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Lewis Barnavelt #10
The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost
In the woods near his home in Michigan, thirteen-year-old Lewis Barnavelt stumbles upon an ancient grave and silver whistle that draw him, his best friend Rose Rita Pottinger, his uncle Jonathan, and their friend Mrs. Zimmermann into a battle with an ancient evil.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2003
13 people are currently reading
780 people want to read
About the author
Brad Strickland
137 books109 followersWilliam Bradley Strickland (b. 1947) is the author (or co-author) of over 60 novels and over 60 pieces of short fiction and poetry.
Born in New Hollard, Strickland earned his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Georgia. He has taught English courses at the University of Georgia, Oglethorpe University, Truett-McConnell College, and, since 1987, at Gainesville State College.
His first novel was 1986's To Stand Beneath the Sun, followed quickly by the books in the Jeremy Moon trilogy.
Strickland has shared co-author credit on many of his books: with his wife, Barbara, on stories in the Star Trek and Are You Afraid of the Dark? properties; and with the late author Thomas Fuller, books in the Wishbone series, involving the popular Jack Russell Terrier from the Public Television series of the same name. Strickland and Fuller also collaborated on numerous original works, including the Pirate Hunter series, the Mars: Year One series, and the comedic mystery for adults, The Ghost Finds a Body.
After the death of John Bellairs, Strickland was approached by John’s son, Frank, to complete the two books his father had already started; these unfinished manuscripts became The Ghost in the Mirror and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder. Strickland also wrote two books based on brief plot outlines left by Bellairs: The Drum, the Doll and the Zombie and The Doom of the Haunted Opera. Beginning in 1996, Strickland has kept Bellairs' legacy alive by writing the further adventures of Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt. Books in the corpus include The Hand of the Necromancer (1996); The Tower at the End of the World (2001); The House Where Nobody Lived (2006); and his most recent title, The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008).
In 2001, Strickland won received the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Children's/Young Adult Division, for When Mack Came Back, set in WWII-era Georgia. Strickland says the story "is based on the farm owned by [his] grandfather, where [I] often visited when [I] was a child." Kong: King of Skull Island was released in 2005, an illustrated tale by Strickland, author John Michlig, and fantasy artist Joe DeVito that serves as both a prequel and sequel to the epic story of the legendary ape.
Strickland is an active member of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, where he writes and performs in numerous audio drama projects. He was awarded the ARTC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is married to the former Barabara Justus and has two grown children.
Born in New Hollard, Strickland earned his Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Georgia. He has taught English courses at the University of Georgia, Oglethorpe University, Truett-McConnell College, and, since 1987, at Gainesville State College.
His first novel was 1986's To Stand Beneath the Sun, followed quickly by the books in the Jeremy Moon trilogy.
Strickland has shared co-author credit on many of his books: with his wife, Barbara, on stories in the Star Trek and Are You Afraid of the Dark? properties; and with the late author Thomas Fuller, books in the Wishbone series, involving the popular Jack Russell Terrier from the Public Television series of the same name. Strickland and Fuller also collaborated on numerous original works, including the Pirate Hunter series, the Mars: Year One series, and the comedic mystery for adults, The Ghost Finds a Body.
After the death of John Bellairs, Strickland was approached by John’s son, Frank, to complete the two books his father had already started; these unfinished manuscripts became The Ghost in the Mirror and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder. Strickland also wrote two books based on brief plot outlines left by Bellairs: The Drum, the Doll and the Zombie and The Doom of the Haunted Opera. Beginning in 1996, Strickland has kept Bellairs' legacy alive by writing the further adventures of Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt. Books in the corpus include The Hand of the Necromancer (1996); The Tower at the End of the World (2001); The House Where Nobody Lived (2006); and his most recent title, The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008).
In 2001, Strickland won received the Georgia Author of the Year Award, Children's/Young Adult Division, for When Mack Came Back, set in WWII-era Georgia. Strickland says the story "is based on the farm owned by [his] grandfather, where [I] often visited when [I] was a child." Kong: King of Skull Island was released in 2005, an illustrated tale by Strickland, author John Michlig, and fantasy artist Joe DeVito that serves as both a prequel and sequel to the epic story of the legendary ape.
