The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright
The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright
Reece Carter
Simon Howe
A & U Children’s, 2023
352pp., pbk., RRP $a17.99
9781761066795
Nobody in Elston-Fright believes in magic anymore, even though its history is steeped in it, so now, when something weird happens, they just lock their doors and pretend it’s not. But Flip Little, his nan and his friends: a girl called Corpse, a ghost called Girl and a very large spider called Simon, know differently, and when Simon is taken by ancient weather ghouls called the Poltergusts, Flip and his ghostly companions turn to the last Lightkeeper’s journals for answers. To rescue their friend, they will need to find and return the missing Light to the lighthouse to restore its lost magic. In the past, the light from the lighthouse not only protected passing ships but also repelled bad magic, but that seems to have long gone.
Because nothing in Elston-Fright is as it seems. When Flip feels something different in the air, and sees something odd through his telescope things are about to change. Questions bubble up from the deep. Dark secrets come to light. And pretty soon, Flip and his friends learn that in order to save the future of Elston-Fright, they’ll first need to understand its past
This is the sequel to A Girl Called Corpse, and while there are references to that in this one, to be honest, it would be better to have read the first one to get the most from this. Written by an author who has a dog named Hagrid -what more can you say? – this is for independent readers who enjoy magic, mystery, and the supernatural entwined with family and friendship and who are able to cope with the two different, but clearly identified, perspectives from which it is told.
Already longlisted for the Australian Best Children’s Book, Indie Book Awards, 2024 this series is a cracking way for those who enjoy this genre to start their 2024 reading adventures, particularly with the third in the trilogy to look forward to. .