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Demelza and the Spectre Detectors
Una novela middle grade repleta de acción, aventuras, magia y fantasía. Demelza adora la ciencia, la ama tanto que cada noche se queda despierta hasta las tantas trabajando en sus inventos. Pero Demelza pronto descubre que es la heredera de un don que no guarda ninguna relación con la ciencia: LA DETECCIÓN DE ESPECTROS . Al igual que su abuela, ella es capaz de convocar a los fantasmas de los muertos. Pero cuando la abuela Maeve es secuestrada, Demelza, junto con Percy, su mejor amigo, deberán ponerse manos a la obra para resolver el misterio.
- GenresChildrensMiddle Grade
336 pages, Unknown Binding
Published February 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 23, 2020
Such a lovely, quirky middle-grade!
February 1, 2020
Science minded Demelza is shocked to learn that she's the latest in a line of Spectre Detectors...mediums who can (briefly) raise the dead. And someone wants her powers...
There's been a push lately to feature science minded protagonists, especially girls, in an effort to get girls interested in science. Sometimes it comes across as very clumsy; bolted on to the plot afterwards. However, in this case, it's very natural. Demelza's science and inventing skills are just as vital to the plot as her Spectre Detecting skills. Children will love the humour of it...Demelza baits a trap with baked beans, because who could possibly resist a big bowl of baked beans? And her prize invention is a hand that will mindlessly copy out lines. I was expecting a Sorcerer's Apprentice situation there, but it goes quite another way, and I laughed when I figured it out.
The characters are great, too. Although I liked Demelza, I loved Grandma Maeve and Percy. They were exactly the type of sidekick she needed. I think this series is going to do well, and I'm looking forward to reading more of it. Bring on the Spectres!
There's been a push lately to feature science minded protagonists, especially girls, in an effort to get girls interested in science. Sometimes it comes across as very clumsy; bolted on to the plot afterwards. However, in this case, it's very natural. Demelza's science and inventing skills are just as vital to the plot as her Spectre Detecting skills. Children will love the humour of it...Demelza baits a trap with baked beans, because who could possibly resist a big bowl of baked beans? And her prize invention is a hand that will mindlessly copy out lines. I was expecting a Sorcerer's Apprentice situation there, but it goes quite another way, and I laughed when I figured it out.
The characters are great, too. Although I liked Demelza, I loved Grandma Maeve and Percy. They were exactly the type of sidekick she needed. I think this series is going to do well, and I'm looking forward to reading more of it. Bring on the Spectres!
February 8, 2020
Sparkingly Brilliant
March 7, 2023
What a gem! I loved the title character. I loved her relationship with her grandmother; their interactions were sometimes hilarious. I do hope there is a sequel.
April 4, 2020
Wow! What a fab debut! In Demelza, Holly Rivers has created a wonderful character whose determination and wit makes her sooooo likeable. I cheered her on throughout the story. Demelza, a science geek through and through, finds it difficult to accept that she’s a ‘Spectre Detector’, someone who can call back the dead so families can say goodbye to their loved ones. It’s a truly great concept and the story deals with the issues of death and loss with great care and a light touch. The world Holly has created us rich and teaming with life. The relationship between Demelza and her best friend, Peter and with her delightful grandma, Maeve makes this a memorable read and one that zips along without you realising. I didn’t spot the twist that hit me at the end. The clues were there but subtly woven into the story. This is great writing from an exciting new talent in children’s fiction. Highly recommend for 7-12 year olds.
March 27, 2021
Science loving Demelza Clock lives with her grandmother Maeve in her small cottage, inventing weird and wonderful devices by day, and dodging her stern headmistress at school by day. Despite having lost her parents at a young age Demelza is a happy child, and loves her grandmother deeply, possibly due to the fact that her grandmother allows Demelza to pursue her aspirations to become an inventor, never stifling her granddaughter's creative spirit.
One night Demelza is awoken by strange noises in the house, noises that she can't track down to any logical source. Convinced that it must be people trying to break into her home she invents a new device to trap them, and ropes her friend Percy in to help her. Percy is a little nervous about sneaking out at night to assist Demelza, due to him being allergic to almost everything and having been kept indoors by his father for years, but agrees to go along and help.