Strickland is an active member of the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company, where he writes and performs in numerous audio drama projects. He was awarded the ARTC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is married to the former Barabara Justus and has two grown children.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 12, 2024
This was one of the better books in the series, so I was a little sad that I had to drop the rating from a 5 to a 4. While I absolutely loved the references to Lamia and especially Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad, I think the character of Fr. Foley could have been handled a little better. I don't mind that he was a curmudgeon, per se, but as I've seen in some of John Bellairs books as well,
Still, a real corker and definitely spooky. I had a lot of fun reading this one!
Still, a real corker and definitely spooky. I had a lot of fun reading this one!
July 5, 2018
I liked that the insecurities with other boys (bullies) was addressed again in this volume. That is something that I loved about Bellair that Strickland has been weak in approaching. The evil entity was super creepy which made me happy.
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October 16, 2023The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost
Lewis is on a camping trip as the story starts. After setting up his tent, he’s sent for stones to make a fire. Lewis is thinking of the new priest at his church (Father Foleyy)who thinks all boys are evil. Father Foley seems to like to give him stricter punishments than the others. He finds his rocks but then notices on one there’s a strange inscription in Latin.
The rocks over a grave. The words say “Here lies Lamia”. He also finds a whistle. He heaves the rock to the campsite. That night they cook hotdogs and tell ghost stories. As they tell stories, Lewis starts to clean the dirt from inside the whistle. He decides to ask Rose to help him research it (wondering how it could have ended up there). After this Lewis falls asleep. Only to awaken and finds himself feeling like he’s buried. He finds out he got completely zipped up in his sleeping bag. The other boys are giggling. Mr. Halvers demands to know who did it, but the boys say nothing. So, he says they won’t be getting any demerits on this trip and sends them to bed. Lewis is furious and wishes he were strong enough to teach them all a lesson. (His tent is also vandalized), Lewis thinks he sees smoke, but what if it’s not smoke? What if it’s a ghost?
Lewis shows Rose the whistle and they notice in curly Q’s something that looks like an S and a I but they can’t tell if it’s initials or part of the design. Lewis can make out “and I will come”. Lewis tells her where he found the whistle, but Rose says there’s no cemetery there. He says it looked like a grave. He said they might have even been pioneers. The Latin on the whistle even matched the one on the grave. Lewis gives the whistle a very thorough cleaning in alcohol. He puts it on a beaded chain but doesn’t hang it around his neck. There’s something about it that’s still “unclean” from being found on the grave. He goes to the priest and asks what the inscription means and he tells him “hiss and I will come.”
After this, Lewis meets Rose in the Reference Room. She’s found a poem called “Lamina” about a monster. She’s a serpent that can turn into a woman or either a woman who can turn into a serpent. She also finds a ghost story about a whistle, but most importantly there’s a book of mysths about Lamina being a female vampire. She also turns into a half-serpent half-woman. Her name has become known with witch or vampire. They both know there are real witches (good and bad). She says it could also mean whistle (the Latin word on the whistle) “Whistle and I will come”. They both agree that should ask Mrs. Zimmerman but when Lewis looks for it, it is gone. It’s not outside. It’s not at the church. Father is curious tho where he got the term. They both agree it was probably a dog whistle and Lamina was someone’s dog. Still, they decide to go to Mrs. Zimmermon who says doesn’t ring a bell. She says tho they can go to the spot and check out the rock where the whistle was found.
That night, Kewis dreams that the stone is glowing and there’s something dark and rippling underneath. Then it starts to form a human shape. He recognizes it’s blind but it smells him. It graps his ankle and he wakes up twisted in the sheets. Once at the field, Mrs. Zimmermon can’t sense anything bad. She cast a spell to call up the shadows of all the animals that have died there, but there aren’t any humans. On Tuesday, after a scout meeting, Stan and Billy (two bullies) jump Lewis in an alley (using another guy as bait). As he gets to his feet, he notices something underneath him that turns out to be the whistle. Without thinking he puts it to his lips and blows. A flash like lightning occurs and the boys freeze then run off. Lewis then runs home. He places the whistle in his desk drawer. The next day when and Rose go to get it to show it to Mrs. Zimmermon it’s gone again. They go to Barney’s house (the kid they used to lure him to the ally). He apologizes but can’t tell them anything else. On the way home, they see a pale face in his window with no eyes (just for a second).
Of course, there’s nothing in the room. He notices his bed is mess when before it was made. Someone obviously broke into the room looking for the whistle. They find out Uncle Johnathan put a disillusionment spell on the house, but he doesn’t feel anything off. So, they check the room and can’t find anything. He tells him if anything else happens tell him. Then he tells him there’s magic and then there’d “deep magic” (ancient magic). It’s wild and comes from another dimension and time. On the way back from a punishment with Father, Lewis runs into Billy and Stan again. He has an idea and sure enough, the whistle is back in his pocket again. He blows it and a figure starts to whirl and form. It swoops down on Stan. Billy takes off running and it abandons Stan and goes over Billy. Stan is now unable to form words and takes off running. The whistle is now gone. Lewis starts to laugh in triumph, but his feelings are mixed. He also feels guilt.
Lewis hears strangled noises coming from his Uncle’s room. His Uncle says he has a dream about a snake and when he saw it rearing up to strike before Lewis came in. Rose tells him the next day he needs to get rid of the whistle. She says next time it shows up throw it away. But he knows he can’t do that. She notices that Lewis looks off and he says he feels drained. Rose says on the radio there’s something about a couple of people in the hospital with a flu bug. They call Billy’s house and his grandmother says he’s in the hospital. So, its Stan and Billy. Lewis says he’s going to try to find out what Billy has and what he can do about the whistle. They go to the hospital and find out Billy can’t have any visitors and the doctors don’t know what he has. The same with Stan. Rose says she’ll ask Sally a girl whose sister is a volunteer. She finds out they have anemia and had to have a blood transfusion. They had no memories of what happened to them the other day. They then remember what the library book said about the female vampire. What if it wasn’t amnesia? What if a female vampire had been sucking their blood?
From one of his Uncle’s books, he learns that the payment for using the whistle is blood. Then he sees a woman outside who calls out to him “Come to me”. She tells him he must open the doors. In a daze he does. She tells him they will belong to each other. He makes a step toward her and then everything goes black. The next morning, he tells himself it was just a dream. While visiting his aunt, Lewis has a dream that Billy and S tan die and the woman (ghost) tells him to hide them in a grave filled with bones. The ghost tells him she needs more and suggests his aunt or Rose. His aunt then tells them she saw a face for a minute in the curtains.
Lewis continues to be sick and it turns him snappish. On one occasion, Rose comes by to check on him and it angers him because she’s sticking her nose into his business again. Then he thinks if he only had the stone, but quickly takes it back. He hears the voice of the woman (this has become a frequent thing now) and she tells him she’s hungry again. She tells him she’s limited in mobility because of the stone and the others are too far away to feed from. Lewis has noticed that he’s gotten two red bite marks on his chest that won’t heal. He tries to remember what happened that night, but he can’t. He takes his mother’s rosary but as she does something drops him and everything turns dark. The voice tells him to put that thing away. Lewis wonders if he’s losing his mind.
Lewis gets more and more withdrawn and angry with his uncle, Rose, and Mrs. Zimmermon for not helping him. One night, he awakens and the voice tells him he has to go outside. He hears his uncle and Mrs. Zimmermon talking and Mrs. Zimmermon is talking about preventions and she says her book will be arriving tomorrow. She also says Billy was released but they’re taking him out East. She blames the twon for what happened. She says that Stan escaped. No one has seen him since and none knew where he went. The voice tells him it’s too soon but they have to go now. The woman transforms from a sheet on his bed. She tells him to come with her. The next morning, Lewis appears to be in bed when Johnathan leaves to go see Mrs. Zimmermon.
Umm so in short a spirit got control of the whistle and if Lewis uses it three times he’ll die. When they go to look for Lewis he’s not there. Father stops by and knows about the whistle. He says he knows about the Lamina and she’s powerless for a few hours. He also says he wrote Mrs. Zimmerons book. He’s over four hundred years old ans says unless the lamina dies he can’t die.He did gain control of the Lamia and he did summon it with the whistle. Then his life force became tied to it. He thought because he was a priest he’d have power over the creature but he was wrong. He could only put it in hibernation and force it underneath a rock. He always knew it would awaken. He says he came back to find the rock. His first clue was when Lewis asked him about the inscription. He says the creature wants to be a part of this world. It needs a form am dos selling sp,epme wose om the ways of magic So it needs a constant supply of blood and if it’s wizard blood it takes on it’s magic. Lewis’s blood may be sufficient for a while, but it won’t sustain it for long. He doesn’t know how to stop it.
