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Here Lies a Ghost
India Hill Brown meets Sharon Draper in a spooky, poignant,
tour-de-force
from Shakirah Bourne—an ode to Black Boy friendships, the richness of Caribbean history, and the power that comes from reclaiming your past.
Jermaine is NOT destined to be popular at his new elite school. First, he's the poorest kid in class—no phone, no cool sneakers, no chance. Second, he loves science and can't keep himself from gushing about geology. But after being bullied at his old school, he's desperate for the status and protection that comes from joining the "Turbo Jets"... even if that means abandoning Brody, a fellow outsider who truly wants to be Jermaine's friend.
As part of a hazing ritual, the Turbo Jets dare Jermaine to break into the notorious "haunted Chase Vault"—the crypt that once housed one of the cruelest enslavers in Barbados and his family. Then they lock him inside as a "joke."
Luckily, Jermaine makes it out unscathed. There's just one problem.
Someone else left the crypt with him.
Someone desperate to learn how she died... and get her revenge.
Jermaine is relieved someone else can see the his ex-best friend Brody. But freeing her won't be easy. It means ditching the Turbo Jets, teaming up with Brody, and unearthing ugly secrets from the island's colonial past. Will Jermaine really risk everything to help the suffering spirit find peace?
Jermaine is NOT destined to be popular at his new elite school. First, he's the poorest kid in class—no phone, no cool sneakers, no chance. Second, he loves science and can't keep himself from gushing about geology. But after being bullied at his old school, he's desperate for the status and protection that comes from joining the "Turbo Jets"... even if that means abandoning Brody, a fellow outsider who truly wants to be Jermaine's friend.
As part of a hazing ritual, the Turbo Jets dare Jermaine to break into the notorious "haunted Chase Vault"—the crypt that once housed one of the cruelest enslavers in Barbados and his family. Then they lock him inside as a "joke."
Luckily, Jermaine makes it out unscathed. There's just one problem.
Someone else left the crypt with him.
Someone desperate to learn how she died... and get her revenge.
Jermaine is relieved someone else can see the his ex-best friend Brody. But freeing her won't be easy. It means ditching the Turbo Jets, teaming up with Brody, and unearthing ugly secrets from the island's colonial past. Will Jermaine really risk everything to help the suffering spirit find peace?
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Published March 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
✰ 3 stars ✰
This was actually quite scary - on a middle grade level, ofc. But when Jermaine and Brody unwittingly unleash the ghost of twelve-year-old Dorcas, who despite her good intentions to help Jermaine out against the bullying torment of the Turbo Trolls, it is with malicious intent that she acts out her brand of justice, something the two of them have to put aside their own conflict with each other to put a stop to her wicked ways. 😥
Be it unfinished business or unresolved emotions or forgotten secrets, there's something that drives a ghost's inhibitions. 👻 And as the fears and scares get creepier and chillier, Jermaine and Brody take a tumble into the past to try and uncover the reason for which her restless soul has been disturbed to inflict her own brand of harm or revenge against them.
“Finally, he whispered, “Someone else is holding my hand.”
Dorcas was frightening - supernatural and sinister with her presence. The haunting lengths she went to to have her story heard, something the author drew inspiration from the true unsolved mystery of the haunted Chase Vault in Barbados, a history that is painful and heartbreaking to think about. It is scary to think what could have been the real cause behind so many moving coffins, and still no real answers . . 😨 🪦
As much as I do feel it was an unnecessary bit of a stretch in terms of family lineage and heritage, I still saw the significance of helping kids who may struggle with this feeling of emptiness to feel loved with a sense of belonging for who is a part of their lives. 🥺 It's heartbreaking when you compare it to that of Dorcas' own tragic past, but it still felt good to see the two young boys find a bit of closure with this acceptance.
“Maybe, maybe Dorcas was waiting for a friend— for someone— and they never came.”
The Turbo Trolls definitely were a quartet of bullies. Aside from the excessive pee emphasis (it was unnerving) and their grating terrorizing with harsh words and cruel actions, I'm glad the author showed that even a bully has a weakness - that they're only human. 🙂↕️ That their confidence comes from cowardice - that the desire to fit in with the cool kids is not always a cool thing.
Valuable lessons and personal growth aside, the ending was a bit abrupt, leaving me wanting more of an epilogue. 🤷🏻♀️ I'm also not all too sure why the author opted to have Brody's perspective written in verse, while Jermaine's was prose, but I can see how it allowed a certain creative freedom to draw out the tension and emotions in a visceral manner. ✍️
“This story had no happy ending.
The ghost girl remained,
more than two centuries later.”
This was actually quite scary - on a middle grade level, ofc. But when Jermaine and Brody unwittingly unleash the ghost of twelve-year-old Dorcas, who despite her good intentions to help Jermaine out against the bullying torment of the Turbo Trolls, it is with malicious intent that she acts out her brand of justice, something the two of them have to put aside their own conflict with each other to put a stop to her wicked ways. 😥
Be it unfinished business or unresolved emotions or forgotten secrets, there's something that drives a ghost's inhibitions. 👻 And as the fears and scares get creepier and chillier, Jermaine and Brody take a tumble into the past to try and uncover the reason for which her restless soul has been disturbed to inflict her own brand of harm or revenge against them.
“Finally, he whispered, “Someone else is holding my hand.”
Dorcas was frightening - supernatural and sinister with her presence. The haunting lengths she went to to have her story heard, something the author drew inspiration from the true unsolved mystery of the haunted Chase Vault in Barbados, a history that is painful and heartbreaking to think about. It is scary to think what could have been the real cause behind so many moving coffins, and still no real answers . . 😨 🪦
As much as I do feel it was an unnecessary bit of a stretch in terms of family lineage and heritage, I still saw the significance of helping kids who may struggle with this feeling of emptiness to feel loved with a sense of belonging for who is a part of their lives. 🥺 It's heartbreaking when you compare it to that of Dorcas' own tragic past, but it still felt good to see the two young boys find a bit of closure with this acceptance.
