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The Prankster and the Ghost
***Shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award 2012*** Every Child Deserves an Education — Even if They're Dead
‘The school will be good for you, Tayla,’ said the inspector. ‘You’ll have children your own age to play with.’ ‘Dead children.’ ‘Well, yes. True. But you can’t have everything’ Stuck in a hospital bed, unable to move, Tayla decides to leave his body. But floating around intensive care is kind of boring, although being invisible means he can do some cool practical jokes. Until the inspector arrives, that is.
Jamie, newly arrived from Scotland, is lonely. No one can understand his accent and all his practical jokes are going wrong. Plus, his new school is seriously weird. Perhaps it's haunted...
A spooky, fun-filled adventure – packed with hospitals, ghosts, computers and practical jokes.
The Prankster and the Ghost is a story of the healing power of friendship and of learning to live with loss. Suitable ages 9 – 99+ "A fun read with an important message ... " – Goodreads Reader
‘The school will be good for you, Tayla,’ said the inspector. ‘You’ll have children your own age to play with.’ ‘Dead children.’ ‘Well, yes. True. But you can’t have everything’ Stuck in a hospital bed, unable to move, Tayla decides to leave his body. But floating around intensive care is kind of boring, although being invisible means he can do some cool practical jokes. Until the inspector arrives, that is.
Jamie, newly arrived from Scotland, is lonely. No one can understand his accent and all his practical jokes are going wrong. Plus, his new school is seriously weird. Perhaps it's haunted...
A spooky, fun-filled adventure – packed with hospitals, ghosts, computers and practical jokes.
The Prankster and the Ghost is a story of the healing power of friendship and of learning to live with loss. Suitable ages 9 – 99+ "A fun read with an important message ... " – Goodreads Reader
203 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2015
3 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stedman
15 books173 followersHi there! I'm Rachel Stedman, writing as R. L. Stedman. I live in the wild and windy town of Dunedin, New Zealand. My first novel, A Necklace of Souls, was published in 2013, and won a number of exciting awards - including Best First Novel, 2014!
You can find out more about me on my website www.rlstedman.com - plus, if you feel like reading a FREE fairytale collection, then copy and paste this link into your browser: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/66nq33qkbm
Hope you enjoy, and happy reading!
You can find out more about me on my website www.rlstedman.com - plus, if you feel like reading a FREE fairytale collection, then copy and paste this link into your browser: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/66nq33qkbm
Hope you enjoy, and happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 31, 2021
Tayla and his mum and dad are out in their restored Ford Zephyr, laughing after Mum pulled the perfect practical joke on Dad. They are a family of practical jokers, always ready to serve another prank. Their laughing stops suddenly when another vehicle is on the wrong side of the road…
Tayla wakes up in a hospital. Everything hurts so much. There are tubes in his throat, then pop, he is looking down on himself in a hospital bed. The machines are still beeping though, so he slowly realises he is still alive but able to move around the hospital. His feelings are a mix of confusion and excitement at the possible practical jokes he can pull.
Jamie has just moved from Scotland to NZ with his family. He checks out his new school, shaking his head at only 3 classrooms and cows next door in the paddock. From Edinburgh, this rural setting is almost too quiet and small to get his head around.
In the meantime, Tayla meets Mrs Myrtle Mannering in hospital. She is the Senior Inspector of the Bureau of Unexplained and Malicious Phenomena or BUMP for short. She has decided Tayla needs to go to school if he doesn’t want to return to his body just yet.
This is how The Prankster and the Ghost meet. Jamie might think his school is too small and boring, and Tayla might not like the idea of a ghost school, but they are both surprised with what they discover.
Even more ghosts, technology, pranks and stinging nettle all blend together as Tayla tries to put his life back together, and Jamie gets used to his new one in NZ.
A thoroughly enjoyable read full of ghosts, but not scary ones. A terrible accident is sobering, but practical jokes galore will make tweens laugh as they read The Prankster and the Ghost. I enjoyed the way ghost characters give a glimpse into New Zealand’s past, and also the unique way they connect with the present.
There is a challenge in the rear of the book to see how many practical jokes can be found throughout the story, then a list to check them from. There is also a warning – Before trying these practical jokes out, check with an adult first to avoid getting into trouble!
The Prankster and the Ghost was shortlisted for the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award in 2012.