Meanwhile, the woman tells Lewis to rest. The whistle is back around his neck. The voice tells him it’ll drain Stan and then it’ll have the body it needs to face the magicians. She’ll kill them and take their magic. Lewis tells her to take him instead, but he’s not the one she wants. The anger starts to build again, but before he knows it he’s out again. When he wakes the voice tells him that while the others perish he’ll live. He and the spirit will be linked (but he’ll wish her were dead). He’ll be beneath the stone.
Father dies. Its said he died of a heart attack by the church. Stan gets more friendly and sympathizes when Lewis tells him his Uncle is sick because he knows what that’s like. Mrs. Zimmermon is confident the Lamia is gone for good now. The stone sank into the earth. The Latin phrase was how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood.
Rating: 7
Not bad! A lot better than some of the last ones I read. It got a little uninteresting around the Preiest’s past history, but it all came together at the end.
Lewis is on a camping trip as the story starts. After setting up his tent, he’s sent for stones to make a fire. Lewis is thinking of the new priest at his church (Father Foleyy)who thinks all boys are evil. Father Foley seems to like to give him stricter punishments than the others. He finds his rocks but then notices on one there’s a strange inscription in Latin.
The rocks over a grave. The words say “Here lies Lamia”. He also finds a whistle. He heaves the rock to the campsite. That night they cook hotdogs and tell ghost stories. As they tell stories, Lewis starts to clean the dirt from inside the whistle. He decides to ask Rose to help him research it (wondering how it could have ended up there). After this Lewis falls asleep. Only to awaken and finds himself feeling like he’s buried. He finds out he got completely zipped up in his sleeping bag. The other boys are giggling. Mr. Halvers demands to know who did it, but the boys say nothing. So, he says they won’t be getting any demerits on this trip and sends them to bed. Lewis is furious and wishes he were strong enough to teach them all a lesson. (His tent is also vandalized), Lewis thinks he sees smoke, but what if it’s not smoke? What if it’s a ghost?
Lewis shows Rose the whistle and they notice in curly Q’s something that looks like an S and a I but they can’t tell if it’s initials or part of the design. Lewis can make out “and I will come”. Lewis tells her where he found the whistle, but Rose says there’s no cemetery there. He says it looked like a grave. He said they might have even been pioneers. The Latin on the whistle even matched the one on the grave. Lewis gives the whistle a very thorough cleaning in alcohol. He puts it on a beaded chain but doesn’t hang it around his neck. There’s something about it that’s still “unclean” from being found on the grave. He goes to the priest and asks what the inscription means and he tells him “hiss and I will come.”
After this, Lewis meets Rose in the Reference Room. She’s found a poem called “Lamina” about a monster. She’s a serpent that can turn into a woman or either a woman who can turn into a serpent. She also finds a ghost story about a whistle, but most importantly there’s a book of mysths about Lamina being a female vampire. She also turns into a half-serpent half-woman. Her name has become known with witch or vampire. They both know there are real witches (good and bad). She says it could also mean whistle (the Latin word on the whistle) “Whistle and I will come”. They both agree that should ask Mrs. Zimmerman but when Lewis looks for it, it is gone. It’s not outside. It’s not at the church. Father is curious tho where he got the term. They both agree it was probably a dog whistle and Lamina was someone’s dog. Still, they decide to go to Mrs. Zimmermon who says doesn’t ring a bell. She says tho they can go to the spot and check out the rock where the whistle was found.
That night, Kewis dreams that the stone is glowing and there’s something dark and rippling underneath. Then it starts to form a human shape. He recognizes it’s blind but it smells him. It graps his ankle and he wakes up twisted in the sheets. Once at the field, Mrs. Zimmermon can’t sense anything bad. She cast a spell to call up the shadows of all the animals that have died there, but there aren’t any humans. On Tuesday, after a scout meeting, Stan and Billy (two bullies) jump Lewis in an alley (using another guy as bait). As he gets to his feet, he notices something underneath him that turns out to be the whistle. Without thinking he puts it to his lips and blows. A flash like lightning occurs and the boys freeze then run off. Lewis then runs home. He places the whistle in his desk drawer. The next day when and Rose go to get it to show it to Mrs. Zimmermon it’s gone again. They go to Barney’s house (the kid they used to lure him to the ally). He apologizes but can’t tell them anything else. On the way home, they see a pale face in his window with no eyes (just for a second).
