Halloween sleepover. It takes us to the town of Castleton. Bella has just moved in and started at the new school; she has decided the best way to make some new friends in her new home is to have a sleepover. But this book is about more than that, it explores the idea of friendships in the context of some spooky goings-on showing that friends can come from unexpected places and is written in such a way that the characters are completely relatable.

In Castleton it is Halloween and Bella, who has just moved into Darkling House is planning a Halloween sleepover. After all the house is enormous and feels cavernous. Before her mum completely renovates it, Bella has decided it is a great place for a spooky sleepover. She invites her new friend Lex and also Skylar and Regan, two girls who are known, to start with, as the mean girls. Little do any of them know that there is going to be an uninvited guest at their sleepover. Alice is a ghost, she lived and died in the house 150 years ago. But before she appears the girls find the front door shuts itself. Quite a feat as it is huge! Then they start to lose mobile signal and hear a whisper which makes the hairs on the back of their necks prickle. They start a game of hide-and-seek, and this is when Alice appears, she wants to join in and sets them a ghostly riddle which they have to solve before midnight, or they may be trapped in the house forever…