What do you think?
Rate this book
High Spirits
Winner in Young Adult category of the Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award (formerly the Independent Author Book Awards) “Millions of people will die in the war, Ellie. And it’s our job to make sure it happens. That’s why our work isn’t easy.” It’s been two years since Ellie last spoke to Edward. She thinks she’s left the spirit world behind. But the spirits won’t take no for an answer... When Ellie’s Mum returns to Inchwood Manor, Ellie finds herself going too... and is transported back to the 1930s, discovering a plot to impersonate the King of England. With the Second World War coming, and the first evil spirits starting to escape into the mortal world, Ellie is fighting alongside some unexpected allies... Rob Keeley is back with High Spirits, the fourth instalment in his multi-award-listed Spirits series. The series allows young people to learn more about other times, as well as the time in which they live. High Spirits sees the series come of age and picks up with the central character, Ellie in her teenage years as she begins to realise the true nature of her abilities as one who talks to ghosts – and to discover her destiny. It sees her time-travel to the 1930s, as she discovers evil spirits and Nazi sympathisers working together in a way that will change the course of history. She then discovers the impact that such a change would have. It’s a compelling ghostly thriller, which also allows some parallels to be drawn with the present day. It builds the ongoing story arc to a climax, which will be resolved in the fifth and final book of the series. High Spirits works both as a stand-alone novel and as one of a series. It will appeal to girls and boys of upper primary and lower secondary age – and to parents and teachers reading the book aloud.
- GenresFantasy
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2021
84 people want to read
About the author
Rob Keeley
23 books66 followersI'm an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and drama, particularly for children and a family audience.
I am the creator of the Spirits series of ghost novels and the fourth of these, "High Spirits" was published in October 2017 and was honoured with a win at the Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Awards. The first in the series, "Childish Spirits", was longlisted for the Bath Children's Novel Award and the WriteMentor Children's Novel Award, as well as being nominated for the People's Book Prize. The second in the series, "The Spirit of London" was highly commended for the Independent Author Book Award. I also had a collection of short stories for children ("The Dinner Club and Other Stories") longlisted for the International Rubery Book Award. My first picture book for younger children, "My Favourite People" was published in 2018. In 2019 the final Spirits novel "The Coming of the Spirits" was published and "Childish Spirits" was published as an eBook and an audiobook. In 2020 I was Children's Writer in Residence at the Stay at Home Literary Festival. My first standalone novel for the 8-12s, "The Treasure in the Tower" and my second picture book "Carrots Don't Grow On Trees!" were published in 2021.
My first novel for adults, a murder mystery called "Death At Friar's Inn", was published in March 2022. That year, I also had a short story for children 'Guess What?' shortlisted at the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards. It has now been published in my new collection in March 2023, "The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories". My latest novel for children "The Teacher Who Knew Too Much" is published in 2024. Also in 2024, the Spirits series celebrated its tenth anniversary with a new, special edition of "Childish Spirits". A brand-new Spirits novel "The Fighting Spirit" was published for Christmas 2024.
I have also written for BBC Radio and my one-act stage comedy "Mr Everyone" has been longlisted for the Kenneth Branagh and Alfred Bradley Awards.
I have a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing with Distinction from Lancaster University and in 2015 completed a course in Filmmaking from the National Film and Television School, with a course in Screenwriting following in 2016. In 2016-7 I was a judge for the IGGY and Litro Young Writers' Prize. I am a supporter of the Children's Media Foundation.
I hold author workshops in schools and other venues and one teacher described these as "inspirational"! In May 2024 my workshops were honoured with an award nomination for Fearless Freelancer at the Northern Cultural Education Awards.
For more information, please visit www.robkeeley.co.uk or follow me on X @RobKeeleyAuthor. I have free review copies of my books available, so please contact me if you would like to review! I am particularly keen to hear from BookTubers.
