Shadowhall Academy: The Whispering Walls

It's 1987 and Lilian Jones is leaving home to start as a boarder at Shadowhall Academy. When she arrives, she finds a cold, creepy building with gargoyles on the gates and endless corridors inside. She soon meets her new dormitory mates, Serena, Marian and Angela, and begins to make friends as she starts her new life at Shadowhall.

Angela, a shy, timid girl, is terrified when she hears tapping on the walls during the night. Lilian tries to comfort her, but then Marian tells her that their dormitory is haunted by Cold Mary, the ghost of a girl who was a pupil at the school years ago. As the girls begin to investigate the strange happenings, they are helped by Mr Bullen, their history teacher, who tells them that the ghostly legends can be traced back to a girl called Isobel Boulogne.

Isobel lived on the Shadowhall Estate before it was a school, and lost her twin sister in tragic circumstances. Determined to solve the mystery, Lilian and her friends are drawn into a spooky and dangerous adventure, involving missing girls, an old necklace and secret passageways.

Shadowhall Academy: The Whispering Walls is a terrific ghost story, brilliantly plotted and beautifully written. Lillian is such a great character, organised and efficient, she becomes the leader of the four girls and they become a strong team, supporting each other through the twists and turns of the story. Friendship is a strong theme throughout the book, particularly towards the end when Serena puts aside her fear of heights to be there for her friends at a very dangerous time.

Phil Hickes is masterful at building tension and creating creepy scenarios that are just scary enough; there is nothing gratuitous or over the top, just clever, atmospheric writing - although the scene in which Lilian confronts Isobel in the school library will live with me for quite some time! Setting the book in the eighties is a great device - with no internet or mobile phone, Lilian uses the library to research the folk legends which will help her to understand just what Isobel is. As she says "answers to questions are generally found in books".

Much of the spooky action takes place at night, adding to the ghostly feel of the novel. All in all, a really great start to Phil Hickes' new series. We are also given a sneaky peak into Lilian's next adventure, which sounds equally as good; I hope it's not too long before we get the chance to read the whole book!

Keith Robinson has provided a suitably enticing cover and creepy chapter heading illustrations are included throughout. It took me a while to work out that there is a family connection between Lilian Jones and Aveline Jones, heroine of Mr Hickes' first series of books - brilliant! The Shadowhall books will make a perfect addition to any home and school library - I predict waiting lists!

224 pages / Reviewed by Beverley Somerset, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+