Great Lakes Ghost Ship

Michigan Chillers #11

by Johnathan Rand

The Coast Guard cutter 'Mackinaw' is docked at the port of Cheboygan, the hometown of Emily, Brian and Gavin. But with it comes an old legend and it's haggard old sea captain... an old sailor who invites the unsuspecting to come aboard, never to release them from his Ghost Ship!

Genres: Childrens, Horror

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Christopher Wright is the author of dozens of horror fiction books for children and young adults. He writes under the pseudonyms Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight. Almost all of Wright's books (save American Chillers) take place in his home state of Michigan.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

For eleven-year-old Emilee Beech and her ten-year-old brother Brian, the paranormal doesn't visit their hometown as it does in most Michigan Chillers books. Their scares come on a family trip to Cheboygan, where their grandparents live. Gavin Stewart, a friend Emilee's age from her grandparents' neighborhood, tells her a local legend about the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw. The massive ship—almost three hundred feet long and seventy-five feet wide—patrols the Great Lakes in winter to bust up ice so boats can pass through. According to legend, a ghost captain appears in Cheboygan every October to lure people onboard the Mackinaw, which morphs into a ghost ship and traps its passengers forever. Emilee, Brian, and Gavin don't believe the story, but they walk together to the lakeside to see the Mackinaw. Emilee and Brian have never seen a ship that size.

The three kids are delighted when Gavin's uncle Pete, a crew member, hails them from the ship and offers to lead Gavin and his friends on a tour. The labyrinthine interior of the ship is intriguing, but Uncle Pete halts the tour partway through, leaving to address an issue elsewhere on the Mackinaw, and doesn't return. Emilee, Brian, and Gavin are just starting to worry, when someone enters the room...but it's not Uncle Pete. The man looks like a zombie in a sailor suit, and the three friends panic as they realize what must be happening: the legend of the ghost ship is real, and they're trapped on it.

Emilee, her brother, and Gavin race up and down stairways and ladders, in and out of rooms that serve every purpose imaginable on a ship. They duck into closets whenever a zombie sailor shuffles in their direction, and by now the zombies are legion. If one of these creatures grabs any of the three kids, their story could come to a violent end. Emilee, Brian, and Gavin crawl through the ship's vent system to stay out of sight, and scurry through increasingly ghoulish rooms as their trek continues. The legend insists that those who board the phantom ship are doomed, but giving up isn't an option as long as there's a sliver of hope. If Emilee, Brian, and Gavin reach the outside deck, they can yell for help or dive to the frigid waters below...but can three terrified preteens evade a pack of zombies long enough to make one final bid for freedom?

With tunnels and secret rooms everywhere, Great Lakes Ghost Ship is a spiritual sibling to Sinister Spiders of Saginaw, and that's fitting, considering there's a direct reference to that book in this one. On page one hundred thirty-seven, it is revealed that Emilee's cousin is Jarred Rook, one of the arachno-sapien aliens who helped fight the villains in Sinister Spiders of Saginaw. I like Johnathan Rand's habit of making cross-references within his multiple Chillers series, even if Jarred's name is spelled with only one "r" when he's mentioned here. As usual for this series, Great Lakes Ghost Ship doesn't benefit from mind-blowing plot twists, but it's a sturdy narrative that imparts the feeling of wandering through a maze-like structure. It might be too frightening to enjoy if your life were on the line, but it's exciting for the reader. Johnathan Rand's Chillers aren't master works, but I have fun with them, and look forward to more.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for 5th Grand Lit Lunch this week at one of my schools. There were snow days, so we didn't get to the end....but Kelly (fellow librarian) told me what happens and I'm not too impressed. Goosebumps are waaaaay better. :\

[Max Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came out during a hard time in my life. I had just divorced my third wife and lost my trailer. I moved into my parent's house and started wearing diapers after that because I would piss myself from these scary books.

I walked up to my dad telling him I wanted to do something with my life. "Dad," I said. "I'm gonna start writing horror books. But I'm gonna make them not too scary. More like Johnathan Rand scary."

Dad looked down at me. "By Johnathan Rand scary," he said, "do you mean not scary at all?"