I am the creator of the Spirits series of ghost novels and the fourth of these, "High Spirits" was published in October 2017 and was honoured with a win at the Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Awards. The first in the series, "Childish Spirits", was longlisted for the Bath Children's Novel Award and the WriteMentor Children's Novel Award, as well as being nominated for the People's Book Prize. The second in the series, "The Spirit of London" was highly commended for the Independent Author Book Award. I also had a collection of short stories for children ("The Dinner Club and Other Stories") longlisted for the International Rubery Book Award. My first picture book for younger children, "My Favourite People" was published in 2018. In 2019 the final Spirits novel "The Coming of the Spirits" was published and "Childish Spirits" was published as an eBook and an audiobook. In 2020 I was Children's Writer in Residence at the Stay at Home Literary Festival. My first standalone novel for the 8-12s, "The Treasure in the Tower" and my second picture book "Carrots Don't Grow On Trees!" were published in 2021.
My first novel for adults, a murder mystery called "Death At Friar's Inn", was published in March 2022. That year, I also had a short story for children 'Guess What?' shortlisted at the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards. It has now been published in my new collection in March 2023, "The Boy Who Disappeared and Other Stories". My latest novel for children "The Teacher Who Knew Too Much" is published in 2024. Also in 2024, the Spirits series celebrated its tenth anniversary with a new, special edition of "Childish Spirits". A brand-new Spirits novel "The Fighting Spirit" was published for Christmas 2024.
I have also written for BBC Radio and my one-act stage comedy "Mr Everyone" has been longlisted for the Kenneth Branagh and Alfred Bradley Awards.
I have a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing with Distinction from Lancaster University and in 2015 completed a course in Filmmaking from the National Film and Television School, with a course in Screenwriting following in 2016. In 2016-7 I was a judge for the IGGY and Litro Young Writers' Prize. I am a supporter of the Children's Media Foundation.
I hold author workshops in schools and other venues and one teacher described these as "inspirational"! In May 2024 my workshops were honoured with an award nomination for Fearless Freelancer at the Northern Cultural Education Awards.
For more information, please visit www.robkeeley.co.uk or follow me on X @RobKeeleyAuthor. I have free review copies of my books available, so please contact me if you would like to review! I am particularly keen to hear from BookTubers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 20, 2025
Enthralling!!!
Another great achievement from Rob Keeley, great job!!!!
Such an interesting plot, I couldn’t stop, it caught my curiosity through the whole book!
The characters are so rich, great attentions on the details, thrilling action scenes
Everything was so well written, clean and direct, I was completely satisfied!
For the cherry on the top was that cliffhanger, I just fell from my seat!
I can’t wait for what is coming next!!!
I firmly believe that this series is an excellent tool to make people, of every age, to create a habit in reading, because the whore story is exciting. The book was constructed to be directed to the young audience, and it can teach a little bit of responsibilities and history in an pleasurable way!
Although this book is for the young readers, I believe adults can find a lot of fun in this series, easy reading, just to relax, I was totally entertained!!!
5⭐️
Another great achievement from Rob Keeley, great job!!!!
Such an interesting plot, I couldn’t stop, it caught my curiosity through the whole book!
The characters are so rich, great attentions on the details, thrilling action scenes
Everything was so well written, clean and direct, I was completely satisfied!
For the cherry on the top was that cliffhanger, I just fell from my seat!
I can’t wait for what is coming next!!!
I firmly believe that this series is an excellent tool to make people, of every age, to create a habit in reading, because the whore story is exciting. The book was constructed to be directed to the young audience, and it can teach a little bit of responsibilities and history in an pleasurable way!
Although this book is for the young readers, I believe adults can find a lot of fun in this series, easy reading, just to relax, I was totally entertained!!!
5⭐️
October 15, 2017
Well, I started my review of the third book in the series by stating that 'this series just keeps on getting even better!' and I have to say that is still true. Ellie and her brother Charlie still mainly live with with their Mum who is part of the Journeyback team, though that role is coming to an end. Ellie has had nothing to do with the spirit world for a couple of years after the dramatic events in 'The Sword of the Spirit' which caused her to be wary of further interactions because of the possibilities of her changing things in the past having a potentially catastrophic impact on our present and the future. She was right to be worried and this story shows just why!
Ellie may no longer want to communicate with the spirit world but the spirits are determined to get back in touch with her and want to involve her in another timeslip escapade! They make their presence known on a fun fair ghost train and Ellie is transported back to the 1930s where she is invited to a royal party - but these are impersonators, testing their ability to fool before moving on to their main plot. As the second World War looms, Ellie finds herself fighting the first of the evil spirits to escape after her earlier interventions. She has to work with some surprising allies, learn new skills and endeavour to thwart the enemies intentions to change the future. Can she succeed?
As usual for this talented children's author, the story is an action packed, intriguing read with great characters, a sense of history and more startling revelations. It actually ends on a cliff hanger and I really can't wait to read the sequel! Although it is the fourth book in the series, I suspect it would still work well as a standalone. Like the earlier books, it is still targetted at children aged 8 to 12 years of age but will definitely also appeal to adults who, like me, enjoy this genre. It is a great read, easy to escape into and has a full range of secondary characters with significant roles to play. I continue to believe this story and the whole series is one teachers of this age group should check out as it is a great way of bringing history to life, showing the significance of how choices can affect the future and helping enhance the children's vocabulary and language choices in their own writing.
I have no hesitation in highly recommend this fantastic children’s novel and the whole series to everyone over seven years old.
Thanks to the author and publishers, for gifting me a copy of this book without obligation. This is my honest review after choosing to read it - well, I enjoyed the earlier books so much, I just couldn't resist reading this one!
Ellie may no longer want to communicate with the spirit world but the spirits are determined to get back in touch with her and want to involve her in another timeslip escapade! They make their presence known on a fun fair ghost train and Ellie is transported back to the 1930s where she is invited to a royal party - but these are impersonators, testing their ability to fool before moving on to their main plot. As the second World War looms, Ellie finds herself fighting the first of the evil spirits to escape after her earlier interventions. She has to work with some surprising allies, learn new skills and endeavour to thwart the enemies intentions to change the future. Can she succeed?
As usual for this talented children's author, the story is an action packed, intriguing read with great characters, a sense of history and more startling revelations. It actually ends on a cliff hanger and I really can't wait to read the sequel! Although it is the fourth book in the series, I suspect it would still work well as a standalone. Like the earlier books, it is still targetted at children aged 8 to 12 years of age but will definitely also appeal to adults who, like me, enjoy this genre. It is a great read, easy to escape into and has a full range of secondary characters with significant roles to play. I continue to believe this story and the whole series is one teachers of this age group should check out as it is a great way of bringing history to life, showing the significance of how choices can affect the future and helping enhance the children's vocabulary and language choices in their own writing.
I have no hesitation in highly recommend this fantastic children’s novel and the whole series to everyone over seven years old.
Thanks to the author and publishers, for gifting me a copy of this book without obligation. This is my honest review after choosing to read it - well, I enjoyed the earlier books so much, I just couldn't resist reading this one!
September 19, 2017
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
Elle is back and this time she is a teenager with a crush on her brother Charlie’s friend, Luke. She has left the spirit world behind, and not heard from Edward for the last few years. Although she misses Edward, after the events in the last book she is glad that the spirits haven’t tried to reach her.
Whilst enjoying a ride on the ghost train with Luke, the fake ghosts soon turn into reality telling Ellie they need her help, but she really doesn’t want to help them anymore.
It would seem though that the spirits have more of a hold on Ellie than she knew possible, as she is transported back to the 1930’s, before WWII breaks out. Devious spirits are trying to stop the war, you might think that this is a good idea, but it would change the world as we know it. It’s up to Ellie to make sure that war still happens or our time will be changed forever. Will Ellie succeed or is our world doomed?
‘High Spirits’ is the fourth book in the Childish Spirits series feature Ellie, a young girl living with her mum and brother Charlie. Her mum and dad separated and now her dad is living in their old home whilst they are living in a not-so-nice hotel.
