Spook's Shack Book

When Finn is sent to live with his great-aunt for the summer, he's thrilled by the possibility of adventure offered by the wilderness surrounding the house. But when he stumbles across an old shack inhabited by a glowing green ghost and his specter of a dog, things quickly take a turn for the weird. The ghost, Jack Henry, has a special connection with the land and its creatures. He rescues an orphaned wallaby and helps Finn learn to understand the cry of the kookaburra. When a greedy businessman wants to bulldoze the trees in order to mine for gold, Finn and Jack combine their practical and spooky powers to save the land and the animals that live there. Themes of environmentalism and altruism make this chapter book much more than just a ghost story.

Janice DeLong - Children's Literature

While his parents are traveling to find a home in "the biggest city in the world," Finn is left with a great aunt in the bush country of Australia. With Aunt Agatha's warning to stay away from the mansion of Boris Banks ringing in his ears, the lonely boy heads into the bush. His hostess has encouraged her young guest to explore the inviting sights and sounds that surround her deserted cabin. Little does Finn suspect that his first two acquaintances will be a ghost and his spectral dog. Chilled, yet intrigued, Finn invites conversation, and that leads to adventure, and eventually to the forbidden mansion of Boris Banks. Murder, storm, fire, lost and found gold nuggets, remorse, and redemption follow in rapid succession in this small novel straight from Down Under. 2003, Allen & Unwin, Ages 8 to 12.