Books like 'Ghostlight'
Readers who enjoyed Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary horror supernatural fantasy action / adventure mystery ghosts paranormal children friendship
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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsYadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure -
The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsIn the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts historical-fiction paranormal spooky action-adventure alternate-history -
The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsAs a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts historical-fiction paranormal spooky action-adventure alternate-history -
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 75 ratingsThe fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook -
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Blue Moon by James Ponti
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMolly is ready for more nonstop, undead action in this follow-up to Dead City, which Kirkus Reviews described as “a fast-paced read for those who like their zombies with just a little fright.”When Molly Bigelow discovered that zombies shared New York with humans, she didn’t think life could get more shocking...Categorized as:
children family friendship paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
The Unbound by Victoria E. Schwab
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsEach body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she’s struggling to get her life back...Categorized as:
family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure alpha-mc -
Deep and Dark and Dangerous (A Ghost Story) by Mary Downing Hahn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsJust before summer begins, 13-year-old Ali finds an odd photograph in the attic. She knows the two children in it are her mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie... -
Dead City by James Ponti
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMost kids have enough to deal with between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and friends, but Molly Bigelow isn’t your typical tween. By day, Molly attends MIST—the Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology—but it’s what she’s learning outside of school that sets her apart from her classmates. Molly is a zombie hunter, just like her mother. This, however, is news to Molly... -
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 73 ratingsThis is not a fairy-tale. This is about real witches. Real witches don't ride around on broomsticks. They don't even wear black cloaks and hats. They are vile, cunning, detestable creatures who disguise themselves as nice, ordinary ladies...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family magical-realism paranormal spooky 20th-century action-adventure -
When by Victoria Laurie, Whitney Dykhouse
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsPretty Little Liars meets Medium in this fast-paced thriller and fantastic YA debut from a New York Times bestselling author.Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook book -
Dark Days by James Ponti
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMolly’s up against the undead—and the fate of Manhattan is in her hands—in the third and final book of the Dead City trilogy, which Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins says “breathes new life into the zombie genre.”Molly and the Omegas fight to contain the storm unleashed by Operation Blue Moon...Categorized as:
children family friendship paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure -
Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe chilling second book in the innovative series from bestselling author Patrick Carman. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek...and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThis fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise... -
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The Black Reckoning by John Stephens
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe final book in the bestselling Books of Beginning trilogy that began with "The Emerald Atlas," which the "New York Times" called "a new Narnia for the tween set... -
Famous Last Words by Katie Alender
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsHollywood history, mystery, murder, mayhem, and delicious romance collide in this unputdownable thriller from master storyteller Katie Alender.Willa is freaking out. It seems like she's seeing things. Like a dead body in her swimming pool. Frantic messages on her walls. A reflection that is not her own. It's almost as if someone—or something—is trying to send her a message...Categorized as:
family friendship ghosts paranormal season-summer survival action-adventure audiobook -
The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly by Rebecca Ansari
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCharlie O’Reilly is an only child. Which is why it makes everyone uncomfortable when he talks about his brother. Liam, his eight-year-old kid brother, who, up until a year ago, slept in the bunk above Charlie, took pride in being as annoying as possible, and was the only person who could make Charlie laugh until it hurt.Then came the morning when the bunk, and Liam, disappeared forever...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism spooky action-adventure -
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 85 ratingsNobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure -
The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSophie loves the hidden shop below her parents' bookstore, where dreams are secretly bought and sold. When the dream shop is robbed and her parents go missing, Sophie must unravel the truth to save them. Together with her best friend—a wisecracking and fanatically loyal monster named Monster—she must decide whom to trust with her family’s carefully guarded secrets...Categorized as:
children friendship magical-realism paranormal action-adventure animals audiobook book -
Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic is the sequel to the hilariously scary New York Times bestselling novel Nightmares! by multitalented actor Jason Segel and bestselling author Kirsten Miller. You thought the nightmares were over? You better keep the lights on! Charlie Laird has a dream life. 1) He has a weirdo stepmom who runs an herbarium...Categorized as:
children family friendship paranormal action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
Long Lost by Jacqueline West
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist. When Fiona’s family moves to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated to the town by the long-dead heiress...Categorized as:
paranormal ghosts magical-realism children spooky family historical-fiction middle-grade -
Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford, Jaime Zollars
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome back to the irresistible world of Greenglass House where thirteen-year-old Milo is, once again, spending the winter holidays stuck in a house full of strange guests who are not what they seem. There are fresh clues to uncover as friends old and new join in his search for a mysterious map and a famous smuggler’s lost haul...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal action-adventure -
The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage, Lauren Fortgang
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe eagerly anticipated followup to the Newbery honor winner and New York Times bestseller, Three Times LuckySmall towns have rules. One is, you got to stay who you are -- no matter how many murders you solve.When Miss Lana makes an Accidental Bid at the Tupelo auction and winds up the mortified owner of an old inn, she doesn't realize there's a ghost in the fine print...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal action-adventure -
The Girl On Legare Street by Karen White
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAcclaimed author Karen White returns with the sequel to the national bestseller The House on Tradd Street.Melanie has grown accustomed to renovating old houses, but she never imagined she'd have to renovate her own life to include her estranged mother. Ginnette Prioleau Middleton left Charleston thirty-five years ago...Categorized as:
family ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal action-adventure adult audiobook -
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Just South of Home by Karen Strong
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCousins Sarah and Janie unearth a tragic event in their small Southern town’s history in this witty middle grade novel that’s perfect for fans of Stella by Starlight, The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, and As Brave as You.Twelve-year-old Sarah is finally in charge...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal spooky -
Ghost in the Attic by Dori Hillestad Butler
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA brand-new young chapter book series from Edgar Award winner Dori Hillestad Butler! After successfully solving the mystery of the ghost in the library, Kaz and Claire land the first case for their detective agency--a haunted attic in a neighbor's home! With a little help from Grannie, Kaz and Claire discover that what appeared to be something spooky has a much simpler explanation...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure book children-books contemporary -
Archimancy by J.A. White
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe first book in a middle grade series that introduces three friends and their quest to unravel the secrets of Shadow School, a strange middle school in New Hampshire, from the acclaimed author of Nightbooks and the Thickety series, J. A. White. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Neil Gaiman, and Adam Gidwitz.Cordelia Liu knew Shadow School was going to be different...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts paranormal action-adventure audiobook boarding-school book -
Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor fans of Us and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comes a witchy story full of black girl magic as one girl’s dark ability to summon the dead offers her a chance at a new life, while revealing to her an even darker future.Katrell doesn’t mind talking to the dead; she just wishes it made more money... -
Legend of the Ghost Dog by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA thrilling mystery set against a stark landscape and the inspiration of Nome's real-life dog hero, Balto.Twelve-year-old Tee didn't think she believed in ghosts . . . until a walk in the woods around her new rural Alaskan home changes her mind. She and her beagle, Henry, are stalked by a wolfish, decidedly spooky shadow. There's something out there - and it's not of this world...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family friendship ghosts historical-fiction paranormal spooky -
The In-Between by Rebecca Ansari
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCooper is lost. Ever since his father left their family three years ago, he has become distant from his friends, constantly annoyed by his little sister, Jess, and completely fed up with the pale, creepy rich girl who moved in next door, who won’t stop staring at him.So when Cooper learns of an unsolved mystery his sister has discovered online, he welcomes the distraction...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure -
The Door by the Staircase by Katherine Marsh
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwelve-year-old Mary Hayes can't stand her orphanage for another night. But when an attempted escape through the stove pipe doesn't go quite as well as she'd hoped, Mary fears she'll be stuck in the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies forever...Categorized as:
children family friendship historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure animals audiobook -
The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOlivia wants a new life—and her wish might be granted by the unlikeliest allies. A heartfelt, gently Gothic novel from Claire Legrand that School Library Journal calls a “not-too-scary ghost story.”Olivia Stellatella is having a rough year... -
Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata by Jennifer Allison