At the start of the series we met a young Ellie meeting cheeky spirit Edward. Over the course of the next two books the two had to pull together if they were to save themselves, and the world from what lies beyond.
This time Edward didn’t feature as much as he did in the other books, which was a shame as I like naughty Edward. I agree entirely with the author that meddling in the past can only turn out badly and cause devastation on today’s society.
The book is a fun Children’s/YA novel, though it is a straight forward story of courage and doing the right thing, mixed in with the paranormal. There are no love scenes, or much in the way of action. What you get is a good, clean story with a great plot.
You do need to read the other books in the series to understand what is happening in this one. The author has also left us dangling this time with its cliffhanger of an ending. This sets up the last book in the series, ‘The coming of the Spirits’ perfectly.
Elle is back and this time she is a teenager with a crush on her brother Charlie’s friend, Luke. She has left the spirit world behind, and not heard from Edward for the last few years. Although she misses Edward, after the events in the last book she is glad that the spirits haven’t tried to reach her.
Whilst enjoying a ride on the ghost train with Luke, the fake ghosts soon turn into reality telling Ellie they need her help, but she really doesn’t want to help them anymore.
It would seem though that the spirits have more of a hold on Ellie than she knew possible, as she is transported back to the 1930’s, before WWII breaks out. Devious spirits are trying to stop the war, you might think that this is a good idea, but it would change the world as we know it. It’s up to Ellie to make sure that war still happens or our time will be changed forever. Will Ellie succeed or is our world doomed?
‘High Spirits’ is the fourth book in the Childish Spirits series feature Ellie, a young girl living with her mum and brother Charlie. Her mum and dad separated and now her dad is living in their old home whilst they are living in a not-so-nice hotel.
At the start of the series we met a young Ellie meeting cheeky spirit Edward. Over the course of the next two books the two had to pull together if they were to save themselves, and the world from what lies beyond.
This time Edward didn’t feature as much as he did in the other books, which was a shame as I like naughty Edward. I agree entirely with the author that meddling in the past can only turn out badly and cause devastation on today’s society.
The book is a fun Children’s/YA novel, though it is a straight forward story of courage and doing the right thing, mixed in with the paranormal. There are no love scenes, or much in the way of action. What you get is a good, clean story with a great plot.
You do need to read the other books in the series to understand what is happening in this one. The author has also left us dangling this time with its cliffhanger of an ending. This sets up the last book in the series, ‘The coming of the Spirits’ perfectly.
January 6, 2021
The educational value is strong, and I personally did not understand the significance of who Edward VIII was until now. While I did have some knowledge of the relationship between England and Germany prior to the war, it is surprising to me that the action of getting married became the pivoting factor between WWII and a Nazi-controlled Europe. For all the times Keeley could have chosen to write the book on, 1936 was a great pick to drive home how unstable history is.
My critique is how short all the books are, especially this one in particular. The ending fight felt rushed, and I wish there was more suspense.
My critique is how short all the books are, especially this one in particular. The ending fight felt rushed, and I wish there was more suspense.
September 22, 2017
High Spirits by Rob Keeley was a Goodreads win.
High Spirits is latest in a series of books aimed at approx 10 -12 year old children. It is a book of adventure, intrigue and imagination, which aims to introduce children to the past. It asks the question ‘What if things had been different’ and how would that have affected the present.
Ellie is a reluctant time traveller into the past, via the spirit world. She knows that she is invited into the past to make sure history runs smoothly, but she is scared she will get things wrong. She goes back to the 1930s to foil a plot by an impersonator of the king. If the plot is foiled, World War 2 will happen and millions of lives lost. If the plot is successful, Germany will take over England.
We don't know whether she succeeded until the end of the book.
The book has excitement and pace. The vocabulary and length are suitable for its target age range. I like the idea of considering how events in history affect the future, but not sure about linking it to the supernatural. Would shifts in time worked as well, or would children find that too boring. I will give it to my 10 year old grandson, and see what he thinks!
