The Blue Ghost (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) - Hardcover

Bauer, Marion Dane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375831797 ISBN 13: 9780375831799

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2005

Synopsis

Liz is staying with her grandmother in her old house in the woods of northern Minnesota when one night a noise awakens her. It is someone calling her name, calling for Elizabeth. Liz opens her eyes. There is a blue ghost in her room! What does the ghost want from her?
This exciting mystery by Newbery Honor writer Marion Dane Bauer is perfect for first chapter-book readers.

About this title

About the Author

Marion Dane Bauer is the author of more than 40 books for children, including the Newbery Honor—winning book On My Honor, and Rain of Fire, which won a Jane Adams Peace Association Award. She has also won the Kerlan Award for the body of her work. She lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Reviews

Grade 2-4–Nine-year-old Liz is helping her grandmother prepare to sell the old family cabin. She is awakened at night by a strange blue light and a voice calling her name. In the corner of her room, a ghostly woman dressed in old-fashioned clothes beckons to her and then disappears through the wall. Later, Liz hears voices and a baby's cry coming from behind the spot where the blue ghost vanished. She follows the sound and finds herself in the same cabin but long ago when it was first built. There, three little boys and a tiny baby are all in the care of a girl not much older than Liz herself. When the girl calls her a guardian angel, Liz knows that she has been summoned to the past because the children and the blue ghost need her help. This skillfully written short chapter book moves smoothly between the present and past. There is a strong emphasis on family heritage and intergenerational relations. Gran's stories about their family history provide the clues that Liz needs to answer the ghost's plea. Expressive black-and-white pictures heighten the suspense. Transition readers attracted by the wonderfully spooky cover art will find this a satisfying read.–Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 2-4. While staying with her grandmother in Gran's childhood home, Liz wakes one night when she hears her name--and sees a mysterious blue light that coalesces into the image of a woman in old-fashioned dress. Perhaps it's a dream, but then there are the faint voices that seem to come from the walls, which Liz can step through to go back in time. On the other side of the walls, she meets a family of children, including Elizabeth, who calls Liz "guardian angel." It's a puzzle, until Liz is summoned through the wall one night, and finds the children in need of help. This gentle ghost story, written in simple prose, blends mild suspense with a look at how the past connects to and influences the present. Mystery fans will enjoy the spooky premise, and Wang's softly rendered black-and-white drawings increase the ghostly atmosphere. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375831797
• ISBN 13: 9780375831799
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96