Of course, there’s nothing in the room. He notices his bed is mess when before it was made. Someone obviously broke into the room looking for the whistle. They find out Uncle Johnathan put a disillusionment spell on the house, but he doesn’t feel anything off. So, they check the room and can’t find anything. He tells him if anything else happens tell him. Then he tells him there’s magic and then there’d “deep magic” (ancient magic). It’s wild and comes from another dimension and time. On the way back from a punishment with Father, Lewis runs into Billy and Stan again. He has an idea and sure enough, the whistle is back in his pocket again. He blows it and a figure starts to whirl and form. It swoops down on Stan. Billy takes off running and it abandons Stan and goes over Billy. Stan is now unable to form words and takes off running. The whistle is now gone. Lewis starts to laugh in triumph, but his feelings are mixed. He also feels guilt.
Lewis hears strangled noises coming from his Uncle’s room. His Uncle says he has a dream about a snake and when he saw it rearing up to strike before Lewis came in. Rose tells him the next day he needs to get rid of the whistle. She says next time it shows up throw it away. But he knows he can’t do that. She notices that Lewis looks off and he says he feels drained. Rose says on the radio there’s something about a couple of people in the hospital with a flu bug. They call Billy’s house and his grandmother says he’s in the hospital. So, its Stan and Billy. Lewis says he’s going to try to find out what Billy has and what he can do about the whistle. They go to the hospital and find out Billy can’t have any visitors and the doctors don’t know what he has. The same with Stan. Rose says she’ll ask Sally a girl whose sister is a volunteer. She finds out they have anemia and had to have a blood transfusion. They had no memories of what happened to them the other day. They then remember what the library book said about the female vampire. What if it wasn’t amnesia? What if a female vampire had been sucking their blood?
From one of his Uncle’s books, he learns that the payment for using the whistle is blood. Then he sees a woman outside who calls out to him “Come to me”. She tells him he must open the doors. In a daze he does. She tells him they will belong to each other. He makes a step toward her and then everything goes black. The next morning, he tells himself it was just a dream. While visiting his aunt, Lewis has a dream that Billy and S tan die and the woman (ghost) tells him to hide them in a grave filled with bones. The ghost tells him she needs more and suggests his aunt or Rose. His aunt then tells them she saw a face for a minute in the curtains.
Lewis continues to be sick and it turns him snappish. On one occasion, Rose comes by to check on him and it angers him because she’s sticking her nose into his business again. Then he thinks if he only had the stone, but quickly takes it back. He hears the voice of the woman (this has become a frequent thing now) and she tells him she’s hungry again. She tells him she’s limited in mobility because of the stone and the others are too far away to feed from. Lewis has noticed that he’s gotten two red bite marks on his chest that won’t heal. He tries to remember what happened that night, but he can’t. He takes his mother’s rosary but as she does something drops him and everything turns dark. The voice tells him to put that thing away. Lewis wonders if he’s losing his mind.
Lewis gets more and more withdrawn and angry with his uncle, Rose, and Mrs. Zimmermon for not helping him. One night, he awakens and the voice tells him he has to go outside. He hears his uncle and Mrs. Zimmermon talking and Mrs. Zimmermon is talking about preventions and she says her book will be arriving tomorrow. She also says Billy was released but they’re taking him out East. She blames the twon for what happened. She says that Stan escaped. No one has seen him since and none knew where he went. The voice tells him it’s too soon but they have to go now. The woman transforms from a sheet on his bed. She tells him to come with her. The next morning, Lewis appears to be in bed when Johnathan leaves to go see Mrs. Zimmermon.