Tayla wakes up in a hospital. Everything hurts so much. There are tubes in his throat, then pop, he is looking down on himself in a hospital bed. The machines are still beeping though, so he slowly realises he is still alive but able to move around the hospital. His feelings are a mix of confusion and excitement at the possible practical jokes he can pull.
Jamie has just moved from Scotland to NZ with his family. He checks out his new school, shaking his head at only 3 classrooms and cows next door in the paddock. From Edinburgh, this rural setting is almost too quiet and small to get his head around.
In the meantime, Tayla meets Mrs Myrtle Mannering in hospital. She is the Senior Inspector of the Bureau of Unexplained and Malicious Phenomena or BUMP for short. She has decided Tayla needs to go to school if he doesn’t want to return to his body just yet.
This is how The Prankster and the Ghost meet. Jamie might think his school is too small and boring, and Tayla might not like the idea of a ghost school, but they are both surprised with what they discover.
Even more ghosts, technology, pranks and stinging nettle all blend together as Tayla tries to put his life back together, and Jamie gets used to his new one in NZ.
A thoroughly enjoyable read full of ghosts, but not scary ones. A terrible accident is sobering, but practical jokes galore will make tweens laugh as they read The Prankster and the Ghost. I enjoyed the way ghost characters give a glimpse into New Zealand’s past, and also the unique way they connect with the present.
There is a challenge in the rear of the book to see how many practical jokes can be found throughout the story, then a list to check them from. There is also a warning – Before trying these practical jokes out, check with an adult first to avoid getting into trouble!
The Prankster and the Ghost was shortlisted for the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award in 2012.
September 4, 2019
It’s not surprising this entertaining ghost story was shortlisted for the prestigious 2012 Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award. The novel is an absorbing, imaginative tale for mid-primary school readers through to intermediate age.
There’s plenty to laugh at with the two main characters keen on practical jokes that often end with the perpetrators running for cover. Yet, there’s also a thought-provoking side to the story. Tayla had been with his parents when they were involved in a car accident. The devastating results have left Tayla in hospital in a coma. However, he’s still aware of what’s going on around him and decides to leave his painful body and go exploring. This leads to some strange experiences that take him further than anticipated.
A highlight of the interaction between the characters is their realistic, humorous dialogue. The storyline is carried along by their conversations which reveal so much about each individual. This includes the ghost children who struggle to be heard and Jamie, recently arrived from Scotland, who finds it difficult to make himself understood because of his Scottish accent.
The tetchy relationships between brother and sisters are also convincing with Jamie regularly playing pranks on his annoying older sisters. He needs to be fleet-footed to escape their ire. All the characters are well-portrayed with their quirks and idiosyncrasies revealed as the story unfolds. The satisfying ending wraps up this well-told tale with style.
Reviewed by Jean Bennett (Bookrapt)
There’s plenty to laugh at with the two main characters keen on practical jokes that often end with the perpetrators running for cover. Yet, there’s also a thought-provoking side to the story. Tayla had been with his parents when they were involved in a car accident. The devastating results have left Tayla in hospital in a coma. However, he’s still aware of what’s going on around him and decides to leave his painful body and go exploring. This leads to some strange experiences that take him further than anticipated.
A highlight of the interaction between the characters is their realistic, humorous dialogue. The storyline is carried along by their conversations which reveal so much about each individual. This includes the ghost children who struggle to be heard and Jamie, recently arrived from Scotland, who finds it difficult to make himself understood because of his Scottish accent.
The tetchy relationships between brother and sisters are also convincing with Jamie regularly playing pranks on his annoying older sisters. He needs to be fleet-footed to escape their ire. All the characters are well-portrayed with their quirks and idiosyncrasies revealed as the story unfolds. The satisfying ending wraps up this well-told tale with style.
Reviewed by Jean Bennett (Bookrapt)
November 7, 2018
A good book for bed time reading! It's going to make you laugh and smile, not make you scream and wet the bed. But most of all it's going to make you wish you could have ghosts for friends. And having friends is the best thing ever. This is a story of friendship, of making the best of things when life throws a curve ball. Now I want to make friends with a ghost!
November 10, 2018
A good book for bed time reading! It's going to make you laugh and smile, not make you scream and wet the bed. But most of all it's going to make you wish you could have ghosts for friends. And having friends is the best thing ever. This is a story of friendship, of making the best of things when life throws a curve ball. Now I want to make friends with a ghost!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews