Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke



Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is one of my favourite books, and one that I regularly recommend to children in my class. It's amazing to think that it was published almost exactly ten years ago. Ghost Knight is one of Cornelia's latest books and is 'a perfect English ghost story' for children.
 

I was slightly concerned at the beginning because the first few pages reminded me very much of quite a lot of other books I had read (a boy with an unhappy homelife is packed off to boarding school...hmmm), but luckily from the second chapter onwards I was engrossed. Jon Whitcroft, the main character in the book, is eleven and really doesn't get on with his mother's new boyfriend, known simply as The Beard. He very reluctantly agrees to go to boarding school and spends his first night there gazing miserably out of his bedroom window. In the distance he suddenly sees three very strange and terrifying ghosts on horseback. They all ride towards him, pointing and making threatening gestures. Jon panics and tries to run away but is stopped by one of the masters of the school.
 

The next day Jon is approached in the canteen by the mysterious Ella who seems to know not only all about the ghosts but also, more importantly, how to get rid of them. She tells Jon that has to visit the tomb of  a dead knight, Sir William Longspee, and ask for his help in destroying the evil. But what will the knight want from John in return? And what is the secret that Ella's grandmother, Zelda, is hiding?
 

Although this isn't a scary 'jump out of your chair with fright' book, it manages to create a wonderfully spooky atmosphere. The resourceful and brave Ella is a fantastic character who saves Jon on more than one occasion. Some of the conversations between Sir William Longspee and Jon are extremely moving, because both characters are searching for something that they need help from others to find. I also really enjoyed reading the confrontations between Sir William and the major villain in the story, the evil Lord Stourton.

 

It's the kind of book that really ought to be read by the light of a flickering candle when there is a huge storm blowing outside and rain lashing against the window. A very enjoyable read and definitely one for anybody who loves a ghost story.