Umm so in short a spirit got control of the whistle and if Lewis uses it three times he’ll die. When they go to look for Lewis he’s not there. Father stops by and knows about the whistle. He says he knows about the Lamina and she’s powerless for a few hours. He also says he wrote Mrs. Zimmerons book. He’s over four hundred years old ans says unless the lamina dies he can’t die.He did gain control of the Lamia and he did summon it with the whistle. Then his life force became tied to it. He thought because he was a priest he’d have power over the creature but he was wrong. He could only put it in hibernation and force it underneath a rock. He always knew it would awaken. He says he came back to find the rock. His first clue was when Lewis asked him about the inscription. He says the creature wants to be a part of this world. It needs a form am dos selling sp,epme wose om the ways of magic So it needs a constant supply of blood and if it’s wizard blood it takes on it’s magic. Lewis’s blood may be sufficient for a while, but it won’t sustain it for long. He doesn’t know how to stop it.
Meanwhile, the woman tells Lewis to rest. The whistle is back around his neck. The voice tells him it’ll drain Stan and then it’ll have the body it needs to face the magicians. She’ll kill them and take their magic. Lewis tells her to take him instead, but he’s not the one she wants. The anger starts to build again, but before he knows it he’s out again. When he wakes the voice tells him that while the others perish he’ll live. He and the spirit will be linked (but he’ll wish her were dead). He’ll be beneath the stone.
Father dies. Its said he died of a heart attack by the church. Stan gets more friendly and sympathizes when Lewis tells him his Uncle is sick because he knows what that’s like. Mrs. Zimmermon is confident the Lamia is gone for good now. The stone sank into the earth. The Latin phrase was how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood.
Rating: 7
Not bad! A lot better than some of the last ones I read. It got a little uninteresting around the Preiest’s past history, but it all came together at the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2025
After the slog of re-reading the Hobbit (sorry, not sorry, Tolkien), I needed a read that was guaranteed to be light, easy, and engaging throughout, so it was perfect timing that my interlibrary loan for the next novel in the Lewis Barnavelt series came in! I always enjoy visiting New Zebadee to see what new trouble Lewis has gotten himself into, but author Brad Strickland outdid himself with this adventure. He’s tackled ghosts, evil sorcerers, and cthonians from outer space before, and now he can check vampires off his mythical creatures list as Lewis discovers the tomb of the lamia in the woods outside of town and accidentally begins the process to awaken this deadly creature. Strickland plays a little loose with the vampire mythology, tying the life force of this undead woman to the priest who began her summoning centuries before with a magical whistle, but he uses enough of the traditional lore (blood, power promised to mortals for servitude, barred entry from thresholds, etc) to make this a fun riff on the genre. What I thought was most interesting in this narrative was that Strickland managed to tie the themes of power and temptation into the series in an unexpected way: by revisiting the themes around Lewis getting bullied (which have been light motifs since book 1), and using the lamia as a vehicle for giving him a negative and vengeful way to fight back. Of course, Lewis must learn to deal with his bullies in his own way, but his struggle to resist the lamia’s protection in exchange for his life force is one that adds great tension to the story and grounds it in realism. Lewis does triumph over the lamia in the end, with the help of his companions (another re-emerging theme of the strength of community), but it’s literally down to the final 10 pages before we get the final showdown - and it sure is a dramatic one! We’re almost done with the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt, with only 2 more books to go in the series, so I wonder what magical challenges Lewis and company will have to face down yet!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2017
A friend recommended these books as her bedside table standard since she was a kid. I'm not sure how I never stumbled across this series before but this is a charming, old-fashioned kids book.
Lewis, his friend Rose Rita and his oddball extended family are engaging investigators into a long-forgotten occult secret. It reads like something I might have picked up in the late 1960s or early '70s -- and considering the first book in the series was published in 1974, that's not so far off.
It's a quick read and I would consider it age-appropriate for tweens and younger. The spectre is a little spooky but it's one of those books where the characters are more likely to say "gosh" than swear and there's an ongoing anti-bullying message.
Lewis, his friend Rose Rita and his oddball extended family are engaging investigators into a long-forgotten occult secret. It reads like something I might have picked up in the late 1960s or early '70s -- and considering the first book in the series was published in 1974, that's not so far off.
It's a quick read and I would consider it age-appropriate for tweens and younger. The spectre is a little spooky but it's one of those books where the characters are more likely to say "gosh" than swear and there's an ongoing anti-bullying message.
March 19, 2021
I always hope that younger readers will be inspired by this series to research the references made. In this story, for example, there is the Lamia legends, plus the reference to the M.R. James ghost story, "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad," which itself is named after a poem/song by Robert Burns. And of course, this might inspire young readers to look up the poem Lamia by John Keats. There were some shades of The Lair of the White Worm in here too.
These Lewis Barnavelt stories are just creepy enough for younger readers, without being too horrifying, and I love the friendships between the young Lewis and Rose Rita and the older wizard and witch duo of Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman.
These Lewis Barnavelt stories are just creepy enough for younger readers, without being too horrifying, and I love the friendships between the young Lewis and Rose Rita and the older wizard and witch duo of Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman.
April 16, 2021
Lewis Barnavelt is at it again, and this time, during a camping trip, he finds a magic whistle that summons a lamia (an ancient vampire-type creature). As usual, he and his friend Rose Rita decide that it's best not to tell the adults about it because that always works out so well for them (yoicks). But, of course, it all works out in the end, with a nice little surprise twist along the way.
I've said it before but clearly that's not stopping me: I love this series because it's perfect for middle grade kiddos who like their stories just a little bit creepy but not actually scary. The characters are old friends and it's always fun to meet up with them again. Charlie continues to love the series, too.
I've said it before but clearly that's not stopping me: I love this series because it's perfect for middle grade kiddos who like their stories just a little bit creepy but not actually scary. The characters are old friends and it's always fun to meet up with them again. Charlie continues to love the series, too.
November 13, 2018
Strickland's metafictional twist of mixing classic uncanny literature into his Lewis Barnavelt series comes to a peak here, where he combines the legends of the Lamia with M. R. James's "Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad." The demon's grave is genuinely creepy even from its first moments, and the combination of the "crumpled linen" ghost from James's horror classic with the snake-woman Lamia works way better than it should have. Even a slightly too-clever-for-its-own-good reveal of the true identity of a minor character can't stop this one from being one of the best pure-Strickland installations in the series.
September 26, 2019
This was actually quite a serviceable entry into the series. But unfortunately for Brad Strickland, a great deal of this book is remarkable similar to The Figure in the Shadows. From the manner in which Lewis is tricked into using the whistle, to his enthrallment by the evil spirit. This book is just a rehash of that earlier tale. Honestly, you'd have expected Lewis to have developed better sense by now than to fall for another spirit's ruse.
February 26, 2024
The ending was such a good twist! This one was spooky but my eight-year-old loved it!
There is a pivitol element of this story where Louis is being bullied by some peers, both verbally and physically. It is relatively mild, but *tough* to read as a parent and I made sure we had a conversation about kids like those, and what Louis did right and wrong in the situations. ...The amount of times I added commentary like, "Louis! Tell Uncle Johnathan!!!" was too many to count.
There is a pivitol element of this story where Louis is being bullied by some peers, both verbally and physically. It is relatively mild, but *tough* to read as a parent and I made sure we had a conversation about kids like those, and what Louis did right and wrong in the situations. ...The amount of times I added commentary like, "Louis! Tell Uncle Johnathan!!!" was too many to count.
October 22, 2021
I love it when a character has anxiety, claustrophobia, ptsd, and is being bullied because then I can relate. Lol. But this was a great book full of suspense and a bit of a twist I didn’t see coming. Great read!
July 21, 2023
I love every book that’s I’ve read 😃✨🙌🙌🙌
All the adventures and moments of barnavelt’s family✨🙌🙂
This time the story was darker 👀👀and I loved so much everything 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
I’m excited to read the next book 🙌🙂
All the adventures and moments of barnavelt’s family✨🙌🙂
This time the story was darker 👀👀and I loved so much everything 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
I’m excited to read the next book 🙌🙂
September 3, 2021
Will review at Fantasy Literature.
October 25, 2021
Excellently creepy adventure! Just like the rest of the series.
December 1, 2021
One of my least favorite of the series
November 6, 2022
This book reminded me of a juvenile Salem's Lot!
January 9, 2024
This might be the BEST one in the whole series!!
In this story, Lewis finds a whistle in the woods that conjures some type of old magic. The stakes are high for this one!
In this story, Lewis finds a whistle in the woods that conjures some type of old magic. The stakes are high for this one!
