Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior [Paperback]

Raymond Bial (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

The adventures of three girls - sisters Amanda and Sally and their friend, Roxanne - trapped on Shadow Island, near a sleepy resort somewhere on Lake Superior. To escape, they must explore the mysterious long-abandoned Stardust Hotel. Unfortunely for them, the old Victorian hotel is not quite as deserted as it looks.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—From the moment that Amanda and her family arrive at the Pinedale resort on Lake Superior, it is obvious that something is amiss. Soon, they are treated to a ghost story warning them away from nearby Shadow Island. When the 12-year-old finds herself drawn there, she, her younger sister, and her friend Roxanne row to the island in a haunted boat and become embroiled in a whopper of a ghost story. Bial piles every possible haunted-house convention into the island's Victorian Stardust Hotel, repeating some of the elements he successfully used in previous novels. There are drug dealers disguised as ghosts; ghosts of wronged lovers, of lost lovers, and of a grieving mother and vengeful father; and a conspiracy by the locals to find hidden treasure. The girls escape death threats time and again by discovering secret panels, hidden staircases, hand holds in a chimney, and a tunnel. Clues abound as writing appears on a mirror and notes and letters are found. Amanda's resourcefulness and Sally's new confidence enable them to escape, and the townspeople are forced to look at their violent and prejudiced past as one of them admits to murdering the Native American lover of one of the many ghosts. At times the quick plot turns create a sense of excitement and humor, and the near misses add fear, but the story is dragged down by a plethora of plot elements all stuffed into one overwhelming night.—Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Raymond Bial is the author and photo-illustrator of more than 80 acclaimed books for children and adults, including Amish Home, The Underground Railroad, Where Lincoln Walked, One-Room School, Ghost Towns of the American West, and many others.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Blue Horse Books (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883953367
• ISBN-13: 978-1883953362
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,530,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Raymond Bial (pronounced Beal) is the author and photo-illustrator of more than one hundred critically-acclaimed books for children and adults, including Amish Home, Frontier Home, The Underground Railroad, Where Lincoln Walked, One-Room School, Ghost Towns of the American West, Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side, Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River, The Super Soybean, and many others. A skilled photographer, he works with ease in both color and in black and white. Working with both film cameras and digital equipment, he is best known for his versatility in portraiture, landscapes, and still lifes, and his sensitivity toward the people, places, and objects portrayed in his images.
The subjects of Raymond's books range from farm life to American social and cultural history. Appealing to young and old alike, his books are ideal choices for parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians to share with children. His most recent photo-essays are Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty, and Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River, published by Houghton-Mifflin, and The Super Soybean, published by Albert Whitman. He has also written three popular collections of mystery fiction for children: The Fresh Grave and Other Ghostly Stories, The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek, and most recently Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior, published by Bluehorse Books. His books have received numerous awards from the American Library Association, National Council of Teachers of English, Children's Book Council, and many other organizations. He lives with his wife, Linda, and children, Sarah and Luke, in Urbana, Illinois. His daughter Anna, who illustrated two of Raymond's books, is a fashion designer in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spine-tingling tale of personal growth and discovery., January 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior (Hardcover)

Written by award-winning author and photo-illustrator Raymond Bial, Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior is a spooky ghost story for ages eight to eighty. Set on a mysteriously deserted island in close proximity to a quiet family resort, Shadow Island follows twelve-year old Amanda, her younger sister Sally, and her best friend Roxanne who accidentally become marooned. Exploring the vacant Stardust Hotel, they soon learn it's not quite as deserted as it looks - it's inhabited by a nonstop host of ghosts! Together they learn the importance of doing the right thing, even in difficult circumstances. A spine-tingling tale of personal growth and discovery.