September 12, 2019
This is the fourth book in the Spirits Series with Ellie continuing to have encounters with the spirit world.
In this book Ellie’s back at Inchwood Manor with her Mum, the place where her ghostly adventures first began. She’s looking forward to catching up with Edward again, but when she arrives there’s no sign of him. Instead she finds herself being transported back to the 1930s when Edward VIII is on the throne with Mrs Simpson by his side. Ellie finds herself getting mixed up with weird goings on at Inchwood Manor involving visiting Nazi dignitaries and doppelgängers from the spirit world.
I felt so sorry for Ellie as she’d been trying so hard to stay away from the spirit world. She thought she’d left all those ghostly encounters behind and was enjoying her quiet life with a teenage crush on her Luke, her brother’s friend. She was quite reluctant to get involved with what was going on at Inchwood and I didn’t blame her really. Unfortunately she doesn’t have a choice because of what happened in the previous book The Sword of the Spirit.
This book left me on a real cliffhanger when it ended, not knowing if Ellie would be alright or not. Fortunately I had the next and final book in the series to read so I didn’t have to wait to discover what happened next!
Thanks so much to the author for my lovely paperback copy.
In this book Ellie’s back at Inchwood Manor with her Mum, the place where her ghostly adventures first began. She’s looking forward to catching up with Edward again, but when she arrives there’s no sign of him. Instead she finds herself being transported back to the 1930s when Edward VIII is on the throne with Mrs Simpson by his side. Ellie finds herself getting mixed up with weird goings on at Inchwood Manor involving visiting Nazi dignitaries and doppelgängers from the spirit world.
I felt so sorry for Ellie as she’d been trying so hard to stay away from the spirit world. She thought she’d left all those ghostly encounters behind and was enjoying her quiet life with a teenage crush on her Luke, her brother’s friend. She was quite reluctant to get involved with what was going on at Inchwood and I didn’t blame her really. Unfortunately she doesn’t have a choice because of what happened in the previous book The Sword of the Spirit.
This book left me on a real cliffhanger when it ended, not knowing if Ellie would be alright or not. Fortunately I had the next and final book in the series to read so I didn’t have to wait to discover what happened next!
Thanks so much to the author for my lovely paperback copy.
January 16, 2021
Have you ever started reading a book, and it's so fun and riveting that you just keep reading, and before you know it you've read the whole book and you haven't left your chair for like 3 hours?
Well, now I can add High Spirits to the list of books I've read in less than 24 hours. It's actually a pretty short list that includes Ella Enchanted, The Titan's Curse, and Gloria Whelan's Burying the Sun.
Now, admittedly, High Spirits is not a long book, so it's not like it took me more than a few hours to read. But I've read books of the same length that took me forever to get through, so this is still an accomplishment.
As usual, Rob Keeley's absolutely perfect storytelling, quick dashes of humor, and ghostly surprises made this a joy to read.
In High Spirits, Ellie has to repair the damage she did trying to save her friends in the last book. She's gotten involved in the world of spirits, and now she has to see things through to the end. This time, that means saving England from falling into the wrong hands. As in all the Spirits novels, there's a lot at stake here, but possibly more than ever before. If Ellie fails, England will fall to a pair of shapeshifting spirits and German Nazis will take over the world.
OK yes, Nazis taking over is not exactly the most original plot line in the history of the world, but this is definitely a new spin on it and after all, when you need some token bad guys, who's better than Nazis?
Luckily, this story is told in such a fun way and the action is so non-stop that I never felt like the plot line was stale or overdone. It introduces us to some new characters--well, new after a fashion. (Is it a new character if it's just a younger version of a character we've already met in the present?) My favorite was Clara Harvey, an outspoken young girl from the 1930s. I also liked her brother Tom. There's not much of my favorite ghost child Edward Fitzberranger in this one, but since I'm sure that will be rectified in the next novel, I won't lodge a complaint at this time.