“Maybe, maybe Dorcas was waiting for a friend— for someone— and they never came.”
The Turbo Trolls definitely were a quartet of bullies. Aside from the excessive pee emphasis (it was unnerving) and their grating terrorizing with harsh words and cruel actions, I'm glad the author showed that even a bully has a weakness - that they're only human. 🙂↕️ That their confidence comes from cowardice - that the desire to fit in with the cool kids is not always a cool thing.
Valuable lessons and personal growth aside, the ending was a bit abrupt, leaving me wanting more of an epilogue. 🤷🏻♀️ I'm also not all too sure why the author opted to have Brody's perspective written in verse, while Jermaine's was prose, but I can see how it allowed a certain creative freedom to draw out the tension and emotions in a visceral manner. ✍️
December 2, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Jermaine is struggling after the death of his father, but is trying very hard to secure a place with the cool boys on the track team, the Turbo Jets, in his school in Barbados. He has a tenuous friendship with Brody, a taller boy who is red haired and pale skinned and takes after his mother. Jermaine invites the wealthier boy over to his house, and is embarassed when Brody leaves suddenly after realizing that the bathroom is outside. That's not the reason Brody left; he has his own secrets. When the Turbo Jets (or Turbo Trolls, as Brody calls them) dare Jermaine to spend time in the Chase Vault at the local cemetery, which is rumored to be haunted, he agrees, but is scared when he is closed in the vault. When he finally gets home, he realizes that a Ghost is following him. He assumes it is Dorcas Chase, who died in 1812 when she was 12, but since she seems to be helpful to him, he's not too worried. Eventually, it turns out that Brody can see her as well, but after an explosion in the science lab, it's clear that Dorcas means Brody harm. The boys have to work together to try to figure out why Dorcas has not passed on. They decide that they might need to return a rock they took from the vault to be rid of the ghost, but when they go to return it, Wilton and the other boys from the track team are there are cause a lot of trouble. Secrets are revealed, and through research, Brody finds out some information about the ghost as well. Will Jermaine and Brody be able to appease the ghost and send her on her way before tragedy occurs?
Strengths: Bourne has brought Barbadian folk lore to life in Nightmare Island and Josephine Against the Sea, and ups her game by including some history as well as some friend drama in her new tale. Jermaine's desire to be thought of as cool is heart breaking, and makes his decision to appropriate fashionable tennis shoes from the his mother's hotel work place's lost and found seem completely understandable. His rocky relationship with Brody also makes sense, since both boys have a connection that is revealed at the end. The ghost is quite frightening, especially since she does seem to help Jermaine out at the beginning of the story. The Turbo Jets have quite the scary adventure in the tomb, with plenty of danger and running about. This book didn't make me want to go anywhere near a cemetery for a long time, but should appeal to readers who (unlike me!) really enjoy horrorific tales.
Weaknesses: This is a bit on the long side, and the text switches into a verse format for reasons that aren't entirely clear.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked other books centered in creepy cemeteries like Fournet's Brick Dust and Bones, Russell's Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave, or Rushby's The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery.
Jermaine is struggling after the death of his father, but is trying very hard to secure a place with the cool boys on the track team, the Turbo Jets, in his school in Barbados. He has a tenuous friendship with Brody, a taller boy who is red haired and pale skinned and takes after his mother. Jermaine invites the wealthier boy over to his house, and is embarassed when Brody leaves suddenly after realizing that the bathroom is outside. That's not the reason Brody left; he has his own secrets. When the Turbo Jets (or Turbo Trolls, as Brody calls them) dare Jermaine to spend time in the Chase Vault at the local cemetery, which is rumored to be haunted, he agrees, but is scared when he is closed in the vault. When he finally gets home, he realizes that a Ghost is following him. He assumes it is Dorcas Chase, who died in 1812 when she was 12, but since she seems to be helpful to him, he's not too worried. Eventually, it turns out that Brody can see her as well, but after an explosion in the science lab, it's clear that Dorcas means Brody harm. The boys have to work together to try to figure out why Dorcas has not passed on. They decide that they might need to return a rock they took from the vault to be rid of the ghost, but when they go to return it, Wilton and the other boys from the track team are there are cause a lot of trouble. Secrets are revealed, and through research, Brody finds out some information about the ghost as well. Will Jermaine and Brody be able to appease the ghost and send her on her way before tragedy occurs?
Strengths: Bourne has brought Barbadian folk lore to life in Nightmare Island and Josephine Against the Sea, and ups her game by including some history as well as some friend drama in her new tale. Jermaine's desire to be thought of as cool is heart breaking, and makes his decision to appropriate fashionable tennis shoes from the his mother's hotel work place's lost and found seem completely understandable. His rocky relationship with Brody also makes sense, since both boys have a connection that is revealed at the end. The ghost is quite frightening, especially since she does seem to help Jermaine out at the beginning of the story. The Turbo Jets have quite the scary adventure in the tomb, with plenty of danger and running about. This book didn't make me want to go anywhere near a cemetery for a long time, but should appeal to readers who (unlike me!) really enjoy horrorific tales.
Weaknesses: This is a bit on the long side, and the text switches into a verse format for reasons that aren't entirely clear.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who liked other books centered in creepy cemeteries like Fournet's Brick Dust and Bones, Russell's Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave, or Rushby's The Turnkey of Highgate Cemetery.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews