Ghost and Bone

by Andrew Prentice

A twisty middle grade adventure standalone for fans of Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow about a cursed boy who embarks on a journey into a magical city of ghosts to find out who he really is.

Oscar Grimstone is a normal kid--aside from his secret Curse. Whenever he touches something living, like a flower or his classroom goldfish, they always seem to die. But then Oscar discovers an even bigger secret: even though he is very much alive, he has the ability to transform into a ghost.

Just when he thinks things can't get any stranger two ghosts show up at his home in a skeleton carriage and he winds up joining them on a journey beyond the real world to a place he never knew existed--the city of ghosts. There Oscar will discover a place where people go once they die, before they aboard a ship to the The Other Side. But will he find out who he really is?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Horror, Ghosts, Paranormal, Death, Childrens

224 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2019

Reviews

[Christi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Ghost and Bone, Oscar Grimstone’s mom runs a funeral home, but that part doesn’t bother Oscar because he feels right at home there. One day, strange things start happening there (silvery fog out of nowhere, knives floating in mid air that immediately fly at Oscar). Oscar is in a fight for his life that he is losing until… Well, he becomes a ghost. He didn’t die, he just changed for that moment, escaped, and then soon after changed back. No one is more shocked than Oscar.

Later that night, two members of Ghost Law Enforcement (GLE) arrive at Oscar’s house in order to investigate the incident and much to their surprise, Oscar can see and talk to them. When they get ready to leave, Oscar is determined to go back with them and so using his new found ability he decides to turn into a ghost and hitch a ride on their carriage. The investigators now have questions of their own about why and how a human can change back and forth and agree to let him come, which leads into more questions and more mysteries needing to be solved.

Ghost and Bone is a hauntingly good book and was a complete blast to read. It was creative, and inventive and relaxing. A book that immediately pulled me in (it starts in a funeral home with Oscar working on a deceased client) and once I started, I couldn’t put it down. The pacing and plot development was very nicely done – always something around the corner to keep me engaged that also included very likeable characters of Oscar and Sally (one of the GLE investigators who happens to look like a 13 year old girl but also happens to be over a hundred years old.)

Even though most of the book occurs in a ghost city and the subject is about a boy who can turn into a ghost it is definitely more of a book that leans to the fun side of spooky instead of the dark side of spooky.

Rating: 5 stars

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was solid. I love my spooky middle grade a lot, but I think that a lot more could have been done with this story.

[RM(Alwaysdaddygirl) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars.

One reason is this another author who truly understands grief. Maybe I am wrong. None of my business. Regardless, this is why I gave it 5 stars. The story was good. If the grief was not well written, it would have been 4 stars.

I understand this book for middle age kids. However, I recommend this book to those that like a weird character or/and on the grief journey.

🇺🇸💀

P. S I am weird and on a grief journey. Everyone journey is different. Never forget that there is no time expiration with grief. My view could be bias.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this story got off to a slow start, I ended up liking it and giving it points for originality. Oscar Grimstone--love that name--has never felt that he truly fit in with his peers. Part of it is his personality and his reluctance to mingle with others, but more of it has to do with how he spends his free time as he helps his mother in their funeral home. Plus, Oscar has starting noticing that everything he touches dies, and he worries that this will also apply to his mother if he hugs her. But when something odd happens one night as he is in the mortuary, he becomes convinced that someone is after him. In search of some answers, he meets Sally, who allows him to tag along with her in the City of Ghosts. He hopes to find his father there, but instead, he finds even more questions and more mysteries. This supernatural adventure tale about a boy with one foot in the grave and one in normal life features a lively world where ghosts have rich and fulfilling lives. Although the resolution of the conflict seemed a bit rushed to me, I still found the book worth reading and can see many middle grade readers being enthralled by it and fascinated by all the parts of the City of Ghosts. Some of the ghosts' tools such as the Hungry Bottle are downright scary.

[Georgann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite the adventure for a lonely, outcast boy who learns he can turn into a ghost. The ghost world is maybe even crazier than the one in Beetlejuice. Nonstop action and a good mystery.

