The Ghoul of Windydown Vale

by Jake Burt

A thrilling middle-grade mystery, The Ghoul of Windydown Vale is from the author of Cleo Porter and the Body Electric.“Don't miss this book! It takes you to another world—and then terrifies you with surprise after surprise. Great ghoulish fun!” —R. L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street In this action-packed mystery from award-winning author Jake Burt, Copper Inskeep holds Windydown Vale's deepest and darkest he is the ghoul that haunts the Vale, donning a gruesome costume to scare travelers and townsfolk away from the dangers of the surrounding swamps. When a terrified girl claims she and her father were attacked by a creature - one that could not have been Copper - it threatens not just Copper's secret, but the fate of all Windydown.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Horror, Suspense, Childrens, Action, Audiobook

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 25, 2022

About the author

Jake Burt is an author of middle grade fiction and a 5th grade teacher. He lives in Connecticut, plays the banjo, and enjoys ultimate frisbee. He has yet to meet a rabbit hole he won't go down.

Reviews

[Jake Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like:

- Plot twists
- Strange settings
- Monsters
- Mysteries
- Characters with big hearts
- Characters with sharp claws
- Folktales
- Fast-paced stories

Then this book is for you. Enjoy!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

First of all, what incredible world-building! And the twists, oh my!! I correctly predicted one or two of the twists, but I definitely didn't see coming. These twists and suspense will definitely keep kids turning the page. The book felt like a good mix of fantasy, mystery, adventure, and horror.

Based on my experiences I would probably recommend this more to upper MG readers than early MG readers (3rd/4th graders).

[Rebecca Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting ride from start to finish. Jake Burt has such a way with cliffhanger chapter endings that most of the time I was hiding from life responsibilities just to keep flipping pages. Middle grade mystery lovers will adore the twists and turns. I was rooting so hard for Copper and it made me sad to close the book. Highly recommend for any middle school library.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

So clever. Jake Burt's books are always great, but this one was different and unexpected. Creepy and twisty and so interesting. Highly recommended.

[Ben Gartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, the characters, the mystery, the twists, and the world-building. But what I loved most about this book was the language and the descriptions. I complimented Jake, but he gave all the credit to Copper, who really knows how to turn a phrase.

A few examples below. These are from the ARC but I hope they stick around for the final because they're so good:

“she holds the glass with just her fingertips, like a mandolin player fretting a chord.”

“The boughs above us seem to close in and rustle, like old men warming their hands.”

“There’s enough crust in my eyes to salt a soup pot”

Brilliant and lyrical and yet down-to-earth good. The villain(s) were well-rounded, and the core of the mystery is more sophisticated than you typically see in middle grade books (murder!). There were a few more occurrence of "damn" and "hell" than I'd personally prefer for this age group, but I only mention it as a heads up; they certainly don't detract from my 5-star rating.

Read the first chapter and you'll be hooked. And those chapter endings were killing me, in the best way!

All in, a twisty, exciting tale that will keep readers turning the pages. Well done!

[Laurie Hnatiuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher Feiwel Friends for a digital ARC of this title to read.

When a young girl named Annabelle comes riding in on a horse out of control, screaming the ghoul took her father and lands face down in the muck, Copper the future of Windydown Vale comes to her rescue. However, Annabelle's claim cannot be correct, for Copper has a secret - he is the ghoul of Windydown Vale and knows nothing about this attack. Annabelle spends time recovering in Windydown Vale and begging Copper and others to rescue her father, despite Copper's friend Liza feeling something is off with Annabelle. Soon after Annabelle's arrival, Mr. Barl Shumpeter arrives with a wagon full of ghastly creatures he has killed and saved from other towns and conveniently offers his services to the people of Windydown Vale. Now Copper must decide how to protect Windydown Vale, his secret and find Annabelle's father.

