The prankster and the ghost is a new book by R. L. Stedman. I’ve reviewed three of Stedman’s books previously and you can find the reviews here:
I’ve enjoyed all of her books a this one didn’t disappoint me either although it’s intended for a younger audience (6 and up) rather than the young adults of her previous books.
The book centres around Tayla who is stuck in a hospital bed unable to move. So he decides to leave his body. Meanwhile Jamie is new to New Zealand and lonely but also suspects that his school is haunted.
I’m liking
This book deals with death in a really respectful and thoughtful way. My six year old tried reading it but was scared by what she thought was going to happen. Now that I’ve read it we’re going to try reading it together again because I like how the story evolves and think she’ll enjoy it.
Things that made me go hmmmm
I thought that the book was going to be full of practical jokes jointly concocted by Tayla and Jamie taking advantage of Tayla’s ghost status. Unfortunately they don’t quite manage to get into lots of trouble before circumstances prevent them. But the author does list the practical jokes in the book and there are actually lots in there.
The conclusion
R.L. Stedman has again delivered a great book. While I’m far from the target audience I enjoyed it and would recommend it to younger readers. It does deal with death and ghosts, but in a gentle way that shouldn’t scare readers. Now that my daughter is assured that nothing too scary happens she’s keen to read it with me.
