Spook's Shack

by Wendy Orr, Kerry Millard (Illustrator)

When Finn is sent to live with his great-aunt for the summer, he's thrilled by the possibility of adventure offered by the wilderness surrounding the house. But when he stumbles across an old shack inhabited by a glowing green ghost and his specter of a dog, things quickly take a turn for the weird. The ghost, Jack Henry, has a special connection with the land and its creatures. He rescues an orphaned wallaby and helps Finn learn to understand the cry of the kookaburra. When a greedy businessman wants to bulldoze the trees in order to mine for gold, Finn and Jack combine their practical and spooky powers to save the land and the animals that live there. Themes of environmentalism and altruism make this chapter book much more than just a ghost story.

120 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2005

About the author

I’m an author, but I could never have started writing books if I hadn’t loved reading them first. Reading isn’t just one of my favourite things to do; it’s one of the most important things in my life. I can’t imagine a world in which I couldn’t read, every day. That’s why I always read to my children every day, just as my parents used to read to me. Stories can be exciting, sad, funny, scary or comforting, but the most amazing thing about them is that they take us into new worlds and teach us something more about ourselves, all at the same time.

Reviews

[Nura · Rating 3 out of 5]

jarang-jarang baca literatur aussie. susah ngebayangin suara si burung kecil kookaburra, wombat, walabi, sama binatang-binatang khas benua kanguru lainnya. buku ini bikin gw kagum sama betapa sigapnya petugas pemadam kebakaran saat nerima telepon tentang bushfire (termasuk kebakaran hutan bukan sih?). saking seringnya terjadi kebakaran sampe ada bushfire season yang bisa berlangsung sepanjang tahun di beberapa tempat. gimana di Indonesia ya? ada juga sekelumit sejarah tentang demam emas yang jadi latar belakang cerita tentang si hantu Jack Henry yang sudah almarhum seabad sebelum ketemu Finn.

kutipan kesukaan gw

there’s a time for living,
a time for leaving
and a time for moving along,
so don’t try to see me,
don’t try to keep me
’cause one day soon I’ll be gone.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook
I enjoyed this book. The sad part was when the shack burnt down. My favourite character was the old man because he didn't know what a telephone or radio was and he kept making up names for things he didn't know, for example a humbug for a helicopter. I thought it was really interesting that everybody kept thinking the gold was jinxed and if you had the gold you would have a bad life. I enjoyed how Finn and the old man could talk to the animals.