Ghostly Pick: Graveyard Shift

Graveyard Shift
by Chris Westwood
Scholastic Press
first printing 2011 (Great Britain) under the title Ministry of Pandemonium
2012
304 pages

Hardcover available July 1, 2012


See the book trailer here


Read an excerpt here


Creepy and thrilling, cool and terrifying, quick paced and entertaining, Graveyard Shift will thrill middle grade readers (grades 5-8). This inventive novel is part fantasy, part paranormal, part mystery, and in places, uproariously funny and sure to entice tons of teen fans.

Mysterious and bizarre Mr. October keeps appearing to Ben. First, he sees him in a cemetery. Then he sees him wearing disguises everywhere around his London neighborhood. Mr. October has chosen Ben--for what? Ben doesn't yet know. The strange man seems to be testing him and sizing him up.

There's more than meets the eye going on in London. Ghosts and spirits roam freely, but the Ministry is supposed to keep tabs on all of them. Ben is just the boy for the job. Magic is afoot and the evil Lords of Sundown want to capture as many spirits as they can. Mr. October helps spirits find their way and now he wants Ben as an apprentice.

Ben begins helping Mr. October and finds the answer to a mystery in his own life. What twisted secret from his family's past will Ben have to face? Can Ben put this behind him?

Graveyard Shift is rich with monstrous demons, creepy surroundings, magical places, mysterious people, bizarre appearances, and in Ben, a protagonist readers will never forget. Ben is the "everyboy," the typical kid from London whose family is a little down on their luck--a kid looking for someone to help guide him.

Recommended grades 5-up. No language, no sex. Good readers in grade 4 who can handle Harry Potter books will easily handle this read.