However, when Demelza discovers a strange trap door in her grandmother's greenhouse she discovers a secret that will change her world forever. She learns that her grandmother is a Spectre Detector, a person capable of summoning spectres from the land of the dead back to earth, where they can be given the change to say goodbye to their loved ones. Not only that, but Demelza has these powers too, and they've begun to awaken.
Now that Demelza had begun to discover that she has amazing powers she begins to learn about the world of Spectre Detecting, and things seem to be going well for her. But, she learns that a mysterious figure has been kidnapping young apprentices and killing them, trying to force them to bring someone back from the dead fully. When her grandmother is taken and Demelza receives a ransom note demanding that she surrender to this person she has to call in every ally she can to help save her grandmother.
Demelza and the Spectre Detectors was not the book I was expecting it to be. My partner read it before me, which is something she never really does as she doesn't do much reading, but read the whole thing in two days and was raving about it. So, I decided to pick it up and give it a go, knowing only that it was about a girl called Demelza who loves inventing things. If I'd had read the blurb I'd have been less shocked about the ghosts (sorry, spectres!) but that's on me.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was how despite it being about magic powers, about ghosts and mystical rituals, Demelza is a girl who believes in science. She not only loves inventing, but comes to things from a scientific viewpoint. She wants to see proof of things before she believes them, and as such discovering a world of magic and spirits is probably more shocking to her than anyone else, as it's so outside of her sphere of understanding of the universe than anything that's come before. It makes a nice change to see a young protagonist not just simply believing fantastical things, but coming to it from a more adult place of wanting proof and evidence first.
However, once she does come to accept that spectres are real she soon finds that she has a flare for the work, and seeing her learning to bring spirits into the world is a fun part of the book, and Holly Rivers has created some interesting rules for this world and outlines how things work in a way that's pretty simple to grasp, yet has some complexities to it. Compared to some middle-grade books I've read that try to add too much complexity to their magic it's much easier to understand, and I think younger readers will get on board with it pretty quickly.
Despite having a fun tone to it, with a sense of silly and whimsy that you'd find in the more fun children's fantasy books there are some moments of genuine tension scattered throughout, such as Demelza having to hide from kidnappers, or the startling revelations that come in the final confrontation. These moments help to ground some of the more fantastical and whimsical parts of the book, and give the story an added weight and sense of danger that would otherwise be missing. And whilst I'm not going to talk about the final part of the book in any detail as it can't be spoilt, oh my god, I yelled out loud at what happened because it was so, so good.
Holly Rivers has written a wonderfully engaging and imaginative book, one that really draws the reader in with lovable characters and a sense of wonder. I hope that this is just the first of many books with Demelza as the lead, because I'd be extremely happy to go back to this world for several more adventures.
One night Demelza is awoken by strange noises in the house, noises that she can't track down to any logical source. Convinced that it must be people trying to break into her home she invents a new device to trap them, and ropes her friend Percy in to help her. Percy is a little nervous about sneaking out at night to assist Demelza, due to him being allergic to almost everything and having been kept indoors by his father for years, but agrees to go along and help.
However, when Demelza discovers a strange trap door in her grandmother's greenhouse she discovers a secret that will change her world forever. She learns that her grandmother is a Spectre Detector, a person capable of summoning spectres from the land of the dead back to earth, where they can be given the change to say goodbye to their loved ones. Not only that, but Demelza has these powers too, and they've begun to awaken.
Now that Demelza had begun to discover that she has amazing powers she begins to learn about the world of Spectre Detecting, and things seem to be going well for her. But, she learns that a mysterious figure has been kidnapping young apprentices and killing them, trying to force them to bring someone back from the dead fully. When her grandmother is taken and Demelza receives a ransom note demanding that she surrender to this person she has to call in every ally she can to help save her grandmother.
