Childish Spirits

This heartwarming tale is the perfect Christmas read with an element of mystery and a haunting suspense that gets interesting by the minute, replete with picturesque descriptions & well-ethched, compelling characters. The sinister governess, the charming spirit, an endearing father-daughter relationship, families breaking up, the sinking feeling first-hand through the eyes of little Ellie, this book has it all. The cipher laden conclusion in the Victorian house was brilliant, entwined in an old worldly charm, like the Enid Blyton books of yore.Absolutely loved it and look forward to 'The Spirit of London'. Thanks for reviving my Childish spirit.

Having come to this series late - I started with book 3 The Sword of the Spirit - I've been thrilled to be able to listen to the audio version of Book 1 to see where it all began and I loved how brilliant it was to hear it all brought to life, and loved the drama, mystery and humour throughout! Ellie is the star of this series, and we find her moving to Inchwood Manor, along with her mum and older brother, as a new chapter of their life begins and her mum starts a new job helping prepare the old house to be opened to the public. Ellie is quite excited by the mve, the same can't be said for her brother Charlie! It doesn't take Ellie long to notice a young boy watching her, and she's braver than I would be when she starts exploring the Manor late at night when she starts hearing noises, and comes face to face with a prank pulling young boy called Edward! What follows then is her learning about the history of the house and finding out about the family who lived there, and why Edward seems to be trapped and so scared of his governess who still haunts the rooms too. Ellie has this boundless enthusiasm that is infectious! She's willing to throw herself into solving the mysteries of the Manor as well as helping Edward and it's also a great way to learn about the differences between growing up now, and how Edward grew up in the Victorian years. There are some scary moments alongside quite emotional times when Edward is remembering his family and this was all brilliantly portrayed in the audio version too! It's a great mix for readers (and listeners!) of all ages! I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing how this fabulous series started - I love the mix of history to be learnt and mysteries to be solved, and my thanks go to the author and publisher for letting me have a copy of the audiobook in return for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book myself, even though I bought it for my 11 year old child. A great atmospheric ghost story that older kids will enjoy. Looking forward to trying book 2.