February 23, 2011
A significant improvement over the previous Strickland/Bellairs novel. There's a bit of the old magic, here. What bugs me is that Strickland has shown himself to be extremely good at writing a convincing Bellairs novel, and even improving on the style upon occasion. The Ghost in the Mirror is a great example of that. But as the series has progressed, Strickland has wandered afield and lost focus on the fundamentals. It's not just that his chapter-ending cliffhangers are weak (often falling into the “...and Lewis had no idea how bad things would get...” mode). It's that the psychology is a bit dodgy.
In The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost, Strickland returns to lucrative territory – Lewis's problems with bullies. It's the anxiety and pressure from the bullies that motivate Lewis to give in to temptation, that allow evil forces to influence him. And it puts Lewis's choices in the center of the plot. It mostly works. But at this point, after all the strange things the characters have experienced, it's just no longer credible that Lewis and Rose Rita would shy from confiding in Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman. The lack of growth significantly undermines the drama because, so far into the series, we know that whatever happens just doesn't matter. It won't really affect them or have consequences.
Strickland's plot structure remains somewhat sloppy. I like that the baddie is female – it makes the Bellairs villain lineup less of a boy's club, and the villain in this case is interesting and unique. She has a motive and acts to achieve it, clashing with Lewis and his desires. But once again the heroes are saved by a last minute rescue – this time from a woefully out of the blue surprise character.
Strickland makes mistakes that just aren't necessary. For example, Mrs. Zimmerman scans the eponymous grave looking for “evil” and doesn't find it. Again. Lewis ought to realize that whenever Mrs. Zimmerman or Jonathan says that they don't sense evil, then there's probably a ton of it right in front of them. I understand the need for some conflict between the main characters, but it doesn't add tension, it just undermines the characters' credibility. Adding to that is another arch reference to M.R. James, and some sadistic behavior from a catholic priest. The portrayal of religion in these books sends some rather mixed messages, and would be better ignored completely. And if Father Foley doesn't turn Lewis into a lapsed Catholic, I'd be very surprised.
To summarize, this is better than the last few Strickland books, but it doesn't live up to his capabilities. As the series winds down, I hope that he can kick it up a notch in future installments.
In The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost, Strickland returns to lucrative territory – Lewis's problems with bullies. It's the anxiety and pressure from the bullies that motivate Lewis to give in to temptation, that allow evil forces to influence him. And it puts Lewis's choices in the center of the plot. It mostly works. But at this point, after all the strange things the characters have experienced, it's just no longer credible that Lewis and Rose Rita would shy from confiding in Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman. The lack of growth significantly undermines the drama because, so far into the series, we know that whatever happens just doesn't matter. It won't really affect them or have consequences.
Strickland's plot structure remains somewhat sloppy. I like that the baddie is female – it makes the Bellairs villain lineup less of a boy's club, and the villain in this case is interesting and unique. She has a motive and acts to achieve it, clashing with Lewis and his desires. But once again the heroes are saved by a last minute rescue – this time from a woefully out of the blue surprise character.
Strickland makes mistakes that just aren't necessary. For example, Mrs. Zimmerman scans the eponymous grave looking for “evil” and doesn't find it. Again. Lewis ought to realize that whenever Mrs. Zimmerman or Jonathan says that they don't sense evil, then there's probably a ton of it right in front of them. I understand the need for some conflict between the main characters, but it doesn't add tension, it just undermines the characters' credibility. Adding to that is another arch reference to M.R. James, and some sadistic behavior from a catholic priest. The portrayal of religion in these books sends some rather mixed messages, and would be better ignored completely. And if Father Foley doesn't turn Lewis into a lapsed Catholic, I'd be very surprised.
To summarize, this is better than the last few Strickland books, but it doesn't live up to his capabilities. As the series winds down, I hope that he can kick it up a notch in future installments.
July 11, 2016
This series keeps getting creepier and creepier, and I like it! I'm slowly getting to end of the entire series, and that makes me sad.
July 2, 2013
Old fashion horror book written for mid teens. Too graphic for any child under 10.
July 22, 2013
Totally read this one out of order - but it was so good I'm now going to go back and pick up #1-9!
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December 27, 2023Good, dark, spooky horror comfort food for all ages.
I can't get enough of these characters.
The vampire was awesome!
I can't get enough of these characters.
The vampire was awesome!
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