And, typical of Rob Keeley's Spirits novels, High Spirits leaves off with a major cliffhanger, though this may be the biggest one to date. History has been rewritten, and once again, it looks like Ellie is the only one who can set things right. I'm excited to continue this delightful story in the final novel, The Coming of the Spirits.
Well, now I can add High Spirits to the list of books I've read in less than 24 hours. It's actually a pretty short list that includes Ella Enchanted, The Titan's Curse, and Gloria Whelan's Burying the Sun.
Now, admittedly, High Spirits is not a long book, so it's not like it took me more than a few hours to read. But I've read books of the same length that took me forever to get through, so this is still an accomplishment.
As usual, Rob Keeley's absolutely perfect storytelling, quick dashes of humor, and ghostly surprises made this a joy to read.
In High Spirits, Ellie has to repair the damage she did trying to save her friends in the last book. She's gotten involved in the world of spirits, and now she has to see things through to the end. This time, that means saving England from falling into the wrong hands. As in all the Spirits novels, there's a lot at stake here, but possibly more than ever before. If Ellie fails, England will fall to a pair of shapeshifting spirits and German Nazis will take over the world.
OK yes, Nazis taking over is not exactly the most original plot line in the history of the world, but this is definitely a new spin on it and after all, when you need some token bad guys, who's better than Nazis?
Luckily, this story is told in such a fun way and the action is so non-stop that I never felt like the plot line was stale or overdone. It introduces us to some new characters--well, new after a fashion. (Is it a new character if it's just a younger version of a character we've already met in the present?) My favorite was Clara Harvey, an outspoken young girl from the 1930s. I also liked her brother Tom. There's not much of my favorite ghost child Edward Fitzberranger in this one, but since I'm sure that will be rectified in the next novel, I won't lodge a complaint at this time.
And, typical of Rob Keeley's Spirits novels, High Spirits leaves off with a major cliffhanger, though this may be the biggest one to date. History has been rewritten, and once again, it looks like Ellie is the only one who can set things right. I'm excited to continue this delightful story in the final novel, The Coming of the Spirits.
August 31, 2017
Ellie is back! And this time she is transported to the 1930's to soak up the atmosphere and history around - and to try not to meddle too much in changing the timeline! Easier said than done where Ellie is concerned!
This is my 2nd visit to Ellie and her world, and I loved this just as much as my last visit! The author does a fantastic job of telling the story of Ellie and her family in the present, and all the trials and tribulations that family life can entail alongside the historical aspects of travelling back in time.
When her mum returns to Inchwood Manor, Ellie wonders if the spirit world there will involve her once more and she isn't disappointed when the other world comes calling. Back in the 1930's she finds herself at a party as a guest, alongside royalty, and the topic of conversation startles her and how things are being engineered to set historic events on a deadly course. But just what is Ellie meant to do about it?
There is a nice mix of royal history and that of the rise of Nazi Germany and it is approached by the author in a sensible manner that will keep readers of all ages enthralled and eager to read more of events of the time.
I found this to be another exciting adventure and had an ending that left me wanting more and hopefully it won't be too long before Ellie is back to continue her adventures!!
Thank you to the author and publishers for the advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review!
This is my 2nd visit to Ellie and her world, and I loved this just as much as my last visit! The author does a fantastic job of telling the story of Ellie and her family in the present, and all the trials and tribulations that family life can entail alongside the historical aspects of travelling back in time.
When her mum returns to Inchwood Manor, Ellie wonders if the spirit world there will involve her once more and she isn't disappointed when the other world comes calling. Back in the 1930's she finds herself at a party as a guest, alongside royalty, and the topic of conversation startles her and how things are being engineered to set historic events on a deadly course. But just what is Ellie meant to do about it?
There is a nice mix of royal history and that of the rise of Nazi Germany and it is approached by the author in a sensible manner that will keep readers of all ages enthralled and eager to read more of events of the time.
I found this to be another exciting adventure and had an ending that left me wanting more and hopefully it won't be too long before Ellie is back to continue her adventures!!
Thank you to the author and publishers for the advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews