Danger, darkness and a mysterious legacy are unveiled in this magical seaside adventure by the bestselling author of A Girl Called Corpse.
Nobody in Elston-Fright believes in magic anymore. Well, nobody except for Flip Little, his nan and his friends: a girl called Corpse, a ghost called Girl and a very large spider called Simon.
But when Simon is spider-napped 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, restoring its lost magic.
Only nothing in Elston-Fright is as it seems. 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.
Sydney-based Reece Carter has fast become a household name since the release of his bestselling children’s fiction debut, A Girl Called Corpse, which earned a spot on our 2023 Top 50 Kids list! This sparkling middle-grade adventure introduced us to Corpse – a ghostly girl with a body made of wax, seaweed for hair and polished abalone shells for eyes.
Now, Carter is back with a continuation of this first tale, taking us deeper into the magical, spooky world of Elston-Fright. This time, chapters alternate between the perspectives of Corpse and Flip, an adventure-loving boy from a long line of Lightkeepers.
Flip’s enthusiasm for adventure is absolutely infectious: ‘Mysteries don’t solve themselves,’ he reminds us – talk about an incentive to keep the pages turning. But Flip soon discovers that tracking down the truth is one thing, and coming to terms with it is something else entirely…
We see Flip, Corpse and Girl grow tremendously through the tribulations and triumphs of this second installment. Between the fast-paced adventure, there are some beautifully poignant moments of self-reflection and development. And Simon, Corpse’s loveable (I promise) pet spider… Well, let’s just say Simon falls on his fair share of hard times in this book.
I think what makes Carter’s writing such a hit is the way he so artfully balances light and shade. There is real, sinister danger to be found in Elston-Fright, but at the same time it brims with wit, charm, heart and imagination. This balance, which underpins Carter’s unforgettable characters and pitch-perfect world-building, makes his books absolutely unputdownable.
Brilliant illustrator Simon Howe is also back for book #2. His energetic black-and-white illustrations are a match made in heaven for the imaginative explosion that is Carter’s world-building, bringing the weird and wonderful characters, creatures and scenery to life.
You’ll likely find yourself reluctant to leave Elston-Fright when you reach this book’s close. Luckily for us, The Lonely Lighthouse ends on a foreboding note, with an epilogue that hints at lurking evil and more danger to come… music to my ears! I can’t wait to see where Carter takes us next. This is a must-read for ages 8+.
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