The Phantom Thief Book

It took me ages to get to sleep. I'd jump awake thinking the Ghost was in my room. Then I dreamt it had turned into a bat, swooping down on me out of the darkness. I even saw its fangs. I yelled and woke myself up. What a relief. Except when I opened my eyes it was pitch dark. That really thick blackness, like a great fog. I hate waking up at this time. I tried to snuggle down into bed. I was closing my eyes when I heard something. Someone was calling me. It was a dream. It had to be. But then I heard it again. "Alfie…"The fantastic cover of this superb title gives the reader a taste of what to expect in this chilling but compulsive tale of a ghost with some unfinished business. When Alfie is put in the detention room, or the "padded cell" as it is affectionately known by the pupils, by the awful Mr Crumble, he is not very happy. He is even more unhappy when, after a boy his age appears in the room with him, Alfie finds that his new jacket has been stolen and the mysterious boy is no where to be seen. Anger soon turns to fear however, when, thanks to a bit of feminine intuition from his friend Sarah, Alfie realises that the boy may have been a ghost. But why did he take Alfie's jacket? What does he want? And why has the ghost scrawled a terrible warning message on the classroom blackboard?This marvellous and riveting book is a prime example of this award-winning author in peak form as he spins a creepy, and often complex tale of unearthly unfinished business. As with all of Johnson's stories, there is something deeper going on beneath the spooky surface. There are plenty of chilling moments, especially the scene in the "padded cell"--surely a situation we have all faced at one time or another. But the real issues are how we can often feel misunderstood or unable to communicate what we really feel. Touching and even a little sad, The Phantom Thief lingers in the memory long after the final page and offers an enjoyable and rewarding experience. -- Jonathan WeirRead More