Ghosts of Weirdwood: A William Shivering Tale

William Shivering #2

by Christian McKay Heidicker, William Shivering, Anna Earley (Illustrator)

In this second action-packed and hilarious Weirdwood adventure, two thieves and their ghost friend wage a battle against a shadowy magical organization intent on opening a Rift between the worlds of the living and the dead.

"[W]ill delight and satiate those besotted with Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, Miss Peregrine, the Spiderwicks." —New York Times Book Review on Thieves of Weirdwood

Fresh off of heroically saving their city from nightmarish monsters, 12-year-old reformed thieves Arthur and Wally are determined to join the Wardens of Weirdwood—defenders of the border between the Real and Imaginary worlds.

Their defeat the Order of Eldar, a shadowy group that exploits the creatures of the Fae for their own gain. When the Order opens what seems to be a Rift between the worlds of the living and the dead, they set up a menagerie of ghosts to make money off those grieving for their lost loved ones.

As spirits begin to cross over into Kingsport, Arthur, Wally, and their ghost companion, Breeth, will have to return a fleet of dead souls to the other side of the Veil.

Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky and Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Dragons, Fiction, Paranormal, Childrens

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2021

About the author

Christian McKay Heidicker is an American author of children's books. His book Scary Stories for Young Foxes received a Newbery Honor in 2020.

Prior to his career as a novelist, Heidicker held several jobs in the education field. These included creating instructional comic books, writing articles on science and history for students, and teaching creative writing at Broadview University.

Heidicker's first novel, the young adult title Cure for the Common Universe, was published in 2016. Scary Stories for Young Foxes, his first middle grade book, appeared in 2019. It was hailed by Kirkus Reviews as "dark and skillfully distressing." Scary Stories went on to win a Newbery Honor in 2020.

Heidicker lives and works in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Reviews

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Wally, and my life now has purpose. I used to roam the streets of Kingsport as a thief and pickpocket, but I've become a novitiate for the Manor. I haven't learned to use the magic within me, but Sekhmet's still brought me along on a mission to close a Rift between the Real and Fae worlds. We want to figure out how the Order is able to locate Rifts before us. There are new members of the Order we've never encountered before, and they have powers we've never seen. The most disturbing foe is the Eraser. It leaves a void wherever it goes, disintegrating anything or anyone it touches. How do you fight something that can't be hurt? I'm sure Arthur would have some grand idea with one of his stories, but he can't accept that he doesn't have any magic. Stories aren't much help against a real enemy.

You should read Thieves of Weirdwood first, and the sequel Nightmares of Weirdwood will end the trilogy in the spring of 2022. The plot follows the two separate paths of Wally and Arthur in alternating chapters. Arthur's story has a more interesting character angle, as he tries to atone for his past behavior and mistakes. The queen of the dragons still wants vengeance for the death of her son, and she blames Arthur. His behavior hasn't changed much, as he still stretches the truth and takes risks at the expense of others. However, the positives in his character take over as hidden truths are revealed. The most interesting twist to Wally's plot is the presence of his brother Graham. Graham is a seer, and he's working against all of the Manor's plans. Wally is torn between supporting the Manor and keeping his brother's communications secret. As mentioned above, the Eraser presents a formidable foe, as the Manor can't understand how it even works. The conflict seems unsolvable and creates wonderful tension. Overall, I'm enjoying the trilogy and recommend you give it a shot. It requires imagination from readers, as the characters move between real and imaginary worlds. Give it a shot.

[Critter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghosts of Weirdwood has some very well developed main characters. They go through some good character arcs and they grow over the expanse of the story. However, I did not feel emotionally connected to them at all. There were also parts of their character arcs that felt forced. This was also a very slow paced book with a lot of detailed descriptions that felt like they bogged down the plot. I overall don't feel like this was a bad book, but there were some issues that caused me to struggle with it at times.

I received a copy from a Goodreads giveaway.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and reviewed the first book in December and featured it as a Holiday Pick. This one did not come to my library in time for me to feature the review, so here it is now.

Arthur and Wally continue to move further and further apart in this sequel to the first book, both because of the decisions they make (not always the best) and because of their growing differences in how they view the Wardens of Weirdwood.

Wally's older brother Graham is sneaking him messages to guide his younger brother's actions. The Lady of Weirdwood asks about them, but Wally is loathe to share them with her, as he knows the Lady is trying to capture the future-seeing Graham and put him back in the mental institution from which he's escaped.

Arthur struggles with the fact that he has no magic at all and Lady Weirdwood dumps him back in the "real" city of Kingsport to get him out of Wally's way (who she's training to be a Warden).

It's a bad set of moves, all around.

The book starts with a young girl, not Wally or Arthur, who discovers her monster drawings are coming to life and some have been caged in a freak-show exhibit run by Silver Tongue, Rustmouth and Astonishment. They're three evil adults who've been given attributes / magic from the imaginary world by the Order of the Eldar and are exploiting a rift between the worlds for profit. They capture the little girl and force her to draw more and more monsters for them with the aim of caging them, at least at the beginning. (You know that won't last.)

Arthur discovers them while Wally trains rather unsuccessfully with his gauntlets. Wally tells himself Arthur's best off in the real world, while Arthur catches on to the freak-show and suspects the dragon quill (from the first book) is the source of the images' life.

Arthur ends up going back to the Rook's daughter, Liza, hoping she's forgiven him for battling her father and essentially killing him (she hasn't). When push comes to shove, he also hopes the Queen of the Dragons will forgive him for using a bone from her son, Huamei, (she doesn't) to make the quill.

Wally makes decision after decision while supposedly fighting the seemingly undefeatable Silver Tongue, Rustmouth and Astonishment for Lady Weirdwood and the Wardens that will lead him even further astray from the Wardens' ideals of keeping the real and imaginary separate.

There's also a new creature, a moving shadow called the Eraser, that can snuff out characters and imaginary lives with little or no effort. It's the shadow of a character who refuses to be erased, and it's … well, I won't say, as that's one of the big reveals.

There's a set-up for another book and we're looking forward to that. Enjoy!

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

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

[Julia Pika · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the Weirdwood series, this continues to follow Arthur, Wally & Breeth through their misadventures.

I really liked how this one expanded on the manor, which I really wanted to see more of in the first one. It also expands on the unique imagination magic system which I find fascinating.

I think the author did better in separating Arthur & Wally's POVs more so I could better distinguish them. Breeth is fantastic as always.

There's a pretty big cliffhanger in this one, unlike the first one, so beware. A great read for anyone into the darker elements of fantasy!

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy!

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K]

This story initially grabbed my attention, then it catapulted me to a place of weirdness, where I completely lost interest. It was darkly disturbing. What age level is this for again? It gets a big NOPE from this reader. However, I will say that those who want a wonky, creepy Halloween tale…this might be the one for you. Salute!

[Lillian McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A brilliant sequel to an excellent story. The stakes are even higher, with some missteps from Book 1 that must be paid for. Heidecker is so good at writing a consequence for every action, but boy, reading it hurts. Lots of innovative ideas, like in the first book, and an important question for readers of all ages: is it better to have a happy life, or a real one?

[Amanda Hallam-Taillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our loveable crew from book one returns on another daring and madcap adventure. A really fun read, with a fantastical world(S) and original plot line. I very much enjoyed this and look forward to book three. A lighthearted delight for the lover of all things quirky.

[Charlotte]

slightly too action packed for my taste, but interesting and fun none the less.

[Christy T · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the characters and the brilliant twists and turns

[Library To-Go]

05/30/24 Booktalk to teens. JEC/MWD