Ghost Knight

About
“Banished” to boarding school in contemporary Salisbury, England, 11-year-old Jon finds himself targeted by phantom riders determined to punish him for something that happened centuries before.

When his mother sends him off to Salisbury Cathedral School, Jon arrives “shrouded in thick mists of homesickness.” Pursued by ghost riders only he can see and who call him “Hartgill,” his mother’s maiden name, a terrified Jon confides in fearless classmate Ella. She takes him to her grandmother, an expert on local ghosts. Ella’s grandmother warns Jon he’s being haunted by the ghost of Lord Stourton, a villain hanged in 1556 for the murders of Jon’s Hartgill ancestors. Ella suggests Jon evoke the ghost of William Longspee, a famous knight buried in Salisbury Cathedral. Longspee’s ghost proves a valorous champion, helping Jon eradicate Stourton and his vendetta. But Longspee harbors his own dark secret, which Jon pledges to resolve. Historic details about the real Hartgill, Longspee and Stourton are deftly woven into a ripping good story. It's told with self-effacing humor from the perspective of an awkward boy who emerges as honorable and brave as the ghost knight and the contemporary girl he befriends. Black-and-white illustrations add to the Tudor atmosphere and drama.

Author's Note
With The Thief Lord  I discovered the magic of a story that is set in real place that my readers can visit. I received so many photos, postcards and letters from children who visited and discovered Venice with my book under their arm. What a wonderful thing to happen. I love it when a story shows us the magic of the world that surrounds us. I hope that Ghost Knight will bring many children to Salisbury and Kilmington and Lacock and that they will discover the magic waiting in those places. I hope they’ll go to find the effigy of Longspee, the church where Stourton almost kills Jon and Ella, and Lacock where a dead knight finds peace thanks to them. Maybe they'll even visit the island behind the cathedral school, walk through the close, find the cafe where Jon sits with his mother?

Extract
It was on my sixth night that I realized homesickness was going to be the least of my worries. Angus was humming in his sleep, some tune he was practizing for the choir. I lay awake, wondering once again who would be the first to give in: my mother, because she'd finally realize that her only son was far more important than a bearded dentist, or me, because I'd get tired of my leaden heart and beg her to let me come home.

I was just about to pull the pillow over my head to block out Angus' sleepy singsong, when I heard horses snorting. I remember wondering, as I tiptoed toward the window, whether Edward Popplewell had taken to traveling to the pub on horseback. Angus' humming, our clothes all over the floor, the cheesy nightlight Stu had put on the desk - none of those things could possibly have prepared me for seeing something scary in the soggy night outside.

But there they were. Three riders. Very pale. As if the night air had gone moldy. And they were staring up at me.