Demelza and the Spectre Detectors was not the book I was expecting it to be. My partner read it before me, which is something she never really does as she doesn't do much reading, but read the whole thing in two days and was raving about it. So, I decided to pick it up and give it a go, knowing only that it was about a girl called Demelza who loves inventing things. If I'd had read the blurb I'd have been less shocked about the ghosts (sorry, spectres!) but that's on me.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was how despite it being about magic powers, about ghosts and mystical rituals, Demelza is a girl who believes in science. She not only loves inventing, but comes to things from a scientific viewpoint. She wants to see proof of things before she believes them, and as such discovering a world of magic and spirits is probably more shocking to her than anyone else, as it's so outside of her sphere of understanding of the universe than anything that's come before. It makes a nice change to see a young protagonist not just simply believing fantastical things, but coming to it from a more adult place of wanting proof and evidence first.
However, once she does come to accept that spectres are real she soon finds that she has a flare for the work, and seeing her learning to bring spirits into the world is a fun part of the book, and Holly Rivers has created some interesting rules for this world and outlines how things work in a way that's pretty simple to grasp, yet has some complexities to it. Compared to some middle-grade books I've read that try to add too much complexity to their magic it's much easier to understand, and I think younger readers will get on board with it pretty quickly.
Despite having a fun tone to it, with a sense of silly and whimsy that you'd find in the more fun children's fantasy books there are some moments of genuine tension scattered throughout, such as Demelza having to hide from kidnappers, or the startling revelations that come in the final confrontation. These moments help to ground some of the more fantastical and whimsical parts of the book, and give the story an added weight and sense of danger that would otherwise be missing. And whilst I'm not going to talk about the final part of the book in any detail as it can't be spoilt, oh my god, I yelled out loud at what happened because it was so, so good.
Holly Rivers has written a wonderfully engaging and imaginative book, one that really draws the reader in with lovable characters and a sense of wonder. I hope that this is just the first of many books with Demelza as the lead, because I'd be extremely happy to go back to this world for several more adventures.
September 17, 2022
I loved it, all of it and I cannot wait for more from this author. Reading it took me back to my childhood and what I was into as a kid therefore felt like I related to Demelza. I was not by any means a girly girl growing up, so liked that she wasn't either, and loved her passion for a subject that over the years has always been deemed more boyish.
I found her stubbornness an admirable quality, especially the way she doesn't allow anyone or anything to get in the way of her passion for science instead when learning about her gift she finds a way to make room & time for her scientific endeavours & her Spector detecting as both become equally important to her.
As far as characters go, I loved grandma Maeve, we all need a grandma like her 🥺❤️ and she & Demelza are the loveable duo I didn't know I wanted or needed, I especially loved their little exchanges of “I love you more than teapots & I love you more than circuit boards” - I thought it was very sweet.
I obviously can't leave out Demelza's little friends too, I thought Percy was very sweet and it was nice to see his character slowly come out of his shell and eventually develop a little more confidence bit by bit however, I did not expect the plot twist at the end! It honestly made me a bit sad but in the way, a good book should.
I loved the whole spooky feel to the book, and as a massive fan of Halloween in general, this book was right up my street! From Lord Balthazar & Demelza's ghoul box to the dance of death & visiting the Quietus, from start to finish the book has given me massive Halloween vibes and has only made me even more excited to celebrate it this year!
I feel like I should add a trigger warning whilst I am here, just as the book deals with death & the murder of the MC’s parents, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping etc. So may or may not be yours or your child's cup of tea.
But I honestly have nothing but genuine love for this book & would happily read it again to my Son when he’s a bit older!
I found her stubbornness an admirable quality, especially the way she doesn't allow anyone or anything to get in the way of her passion for science instead when learning about her gift she finds a way to make room & time for her scientific endeavours & her Spector detecting as both become equally important to her.
As far as characters go, I loved grandma Maeve, we all need a grandma like her 🥺❤️ and she & Demelza are the loveable duo I didn't know I wanted or needed, I especially loved their little exchanges of “I love you more than teapots & I love you more than circuit boards” - I thought it was very sweet.
I obviously can't leave out Demelza's little friends too, I thought Percy was very sweet and it was nice to see his character slowly come out of his shell and eventually develop a little more confidence bit by bit however, I did not expect the plot twist at the end! It honestly made me a bit sad but in the way, a good book should.
