Shadow School #3: Phantoms

Written by J. A. White

Narrated by Kim Mai Guest

Cordelia’s last year at Shadow School brings readers back for the finale in the spooky middle grade trilogy by J.A. White, the author of the acclaimed Thickety series and Nightbooks. Cordelia must complete her quest to save the world of the living from the ghosts, and dangerous phantoms, who terrorize them.

It’s her final year at Shadow School, and Cordelia Liu isn’t ready to move on. Which is funny, considering helping ghosts “move on” is sort of her thing. But Cordelia can’t bear to give up the rare ability to see and help ghosts.

A field trip brings Cordelia, Benji, and Agnes face-to-face with a dangerous phantom—a ghost capable of reanimating dead animals—and a team of professional ghost hunters that disappear right after they capture the phantom. Cordelia can’t help herself—she needs to know more about the ghost hunters and the phantom.

It’ll mean getting Agnes and Benji to join her and the ghost hunters at a strange village called Shady Rest where ghosts live peacefully in their own homes. But soon, Cordelia, Benji, and Agnes realize that Shady Rest is not quite what it seems. Ghosts are disappearing from their homes. Others start to glow and grow frighteningly long necks and extra teeth. And some of them look strangely familiar. Didn’t they save these ghosts already?

In the creepy conclusion to the Shadow School trilogy, author J. A. White says a final farewell to this unique world of ghosts and phantoms even though some friends—and fiends—never truly leave you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
• Release date: Aug 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063087545

J. A. White

J. A. White is the author of the Thickety series, the Shadow School series, Nightbooks, and Gravebooks. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, three sons, and the ghost of their hamster, Ophelia. When he’s not making up stories, he teaches a bunch of kids how to make up stories. He wishes dragons were real because it would be a much cooler way to get to work. You can visit him online at jawhitebooks.com.

Reviews for Shadow School #3

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This young hero's journey is steeped in Navajo culture, tradition, language and story. Nathan is spending the summer with his grandmother or Nali. Because of his young age, Nathan can see and hear the Holy Beings and becomes key to helping them save Pond, a giant turtle slowly dying of uranium poisoning from a local mine. His journey to save Pond requires learning the water monster songs and entering the Third World to pass four trials and find the cure for Pond. Meanwhile, Nathan's Uncle Jet suffers from alcoholism and depression; Nali and Nathan do all they can to get Uncle Jet to a healing ceremony, or N'daa.

[Sharath Bhaskara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it so so so so so so much!!!!

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tremendous book! Great representation of Navaho culture -- consistent weaving of language throughout and respectful sharing of traditional stories. Nathan and the water monster are such great characters, and Young does a fantastic job telling the hard story of Nali and Uncle Jets' challenges and why and how traditional healing methods could help him. He captures the difficult tween relationship with parents that so many kids go through, especially when a parent is dating someone new. He paints a vivid and beautiful setting that is all the more appealing for the difficult parts -- boredom, outhouses, heat, gathering water. Great story, well told.