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen her best friend, Wendy Choy, qualifies to compete in an international piano competition in Oxford, England, irrepressible Gilda Joyce finds a way to get an invitation herself—as a page-turner. Wendy settles into an exhausting practice schedule, made worse by strange nightmares, while Gilda finds herself falling in love with a British boy...Categorized as:
children friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal action-adventure audiobook book -
Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEach day, sixth-grader Rusty feeds a dog that's left chained in the frigid weather with no shelter, food, or water. When he realizes the dog has been injured, he tries to have Animal Control help - but when that fails, Rusty and his friend Andrew unchain the dog and take it... -
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The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream)... -
Malamander by Thomas Taylor
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure -
Dead Voices by Katherine Arden, Катрин Арден
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBestselling author Katherine Arden returns with another creepy, spine-tingling adventure in this follow-up to the critically acclaimed Small Spaces.Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort... -
The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAveline Jones loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it once belonged to Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose's disappearance.Now someone... or something, is stirring... -
Tunnel of Bones by Victoria E. Schwab
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsTrouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted cities. Sure, it's fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there's true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure -
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsNew York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organizations, and impossible cities in this standalone fantasy.Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.Meet Dodger, his twin...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure alchemy -
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 85 ratingsSussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family friendship magical-realism paranormal 21st-century action-adventure -
The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsKatie, who has supernatural powers, attempts to start a new life in another town with her mother. The attempt succeeds until Mr. Cooper asks Katie too many questions...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal 20th-century -
Skeleton Creek #1 by Patrick Carman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe first book in the breakthrough series from bestselling author Patrick Carman, featuring text and technology in an innovative new way. Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek . . . and Ryan and Sarah are trying to get to the heart of it... -
Heart of Evil by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEmerging from the bayou like an apparition, Donegal Plantation is known for its unsurpassed dining, captivating atmosphere, haunting legends and now a corpse swinging from the marble angel that marks its cemetery's most majestic vault. A corpse discovered in nearly the same situation as that of Marshall Donegal, the patriarch killed in a skirmish just before the Civil War...Categorized as:
family friendship ghosts historical-fiction paranormal action-adventure audiobook book -
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The End of Temperance Dare: A Novel by Wendy Webb
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHaunting and atmospheric, The End of Temperance Dare is another thrilling page-turner from the author reviewers are calling the Queen of the Northern Gothic.When Eleanor Harper becomes the director of a renowned artists’ retreat, she knows nothing of Cliffside Manor’s dark past as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a “waiting room for death...Categorized as:
friendship ghosts historical-fiction paranormal spooky survival 21st-century action-adventure -
The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBookish puzzles, phantom mysteries, and evil curses await as Elizabeth returns to Winterhouse in The Secrets of Winterhouse, the second book in Ben Guterson's magical series.Back at the Winterhouse hotel for another holiday season, Elizabeth and Freddy dig deeper into the mystery surrounding Riley S...Categorized as:
children family friendship magical-realism paranormal 21st-century action-adventure audiobook -
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWe Need Diverse Books founder Ellen Oh returns with Spirit Hunters, a high-stakes middle grade mystery series about Harper Raine, the new seventh grader in town who must face down the dangerous ghosts haunting her younger brother... -
All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe day after the funeral all our mourning clothes hung out on the line like sleeping bats. 'This will be really embarrassing,' I kept saying to my family, 'when she shows up at the door in a week or two.'When Deena's wild and mysterious sister Mandy disappears - presumed dead - her family are heartbroken. But Mandy has always been troubled. It's just another bad thing to happen to Deena's family...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure -
The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric great-aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him--only then will he be at peace...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts paranormal season-summer action-adventure audiobook -
Bridge of Souls by Victoria E. Schwab
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsWhere there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows ... unless it's the other way around?Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while travelling for her parents' TV show.But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve...Categorized as:
children family friendship ghosts magical-realism paranormal spooky action-adventure
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