Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior Book

Welcome to the humorous adventures of three girls - Amanda, her kid sister Sally, and her best friend Roxanne - as they find themselves trapped on Shadow Island, a strange and desolate tiny island near a sleepy resort somewhere on Lake Superior. To have any chance to get away, they will have to explore the mysterious and long-abandoned Stardust Hotel. Unfortunately for the three of them, the old Victorian building is not quite as deserted as everyone thought! As in all of Bial's popular ghost stories, the young protagonists will encounter a host of ghosts as they dash from one humorous encounter to the next. In the process, they will learn about themselves, about friendship and family, and about the importance of doing the right thing even in trying circumstances.

Raymond Bial is the acclaimed author of more than 80 books for children and adults, including many historical photo-documentary books such as Amish Home, The Underground Railroad, Where Lincoln Walked, and others. His previous ghost stories include The Fresh Grave and The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek. He lives in Urbana, Illinois.

Kathryn KosiorekCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

Gr 5 8
From the moment that Amanda and her family arrive at the Pinedale resort on Lake Superior, it is obvious that something is amiss. Soon, they are treated to a ghost story warning them away from nearby Shadow Island. When the 12-year-old finds herself drawn there, she, her younger sister, and her friend Roxanne row to the island in a haunted boat and become embroiled in a whopper of a ghost story. Bial piles every possible haunted-house convention into the island's Victorian Stardust Hotel, repeating some of the elements he successfully used in previous novels. There are drug dealers disguised as ghosts; ghosts of wronged lovers, of lost lovers, and of a grieving mother and vengeful father; and a conspiracy by the locals to find hidden treasure. The girls escape death threats time and again by discovering secret panels, hidden staircases, hand holds in a chimney, and a tunnel. Clues abound as writing appears on a mirror and notes and letters are found. Amanda's resourcefulness and Sally's new confidence enable them to escape, and the townspeople are forced to look at their violent and prejudiced past as one of them admits to murdering the Native American lover of one of the many ghosts. At times the quick plot turns create a sense of excitement and humor, and the near misses add fear, but the story is dragged down by a plethora of plot elements all stuffed into one overwhelming night.