I loved the whole spooky feel to the book, and as a massive fan of Halloween in general, this book was right up my street! From Lord Balthazar & Demelza's ghoul box to the dance of death & visiting the Quietus, from start to finish the book has given me massive Halloween vibes and has only made me even more excited to celebrate it this year!
I feel like I should add a trigger warning whilst I am here, just as the book deals with death & the murder of the MC’s parents, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping etc. So may or may not be yours or your child's cup of tea.
But I honestly have nothing but genuine love for this book & would happily read it again to my Son when he’s a bit older!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2020
I love middle grade mysteries so much, and I especially love when one does something unusual, which is what this does incredibly well. It’s about a girl named Demelza, who discovers that despite being a scientist with no belief in paranormal beings, she can in fact see ghosts and it is her family’s duty to help others communicate with the dead. Then her Grandma Maeve gets kidnapped by people who wish to use their ability for evil, and she must save her with the help of her best friend Percy. Demelza is an absolutely brilliant heroine; she’s funny and clever and I loved her determination, and I also really liked the way she tries to treat everyone with kindness so long as they are kind to her, and that she looks beyond first impressions and gives people a chance based on their true selves. I also thought Percy and Grandma Maeve were great characters, and while I don’t want to spoil the twist I was kicking myself for WEEKS after finishing this that I didn’t see it coming; it took me totally by surprise! The worldbuilding was another huge highlight, because it was all so well crafted and I feel like this gave me a really comprehensive idea of what Spectre detecting is and I’m so pleased this is a series so we can explore more elements of it because this is a fantastic debut, and I can’t wait to read more from Holly Rivers! 4.5/5
August 20, 2021
This is such a fun book, full of energy and pace. I really loved it!
Demelza bursts into being on the first page with her crazy inventions and warmth. The story builds with each character and every turn until we’re on an exciting adventure.
It read like a cross between Beetle Boy and The Wizards of Once with a whole dollop of ghost story.
Really neatly done.
Demelza bursts into being on the first page with her crazy inventions and warmth. The story builds with each character and every turn until we’re on an exciting adventure.
It read like a cross between Beetle Boy and The Wizards of Once with a whole dollop of ghost story.
Really neatly done.
May 21, 2020
An amazing debut. A compelling, exciting and slightly bonkers read.
Demelza and the Spectre Detectors tackles the themes of friendship loss and bereavement in a sensitive way.
I can't wait to see what Holly produces next.
Demelza and the Spectre Detectors tackles the themes of friendship loss and bereavement in a sensitive way.
I can't wait to see what Holly produces next.
September 25, 2025
It is a good book and I would rate it 4 stars because the adventures in the book are great but many of the names are long such as Demelza,Percival and Maeve but is a good book and I would recommend it.
December 31, 2019
This book is awesome. Cool quirky spooky feel fantastic characters and a really fun adventure. I absolutely loved it.
July 29, 2020
A fun, quirky story. Demelza is a such a great character. Intelligent, loving, knows what she wants and has the ambition to chase it. Some great twists and turns along the way to keep you gripped!
April 16, 2023
A fun read! Loved the little twists at the end of the book.
January 24, 2024
I wasn’t sure at the start…but OMG am I glad I kept reading. It just got better with every chapter. So many shocks that I genuinely had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Absolutely amazing!
December 12, 2025
Fun and quirky kids' book. It had a surprising twist as well, that I didn't see coming.
February 21, 2026
Spectacular middle grade read! 💞
December 31, 2020
Brilliantly spooky and fun! Loved it.
January 28, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the magical underworld of spectres the author created, to the very real tormoils of friendship that comes with tweens. The premise was engaging and the pace kept you wanting to turn the page.
Quite a twist at the end and I really was captivated 👍🏼👍🏼
Quite a twist at the end and I really was captivated 👍🏼👍🏼
April 6, 2020
A fantastically funny debut. Demelza is a madcap, force of nature and a great character for kids to relate to.
February 28, 2023
fabulous read
Thoroughly enjoyed this, especially all the descriptions of food. Ha ha. Loved the characters and their journeys. A great read.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, especially all the descriptions of food. Ha ha. Loved the characters and their journeys. A great read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews