Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior

by Raymond Bial

Welcome to the humorous adventures of three girls - Amanda, her kid sister Sally, and her best friend Roxanne - as they find themselves trapped on Shadow Island, a strange and desolate tiny island near a sleepy resort somewhere on Lake Superior. To have any chance to get away, they will have to explore the mysterious and long-abandoned Stardust Hotel. Unfortunately for the three of them, the old Victorian building is not quite as deserted as everyone thought As in all of Bial's popular ghost stories, the young protagonists will encounter a host of ghosts as they dash from one humorous encounter to the next. In the process, they will learn about themselves, about friendship and family, and about the importance of doing the right thing even in trying circumstances. Raymond Bial is the acclaimed author of more than 80 books for children and adults, including many historical photo-documentary books such as Amish Home, The Underground Railroad, Where Lincoln Walked, and others. His previous ghost stories include The Fresh Grave and The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek. He lives in Urbana, Illinois.

172 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2006

About the author

Author and photographer Raymond Bial (1948-2021) has been creating acclaimed books for children and adults for more than thirty years. His books have been published by Houghton Mifflin, Scholastic, Walker & Company, Marshall Cavendish, Crickhollow Books, and other fine publishers and university presses. Raymond also makes images on assignment, and his stock photographs have been used by book publishers such as National Geographic, advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett, and media such as PBS.

Raymond’s most recent books are Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty, which is an excellent companion volume to Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side; The Shaker Village, a lovely collection of color photographs depicting the simplicity and grace of this remarkable utopian community; a lovely paperback edition of Where Lincoln Walked published in honor of the bicentennial of the birth of this great president; Dripping Blood Cave and Other Ghostly Stories, the third volume in a popular series of ghost stories for young readers; and Rescuing Rover: Saving America’s Dogs, which has been selected for the Junior Literary Guild Book Club. Rescuing Rover is currently receiving high praise across the country.

Chigger, his most recent novel, is receiving fine reviews from readers, young and old alike. Anyone who likes to root for the underdog will love this sweet story of an unforgettable girl.

Reviews

[bananabreadlover · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this a few days ago and haven't had time to write a review for it yet so technically speaking this should be much more cohesive than my other reviews (but I can already tell that it isn't going to be lol).

The most interesting character in this was the ghost/zombie/ghoul/reincarnated killer who didn't like to get his hands dirty. The group of sisters it followed were woefully boring and their parents were wildly unaware of the lives of their children. The towns people were aloof in a way that I found annoying and then ending up just being super cliche.

I think the best way to read this story is as a satire (of what?, I literally don't know) - if not totally camp. There was something so silly and lighthearted about the way the kids stumbled around the island, eavesdropped on the smugglers, and tried to determine if it was ghosts or mean men with overinflated egos they kept dealing with.

However, I think this story felt like it was written in 2006 (because it was) and while that made it feel nostalgic it also made it feel simple. I'm still undecided if it's too simple bad or simple good - so that's why I'm giving it three stars.

[Violet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a fun idea but not the most well executed.

[Philip Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightfully offbeat, humorous ghost story, set on Lake Superior, as three girls on vacation are drawn mysteriously to a spooky island.