Description
Ten-year-old Sly is spending the weekend with their fortune-telling grandmother at the mysterious Madsen Mansion.
It’s Samhain, a time when the spirits can cross over into the living world, and the old mansion has secrets whispering in the rafters and unused rooms. When Sly and their grandmother hear a voice calling, Sly unlocks a cabinet that reveals a ghost girl who is trapped in a mirror. Then they accidentally speak the words of the spell that enchanted the girl in the first place, and Sly and their grandmother risk being imprisoned in the mirror as well. With the clock ticking till the end of Samhain, it’s up to Sly to solve the ghost’s riddles and puzzles and locate a long-lost book of spells in hopes of freeing them all.
The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Author Bio
Brooke Carter is a Canadian novelist and the author of several contemporary books for teens, including Double or Nothing (Junior Library Guild Gold Selection), Learning Seventeen (CCBC Best Book for Teens) and Sulfur Heart from the Orca Soundings line. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of British Columbia.
Prizes
- Top Grade: CanLit for the ClassroomCommended 2023
- Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book AwardShort-listed 2024
- Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Award - Honour bookCommended 2025
- CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selectionCommended 2024
- Telling Tales Reading ListCommended 2025
Review Quotes
“If you’re looking for a beginning chapter book with an eerie, supernatural atmosphere, look no further…This paranormal mystery offers spooky elements that support the mystical vibe of the story without being scary…Sly’s character being non-binary is written in a way that feels natural and normal. Well-suited for early readers, this book will be on excellent addition to any classroom or library.”
— Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)“A great introduction to spooky stories, allows readers to dip a toe in the genre. With its fun and engaging narrative, well-developed characters, and lessons about bravery and resilience, it’s sure to be a hit. Highly recommended.”
— CM: Canadian Review of MaterialsBiographical note
Brooke Carter is a Canadian novelist and the author of several contemporary books for teens, including Double or Nothing (Junior Library Guild Gold Selection), Learning Seventeen (CCBC Best Book for Teens) and Lucky Break from the Orca Soundings line. She earned her MFA in creative writing at UBC.
Alyssa Waterbury is an illustrator from London, Ontario. A graduate of the Sheridan College illustration program, her work aims to keep things thoughtful, with a dash of playfulness.
