School of the Dead - by Avi (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

In this spine-tingling story from Newbery Medal winner Avi, a boy must solve the mystery of the ghost haunting him. Full of twists and turns that get spookier by the chapter, School of the Dead is a fast-paced mystery that Avi's fans will devour!

For most of Tony Gilbert's life, he has thought of his uncle as "Weird Uncle Charlie." That is, until Uncle Charlie moves in with Tony and his family. Uncle Charlie is still odd, of course--talking about spirits and other supernatural stuff--but he and Tony become fast friends, and Tony ends up having a lot of fun with Uncle Charlie.

When Uncle Charlie dies suddenly, Tony is devastated. Then he starts seeing Uncle Charlie everywhere! It doesn't help that Tony switched schools--it was Uncle Charlie's dying wish that Tony attend the Penda School, where Uncle Charlie himself went as a kid. The Penda School is eerie enough without his uncle's ghost making it worse. On top of that, rumors have been circulating about a student who went missing shortly before Tony arrived. Could that somehow be related to Uncle Charlie's ghost?

Review Quotes

"Hair-raising chases through dark, menacing secret passageways combine with an effective mingling of genuine school angst and the more spectral variety to create a scary, suspenseful, and chillingly immersive experience." -- Kirkus Reviews

"A twisted mystery. This ghostly tale lives up to the chills suggested by the title." -- Publishers Weekly

"Avi takes readers on a wild ride where the dead do far more than haunt the living. Hand this spine-tingling work to readers who have embraced Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Cornelia Funke's Ghost Knight. " -- School Library Journal

"Will leave more than a few hearts pounding. Give this to readers who like an old-fashioned ghost story with a contemporary twist." -- ALA Booklist

Praise for CRISPIN: THE END OF TIME: "Avi guides his hero toward a final, very satisfying destiny in this wonderfully realized conclusion to the Crispin trilogy. A heart-stopping read .... Thrilling and beautifully wrought." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for CRISPIN: THE END OF TIME: "The action is nonstop and danger is around every corner. The first-person voice lends a sense of urgency to the novel, and Avi's writing style is as elegant and engaging as ever." -- School Library Journal

Praise for CRISPIN: THE END OF TIME: "This final volume in the Crispin trilogy showcases the same strengths as the earlier books: brisk, suspenseful narrative with effortlessly interwoven details of medieval life and provocative questions of ethics and morality. Another rousing page-turner." -- The Horn Book