"They ARE scary!" I screamed, turning around and storming off to my room. "You just don't get it!"

Pretty good book.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 5th grade class and we loved it! The story is great, the characters are fun, and the whole premise draws you in to the story from the very first chapter! All of my students were engaged in the book and can't wait to read more of the Michigan Chillers books.

[Lisa Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was super good. the amount of detail was prodigious. and it gave just the right amount of chills

[Kenneth BLANCK · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not what i thought it was. not at all scary. my least fav one. BUT, it did have some action that i really liked.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good story! It happens around Halloween, so that makes it even better!
Kids and adults will enjoy it!
Enjoy!

[Abby H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty good and it had a crazy plot twist!😁

[dano kluz]

LOOK HEAR ME OUT. I had to read this whole book out loud to my class, SO IT COUNTS.

[Wolverinefactor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending is so stupidly obvious

[Austin A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Great Lakes Ghost Ship(Michigan Chillers) by Johnathon Rand is a suspenseful thriller about a brother and a sister coming from Grand Blanc Michigan named Emily and Brian. They are invited to come stay unexpectedly at their grandparents house in Cheboygan Michigan. They arrive at their grandparents when they decide to see a friend down the street named Gavin. Emily and Brian come to the realization that Gavin and his family are gone then they begin to walk home. When they see a dark shadow in a neighbors house hey were creeped out until a man begins to speak and what is spoke will raise the hairs on your neck. Then Brian tells him that he thought he saw a ghost and the man says "not yet anyway".

The main plot of this story is about when Gavin takes Emily and Brian to the United States Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw to find the legend of great lakes ghost ship only to find that Gavin's uncle see's them and volunteers to give them a tour. In the middle of the tour Gavin's uncle has to leave for an emergency. Emily, Brian, and Gavin become lost; while trying to find their way out they run into zombie sailors and big spiders. Which leads them to believe the legend is true.


I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspenseful thriller. The reason I would highly recommend you read this books is because the plot has a slight twist which leave you wondering. Toward the end of the book I had an ah ha moment when I figured out the twist. I enjoyed reading this book because finding out the true background in how the legend came about was really thought-provoking.

[Anna Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't that bad of a book. The story starts off with family and friends and they had found out about this ship that is haunted. So the kids decide to find this ship. When they found the ship they went inside and looked around and were hearing a lot of weird things though out the ship. I think that this book is best for younger kids to read.

[Turner Pline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emillee and Brian Beech, and their friend Gavin Srewart are offered a tour through United States Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, a huge ship stationed in the Cheboygan River. They will never forget this tour because legend has it a haggard sea captain invites people to tour it at night and then he traps them in the ship. Will they survive?

[Jerryd2020 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book in my opinion is really good it was amazing. At times the book can relate to you in your life such as as how Brian finds spiders to disgusting, horrifying creatures. Sometimes the book can be really humorous at the end when everything that Emilee, Brian, and Gavin encountered was all fake and just for a Halloween event.

[Crazed Jaws · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an imformig book that is for those that like things that go bump in the night.

[Ais Eddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too easy to predict but took me just a couple days to read.

[Nicholas Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good but to boaring for me!

[Dj · Rating 5 out of 5]

They get trapped on a ghost ship. They have to find their way out but they keep running into zombies.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

they get trapped on a ghost ship and they keep running into zombie sailors

[Erin Fischer-Ballew · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the scariest we've read so far!

[Eileen V · Rating 5 out of 5]

cool

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book for people are starting the series because it's not as scary as the other ones

[Bryan Lemson · Rating 5 out of 5]

its very good.

[Brandon Droste · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is very good and i recommend it,it is a 5 star to me.

[Netta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining and the plot and characters are always moving considering that they are always running and on the move. The spider part was a little overwhelming. A fun Halloween story.

[Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the suspense in this one it really surprised me they made it out alive if you like suspenseful books with surprises you should read this.

[Lainy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really want to meet this author, he's from upper Michigan around Indian Lake area.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! This was a really good book and I finished it in 1 1/2 hours!

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

It good