Ghost Knight

Ghost Knight

By Cornelia Funke

Illustrations by Andrea Offermann

Cornelia Funke has written a variety of novels for young readers. Ghost Knight, her newest, is a treat. Jon Whitcroft, a Harry Potter wannabe, is banished to a boarding school where he meets a variety of people, only some of which are alive. He likes to think that he's a martyr for being sent to a boarding school, but some friendly roommates, a new best friend, and a surprise encounter with his soon-to-be step-father reveals that his perspective is a little skewed.

Some teenager or preteen characters are frustrating; I don't like being inside their heads. Funke did an excellent job of balancing irrational preteen behavior and thoughts with redeeming character traits in Jon Whitcroft so that even though I shook my head at him a couple times, I also really liked him.

This mystery is a lot of fun, with a lot of twists and turns. This delicious ghost story has enough suspense to make it a quality ghost story but doesn't cross over into being a horror story. I was also pleasantly surprised to find, upon completing Ghost Knight, that I had learned some interesting history while reading. William Longspee, the ghost who plays the biggest role in the story, was actually a real person and the places described in the book that have to do with him (most notably his sepulcher in Salisbury Cathedral) are real.

I appreciated the beautiful illustrations in this book. The ones that are of real places are accurate (which I only found out through Google after finishing the book). I like it when chapter books for young readers include a lot of pictures. I think reading becomes a more gratifying experience for young readers, especially those who struggle, if they are able to see pictures and turn pages a little more quickly. I remember reading Great Illustrated Classics when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. The stories themselves were fascinating, but I also appreciated that there were as many pages with pictures as there were pages with pictures.

Funke left one big gaping hole that I was unsatisfied with: How did Alesiter Jindrich, the chorister ghost, find William Longspee's heart the first time, when he was still human? I thought that the story was building up to a treasure hunt for Jon and his friend Ella, but the treasure hunt fizzled and readers are never gratified with an explanation as to where Longspee's heart had been hiding.

Overall, I sincerely enjoyed Ghost Knight. I wonder if Funke will write a sequel. I enjoyed Jon and Ella and their story enough that I kind of hope she does! Check it out! But if you do, save it for a misty gray day, when you can sit by a low light and drink some hot chocolate while you read.

Find at Little Brown | Visit Cornelia Funke