[~just one hopeless romantic~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was okay. I didn’t like how slow it began in the beginning. I also didn’t like the fact that we didn’t get to know more about Hieronymus Jones. There was many plot holes, like for instance, they skipped what happened after the police came to Oscars house. But on the bright side, I liked the action, and the detail of the ghost town in London. Also, what happened to Sally at the end? They could have at least added an after part! I sound like a complete troll, jerk, and Karen, but it’s true! I also don’t understand how Death, can die. He’s death for crying out loud. This book was meh 😑 but I enjoyed most of it.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oscar Grimstone works for his Granny in the family business. They're undertakers, so Oscar's grown up around death. But lately Oscar's killing everything he touches. He tries to hide it but it's pretty odd when the grass around you starts to curl and die, or the flowers you're trying to tuck into a corpse's pocket shrivel and turn brown.

Then a shimmering green carriage pulled by ghostly horses pulls up to his house, and a girl ghost -- Sally Cromarty -- identifies him as the source of an astounding amount of phantasma. She refuses to explain anything and leaves, but Oscar isn't giving up so easily. He can't catch the carriage as a living boy, so he becomes -- much to his surprise! -- a ghost and hitches a ride. He scares the Dickens out of dozens along the way and he switches back and forth, from ghost to living boy, violating all sorts of ghostly regulations.

But once he discovers he can become a ghost, and ghosts with unfinished business, like his Dad, may be sticking around, he's determined to figure out who is the ghastly figure that attacked him in his Gran's mortuary and if it relates to the mystery of his Dad's death in any way.

A great ghostly October read!

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Emilou · Rating 1 out of 5]

While it has a good plot, I didn't think it was written well. There were times when characters jumped to conclusions that didn't seem reasonable. An example of this was when Oscar went home to see his mom and she forgot who he was. He said something like, "It's me. Oscar." and then the mom says, "I don't have a son." Oscar didn't say "I'm your son." He didn't use the word "son" when talking to his mom, so the scene felt disconnedted. There were a bunch of little things like that all through the book.

I also felt that the characters didn't act their age or era. Oscar was thirteen in the book, but he acted and sounds much younger. And Sally was thirteen when she died but had been a ghost for around a hundred years. She didn't act like she was over thirteen nor did she act like she came from the 1920s.

I also felt that the world-building when it came to the ghost world wasn't well thought-out. It felt like the author just slapped new information when it was needed in the story just to explain something. The pacing throughout the story felt jagged; the author should have slowed some places down to explain things, to describe and let the characters think things through, develope their relationships.

This just wasn't a professionally written book, it felt too simple for the age group, and the characters weren't as developed as they should have been. I expected more from a book by this publisher.

[Dani Resh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that author did a fantastic job of creating an interesting and visually intriguing ghost world. I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in it and found many of the supernatural objects to be quite intriguing, like a chandelier that acts as a guide and a rather terrifying hungry jar. The story itself was full of potential, but in the end, it felt rushed, and I didn’t feel like I knew the characters very well. I was told there were strong emotional bonds between various characters, but I didn’t feel it. It read like a who done it novel, but there wasn’t much of a mystery since there was a very small pool to pick from. Once you eliminated the most obvious person (it’s never that person), you were left with one or two other options. All and all, I appreciated the effort that the author made to create a thoroughly detailed ghost world but wish that the inner workings of the characters were given more time to develop.

[Carli · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. Misfit British teen Oscar has always felt out of place. He honestly prefers working at his mum’s funeral home, taking care of corpses, than he does his peers’ company. When a strange occurrence prompts a ghost detective to show up at mortuary, Oscar learns that he has the rare ability to see and communicate with ghosts. What he doesn’t expect is another ability entirely. While I tore through this story, I felt that it was too short. There were so many characters that could have been fleshed out and scenes that could have gone into more depth. It had a bit of a Fantastic Beasts feel to it; hand to ghost fans who don’t mind a historic feel. Recommended for grades 5-8.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original concept, but OMG it dragged. The main character is an undertaker's son and discovers that he kills everything he touches. He's attacked by a poltergeist and it turns out he has the ability to phase between being alive, or "bone", or a ghost. His father died when he was young so he goes on an adventure with detective ghosts to find out what makes him unique, why he's been attacked, and what happened to his father. This is a great concept, but I just kept wondering when it was going to end.