Jake Burt is one of my go-to authors, and when he has a book out - I will read it. The Ghoul of Windydown Vale is a departure from his previous books, and I love that he continues to push himself as a writer. In this latest book, The Ghoul of Windydown Vale, the setting of WindyVale plays a huge role in the plot, and as a reader, we can easily visualize the scenes putting us right into the story. I felt that the setting, specifically M U D, was a character impacting on Copper and the rest of the Windydown Vale residents. Mr. Burt also switched things up from his previous novels by beginning The Ghoul of Windydown Vale with some prose providing a different tone right from the start.
As I was reading, there was something about the dialogue, and it did take me a while to figure it out, but I realized it reminded me of Lauren Wolk's Echo Mountain, which I adored capturing the spirit and dialect of a time past. The Ghoul of Windydown Vale gave me that same comfortable feeling, and along with the detailed setting, I too became a resident of the town. Although the speech and the rich vocabulary may not be as familiar to young readers, I enjoyed it and appreciated Mr. Burt expanding his craft and trying new things.
When I settled in as a reader resident, I thought this is a historical story with a mystery because of the setting and some expected twists. WHAM, a plot twist I did not see coming! Now we are more than a historical mystery, and I am on the edge of my seat pondering what lurks ahead. I think these twists will surprise and engage other readers to keep reading to find out more. The chapters are manageable, with some being shorter, especially towards the latter part of the book when the action picks up.
Readers who appreciate details to visualize where a story takes place, enjoy being caught off guard and are okay being mildly thrilled will fall in love with Copper and the residents of Mr. Burt's latest book, The Ghoul of Windydown Vale.

See full review on https://bitaboutbooks.wordpress.com/2...

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group Feiwel & Friends for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I LOVE Jake Burt's writing. Like 100% will read ANYthing he writes, grocery lists, to-do lists, etc. So when I saw this was being offered on NetGalley, that request button was hit so fast I almost broke my computer! SO HAPPY!!!! (about the book, not the almost broken computer, but I digress)

Then I started to read it. Same immersive writing style, same well fleshed out characters, but...something was...off.... As I got further into the book, I realized what it was.

SPOILERS FOLLOW, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK

The adults were not like the adults in his previous books. They weren't THERE for the kids in the books like they were in Greetings, Cleo, Right Hook, etc. They were...BAD! Untrustworthy!! I felt like I had been sucker punched. That warm feeling of safety that I always had while reading one of his books was stripped away and I felt sad, lonely and slightly betrayed.

Now, none of this is a bad thing, he is flexing as an author. Writing the same thing can make one stale, writers grow, as do readers.

But this reader wasn't ready to grow yet. BIG POUT.

So, if you want feel good, this isn't it. There is even a crush/love interest for the MCs, which didn't happen in his other books. Again, author growing/changing up his style, reader shocked and clutching her pearls.

This review is heartbreaking for me to write, the stars I'm going to give it is heartbreaking for me to give, BUT it is not because this is a bad book.

NO NEVER!

His writing is so solid you could build a skyscraper on it. His books are my Ride or Die.

It's just this one didn't do it for me. It's darker than his earlier ones and I wasn't ready for that. Maybe after I've grown as a reader I will appreciate this book better. Right now, I need light, fluffy and happy.

3, it breaks my heart to give this less than five stars, stars.

PS-Read Greetings from Witness Protection. Best. Book. EVAR!!!

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the longest kids horror novels (rather loosely within the genre though) to ever be produced, clocking in nearly 300 pages—of which are a breeze of fresh air and great storytelling. First off, this story is wholly in reality… however the events of this one are practically impossible to occur. It’s like the loosest realistic-fiction ever, but even still, nice switch-up. Copper is a great protagonist, and our other central characters are great in their own rights (Liza, Annebelle, and so on). There’s a standout appearance: Shumpeter, who has a lot of reveals with his character, alike to everyone else. He’s a vivid highlight and livened up the story real well. The climax is fantastic, the final standoff is great, and the ending (minus one little nitpick) is really bittersweet. All-in-all, a really fun read that took went places that I was NOT prepared for; ‘twas the first time I was actually caught off guard with a kids book, specifically looking at that scene where Copper uncovers some stuff from the mud. Dear lord. Seriously, read this thing—it was a lot more than what the blurb made it out to be than just a generic kids-fantasy mystery. I do have a nitpick though: there’s a character resolution that’s underwhelming, involving the twist villain of the book. I wish it was handled differently, maybe left open-ended for a follow up, or feeling more complete than a simple turn-in (quite literally lol). Overall, 10/10. Slower at times but merited the page count enough. Absolute heat. Laws of physics finna have a word with Copper and his family about his ghoul fit (it’s on the blurb, don’t kill me).

[P.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take my word for it. This book will forever change your opinion about mud. That is if you have an opinion about mud. If you don't, it will influence you when you develop an opinion about mud. Now that that is settled, I will say that I loved Copper Inskeep. He has got to be one of my favorite characters for his turn of phrase, his cluelessness about girls, and his ghoulishness. This was a fun read for a muggy afternoon. The mud kept me cooler.

[Kary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked this more but there were some plot holes that I couldn't get past.

[Fleur Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great mystery! Lots of plot twists that kept me (an avid mystery reader) guessing... This book will hook your kid reader without a doubt. Highly recommend.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting and surprising page turner that really kept you reading.
It has plenty of twists as you follow copper on his muddy adventure.

