My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Intriguing children's chapter book featuring ghosts and revenge
The Ghost of Whispering Willow by author Amanda M. Thrasher is an intriguing mystery of ghosts and revenge intruding into the present day. The story features a group of engaging (and brave!) middle-schoolers, boys and girls, who work together to help two young ghosts in trouble.
While the story includes both male and female protagonists, the boys take the lead in discovering the truth behind the shadowy figures glimpsed lurking around the neighboring woods, and it is from their viewpoint that the story's events unfold. The girls are a giggly, squealing friends group who have also seen what the boys saw in the woods and enter the story while spying on the boys' activities. The two groups' attitudes toward and behavior around each other seemed pretty accurate and made me smile and shake my head. However, while the boys took more active, in-charge roles, the girls were assigned more passive and removed activities (researching on the internet or at the library, talking to long-time residents or neighbors of the woods) depicted as playing to their strengths. They were also consistently portrayed as giggling, squealing, and repeatedly screaming when ghosts appeared. In fairness, all the boys admitted to being scared and occasionally cried out when surprised but this was not the hallmark of their personas.The story is tense, exciting, and quite robust, especially for a children's chapter book, and it is sure to keep readers invested and very entertained. The children execute a full-on investigation into their research about the woods and the possible presence of a ghost. The author's storytelling is compelling, with brilliant plot twists that genuinely surprised me. Atmospheric descriptions of the woods and night set a suspenseful stage, and menacing adult spirits really upped the feeling of danger looming ahead. I was glued to this story and satisfied with the resolution.
I recommend THE GHOST OF WHISPERING WILLOW to readers in middle school and above who enjoy ghost stories.