Spindlewood
Freddie Kölsch
Puffin Books

At the start of the story twelve year old Lilac Black lives in Salem, Massachusetts with Uncle Beau and Uncle Bell having done so since her mother died. She comes from a long line of Seers and has an inquiring mind, so says Uncle Bell.

One day when her Uncle Bell is struggling during one of his séances, Lilac comes to his rescue and in so doing accidentally exhibits abilities that make both of her uncles believe that she’s an ideal candidate to attend Spindlewood School of Seeing.
Full of remorse, Lilac realises that ‘either ghosts were real … or somewhere off the New England coast was an elite school full of delusional people.’ However, to the secret Spindlewood School of Seeing she goes, but as one of the Unseeing who’s never seen a ghost, she’ll have to keep everyone around her convinced that she can in fact, See.

When she goes into the library, a journal belonging to a Lenet Gardner falls from the shelf and lands right at Lilac’s feet. As she reads it she feels she must endeavour to unravel an enduring mystery. The first girl she meets is Emmanuelle Williams, a True Seer who needs no rituals to speak with spirits seemingly seeing them everywhere, and a roommate uses dream to talk to ghosts. The two don’t really get on and Lilac feels caught between them but becomes friends with Em.

But something is very wrong at the school: all the ghosts are sending messages warning students of danger. Something the adults refuse to talk about is in the library basement so it’s down to Lilac and her friend to save the school. Can they succeed and can Lilac keep her inability to See under wraps?

A terrific read for those around Lilac’s age: it’s enormously compelling with credible characters and occasional dashes of spookiness.