[Elizabeth Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this mystery book. Had many unexpected twists and I found the muddy setting really interesting. Copper, the main character, has a great voice. Fantastic.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a ride! The setting alone becomes a character, with its treacherous mud as a constant hazard to all those who have carved out a living in Windydown Vale.

Copper, our protagonist, has a secret: he’s the ghoul that terrorizes the vale. He is the third generation in his family to take on that role, to keep the people safe from the mud and to bring travelers to the safety of his family’s inn.

Because of the mud, there is only one other person his age in town—Liza. Everyone has assumed that the two will one day marry. Enter Annabelle, whose father has been taken by the Ghoul. Except—Copper knows there is no ghoul.

A larger-than-life figure comes to town and promises to exterminate the Ghoul. For a price of course. It’s not hard for the reader to figure out that he’s a fraud. But who’s helping him? And why do Copper and Annabelle find corpses in the mud outside of town?

The real secret isn’t the Ghoul. It’s why it was created in the first place. And it’s not what you expect.

This is another book where the ending is bittersweet. It’s about trust, and betrayal, and expectations. And sometimes, you just can’t stay quiet anymore.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Violence. Secrets and betrayal. Very mild cursing. A little kissing.

Who Might Like This Book:
Those who like stories about family dynamics. Those who like mysteries. Those who like things a little spooky.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2...

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Jake Burt is one of my go-to authors whose books I will read without knowing anything about them. He keeps surprising me by writing books in new genres, and I never know what to expect. This creepy mystery revolves around a dark secret...and lots of mud!

Copper is secretly the ghoul of Windydown Vale, a role that his family has played for many years. When an attack in the woods is blamed on the ghoul about which that Copper knows nothing, he helps with the investigation to find the father of the young victim who is still recovering from the incident. But the mysterious disappearance leads to some shocking discoveries, and Copper starts to question everything he's been taught and believes about the secret he's been carrying.

I loved the setting of this story, the small town of Windydown Vale surrounded by a muddy swamp that plays a major role in the story. The descriptions of the woods are vivid, and the isolation of the community that is slowly being abandoned for its lack of resources adds to the plot. I also loved watching Copper try to solve the mystery and finding secrets in addition to his own that affected him. There are some excellent themes to explore with young readers, and I think this could make a really good read aloud.

[Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Near-death experience, death, dead bodies
Score: Seven points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

This book was part of the library reading challenge of the month. The goals were to read a poetry book, a graphic novel and a horror book. This meets the third goal.
After I read this book, I completed the challenge for the month, but after reading another horror book called What We All Saw, the novel left me disturbed! Not reading that again, and not to mention I gave that story two stars, but considering that this isn't a young adult novel, I thought the horror would be toned down. I was right, and other than one terrifying scene and some dead bodies (repulsive in their own right,) this was only an okay book I could push through without much struggle. As far as I know, this is the only book the library has from this author, so I can't say if his other books are good. It starts with the main character, Copper (like the element copper and not Cooper?) Inskeep, or Copper for short, lives in whatever's left of Windydown Vale. The entire storyline is slow-paced at best and forgettable at worst since after the inciting event where the Ghoul scared a city girl, Annabelle, the first few hundred pages didn't have anything much happening since the book was too occupied in describing Copper's life. The other characters weren't that much better since I struggled to connect to them, the ending was, as I said before, disturbing but at least there's a high note.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This HAS to be your next purchase for your middle school student/library/teacher gift!

I am not typically a horror/anything spooky lover for books. WAAYYY too much anxiety and stress for me to willingly handle. BUT, I saw this arc up on NetGalley and immediately recognized the author from our SSYRA lists (Greetings from Witness Protection a few years back and NOW Cleo Porter). I've loved his other books so I knew I had to give it a shot.

Let me tell you, if you need a "First Chapter Friday" hook, I don't know if I've read one better than this! I was totally sold on it from the beginning.

I was about 50ish% done last night and was about to go to bed. WRONG! I ended up awake to almost midnight to finish the book because there was no way I was sleeping without resolution. It is full of twists and turns. So many great characters. Has a little scare, mystery, love, and all the great things a reader wants to sink (haha) into! I cannot rave enough about this book.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copper lives in Windydown Vale where it is only safe to walk on the wooden sidewalks or you will get sucked down into the mud and never make it back out. Windydown Vale has also had to relocate because the old site is too dangerous to live in now because of the swamp overtaking everything. And, to add to the danger, there is a Ghoul that roams the area, terrifying those who pass through. One day a girl comes into town, sobbing, because the Ghoul has attacked them and taken her father. Copper knows that this is impossible, however, so he sets out to help the frantic girl find the truth.