[Kelly Roll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oscar Grimstone kills things he touches and he doesn’t know why and soon discovers that he has another skill, he can turn from living into a ghost. A malevolent figure attacks him at his family’s mortuary is the trigger for this discovery. A young ghost detective Sally Cromarty joins forces with Oscar to track down his attacker. Sally has her own mystery she would like to solve. Much of this is done in Londinium, the ghostly version of London. I quite enjoyed the portrayal and rules of the ghost world. It was a sweet enough book with a message of accepting yourself for you are.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to help my readers advisory skills with young readers. Sometimes it is good for adults to read books made for younger readers. In my case I wanted a book that allowed me to escape and just forget being an adult for a bit. I wanted simplicity and that’s what I received. I liked Oscar and Sally. They were my favorite characters. Part of me hopes/hoped there would be a sequel, but if not it is fine the way it is. I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys adventures and learning how to cope with uncertainty. I would definitely read more by this author!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun premise ruined by bad pacing, tired cliches, and borrowed storylines. It can be boiled down to The Graveyard Book meets Coco, with dashes of Mort, Harry Potter, and Yu Yu Hakusho for good measure. The child characters didn't speak like children of their age, and the last 20 pages not only include a deus ex machina but also a loose plot thread meant to be solved in a sequel (which I can't imagine will be published). Disappointing.

2/5

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oscar grows up surrounded by dead people because his mom's an undertaker. He's shy, bullied, and hobbled by a bad leg. Plus, he's pretty sure he's cursed, because the things he touches tend to die. Things turn truly strange when a corpse revives and two ghosts arrive to investigate.

A perfect stand-alone read for Halloween. Not too scary, but paced to keep young readers turning pages. I really liked it!

[Divik Srivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book for any middle-schooler. What I really like about this book is the character development! Oscar (The Main Character) starts off as a bullied, diffident, and shy boy but after discovering his "powers" and starting to fit in the ghost world he gains more confidence and doing so, he eventually overcomes his struggles. The genre of this book is a bit inclined to the mystery/thriller side because of its suspenseful and fast paced nature.

[Amanda Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adventure that will leave all the hair on the nap of your neck standing on end. The story touches on some deep subjects such as guilt and grief but with an ease that allows space for the reader to breathe and not become overwhelmed. The author has created an intriguing world of phantasm and time that exists layered on our own. The mystery successfully wraps up this book, but doesn't do this fascinating alter reality justice. But perhaps that is why we have sequels.

[Scoot · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best part of this book is the cover art. It's not the slightest bit spooky, the story is weak, and the reader is constantly told everything the characters are thinking and feeling. Honestly reads like a first draft. I slogged through this because it was fairly short, but it nearly ended up in the DNF pile.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book to me was a mix of the movies "Coco" (looking for family in the afterlife) and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (a separate world with all its government agencies hidden right in plain sight...kinda) in book form. It was a very fast-paced read with a lot of action (combined with ghost bureaucracy) and was a perfect read for the season!

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed something light, to bring me out of some other heavy reads . This hit the spot. Fun, intriguing and adventurous. This was like the scene in Beetlejuice where the ghosts go to the death administration offices plus add a little Back to the Future part 2. (Michael J. Fox would have been great to play Oscar.)

[Andrea Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST. MIDDLE GRADE. BOOK. EVER! It has Justin the right balance of spooky and humor an and suspense and a happy ending and twists I never saw coming and yet it all felt very realistic! Andrew Prentice knocked this one out of the park!

[Donna Dobihal Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, spooky romp, hand this to any kid looking for a quick read ghost story that won't give them nightmares with one caveat, it starts a little slow but once paranormal characters show up, it takes off. I loved it!

[BookWormYami · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I thought this was a good, unique middle grade story. It was fast pace. The story was wrapped up nicely but kind of fast to me and it was also kind of an open ending. Like, I could see the author writing another adventure with these characters. I actually would like that to be honest.

[Kayla Oba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK. I like the vibes of death and darkness, that's what I wanted for this spooky season. I just wasn't really interested most of the time though, really short book. Nice for book slumps.

[Sarah Easley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cover! The story was really more mystery/adventure than horror but still a lot of spooky fun. I'll be getting this for my school library.

[Darby]

Great ghost story. A new twist on being or not being a ghost.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for middle grade kids about belonging.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too scary trip to the underworld, more mystery/adventure than horror. 3rd-6th grade

[Stacey Cormier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book. Made me laugh. I recommend to anyone looking for an easy read.

[Jerby Verderosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting premise, moved a little too quick for me. I also wish that I could have seen a little more from the female protagonist.