What’s the book about?
A hotel opening, a budding romance, a missing locket and . . . a ghost.
Josephine Eloise Thomas and her family are getting ready for the grand opening of their hotel. And with the surprise gifting of a beautiful tabby kitten from Josephine’s next-door neighbours, the Martins, things are looking up. Until chaos strikes.
To start, the criminal mastermind Anastasia, hellbent on exacting revenge on Josephine, is still on the run. Then, the historical significance of Josephine’s locket having been purchased by Louis XVII becomes common knowledge, so Josephine needs to keep her valuable jewel out of harm’s way. And with their new housekeeper and guests roaming the chateau as it becomes a hotel, she must keep her family safe too.
What’s more, Gabriel Barbier, the gorgeous French boy she thought was her very good friend, is caught up working on an art project with the beautiful new girl, Maude, and seems to have no time for Josephine.
Are the antics at the chateau just accidents or sabotage? How long can Josephine keep Louis a secret from her family? Will Maude get in the way of a budding romance for Josephine and Gabriel? And can the family’s hotel open successfully?
Recommended for:
Ages 9+
Three reasons to read it:
- The mystery in The Girl and the Ghost #3: Grand Opening feels exciting because Josephine is protecting a locket with historical importance, connected to Louis XVII, which makes it valuable and even potentially dangerous if the wrong person gets interested in it. Once its significance becomes known, the risk increases, meaning Josephine has to be extra careful about who she trusts while also trying to work out whether the strange events happening around the chateau are accidents or deliberate sabotage. This creates a story where every clue matters and every decision feels important.
- The friendship and romance side of the story adds a very real emotional layer because Josephine’s relationship with Gabriel starts to shift when Maude enters the picture. Josephine is left wondering where she stands as Gabriel spends more time with someone else, which can bring up feelings of jealousy, confusion, and even a bit of hurt, making this part of the story especially relatable for readers who understand how tricky friendships and crushes can be. It also balances the mystery by showing that Josephine isn’t just solving problems, she’s also figuring out her feelings.
- What makes the book especially fun to read is how much is happening all at once. Alongside the mystery and friendship drama there’s the pressure of the hotel’s grand opening, a criminal mastermind still on the run, new people like guests and a housekeeper constantly moving through the chateau, and the ongoing secret of the ghost Louis, all of which combine to create a busy, slightly chaotic atmosphere where something could go wrong at any moment.
Buy a copy of The Girl and the Ghost #3: Grand Opening here.
About the author:
Jacqueline Harvey worked in schools for many years but has had a passion for storytelling since she was a child. She is the author of the popular Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose, Kensy and Max and Willa and Woof series, which have sold almost two million copies in Australia alone. In 2022, she released a picture book, That Cat, illustrated by one of her former students, Kate Isobel Scott. The pair has since gone on to publish The Daring Tale of Gloria the Great and the Kevin the Sheep series. Jacqueline’s books have received numerous shortlistings and awards while her picture book, The Sound of the Sea, was a CBCA Honour Book. Jacqueline speaks to thousands of young people at schools and festivals around the world and says the characters in her books are often made up of the best bits of children she’s met over the years. While she is not a twin, like Kensy and Max she does have excellent powers of observation and has always thought she’d make a great spy. She has narrated over thirty audio books. Jacqueline lives between Sydney, Australia, and Queenstown, New Zealand. The first book in her new middle grade series, The Girl and the Ghost, launches in 2025.
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