Predictable most of the way through although the ending gets pretty exciting. Give this to your students looking for scary but not too scary books as there is nothing truly to horrify anyone in this book.

[Mindy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

several residents of the town of windydown vale have been, for generations, haunting the countryside dressed as a ghoul in order to spook townsfolk and outsiders alike for the good of the town; a girl arrives in town claiming that the ghoul attacked her father, but copper, the town's current ghoul, knows that can't be the case. i loved this!!! ahhhhh!! it was funny and smart and fun and ridiculous and tense and violent, there was murder and vileness and deception and creepiness and fast paced action, the stakes felt properly high, the author didn't talk down to the reader as is often the case with middle grade books, the characters were great and believable in their motivations.. this was fantastic, def recommend, 5/5

[Lisa McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt was not my favorite of his books, but none the less, it was a good story. In an effort to keep children and strangers out of the dangerous swamp mud, Copper, the main character of the book, secretly "haunts" the town as a horrifying ghoul. Then a frightened girl, rides into town, screaming that she and her absent father were attacked by the ghoul and that the ghoul has taken her father. Copper knows that it wasn't him, so who or what was it? Thus begins the mystery... This book had lots of twists and turns which kept me guessing where the story was headed.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @princessreadsalot for the book 😁 You know how much I love spooky reads! This one wasn't too spooky, but it definitely had some gruesome moments! There's one near the end that's just 😱 There were so many plot twists in this book that I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. The worldbuilding was so fascinating and I loved the story behind Windydown Vale. The characters were also great to read about, but oh boy, Copper deserves a vacation after everything he goes through in the story 🤣 The romance arc seemed a little random, but overall this was an awesome book!

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed Copper's character very much and rooted for him throughout, the other characters just didn't come to life for me. Some of the plot twists completely surprised me and others were easily seen coming. I enjoyed reading this book but sometimes felt confused and made sure to reread passages for clarification. The ending was not satisfactory for me and I didn't feel it suited the story as a criminal didn't have to face consequences and Copper's decision about his life left me questioning what I knew about him.

[KATHRYNE STEVENS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was highly enjoyable. I only guessed the mystery a few pages before it was revealed in the book and I throughly enjoyed the setting. I would love to see more books take place in the Vale. The characters were complex and while they didn't really change a lot, the book did a good job of slowly revealing more about each of its characters. I felt the ending made sense and enjoyed this spooky mystery.

[Lissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story!! I didn’t think the book was going to be all that great honestly but boy was I wrong! Everything in this story is so satisfying right down to the way it ended. I found myself shouting out when twists happened because I didn’t see them coming and I’m pretty good at figuring out twists before they happen. Characters were great and it kept me reading. Plot and setting was so unique and a breath of fresh air. 10/10 will read again!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I may eventually pick up a physical copy of this book and try again, because the biggest reason I couldn't get into it was the audiobook narrator who was WAY over the top. It's a children's book, so I could understand the reasoning behind it, but I found it irritating beyond measure and couldn't sit through it after a couple of hours. The concept is unique and fun, so hopefully with a different format I'll enjoy it more next time.

[P.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take my word for it. This book will forever change your opinion about mud. That is if you have an opinion about mud. If you don't, it will influence you when you develop an opinion about mud. Now that that is settled, I will say that I loved Copper Inskeep. He has got to be one of my favorite characters for his turn of phrase, his cluelessness about girls, and his ghoulishness. This was a fun read for a muggy afternoon. The mud kept me cooler.

[Christie]

Mysterious! Suspenseful! Surprising! The Ghoul of Windydown Vale delivers everything you'd want from this type of book and more! The town and its cast of characters are unique and intriguing! The storyline gets readers invested from the get go and keeps engagement high as the plot unfolds and more and more is revealed about what is really going on.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly this is one of my favorite books. I love the description, characters and world. The drama and mystery was amazing and I couldn't put it down. A real page turner, is wonderfully written and has some amazing quotes. "A legend is just a lie that has had time to grow a beard" I love it and would recommend it to anyone who loves spooky fantasy books.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of twists and turns to keep the story interesting. The main character was a good role model in several ways but I especially liked how a strong male character felt things deeply and wasn’t ashamed to show it.
Recommended for middle graders who like a good mystery, especially those who also like a good dose of spooky.

[Jayne Bartrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake delivers again! This is a great read aloud or read alone. Equal parts suspense, humor, family, friends, and what a delightfully disgusting setting! Hoping to meet Copper and friends again on down the road 💯