Phantom Hotel

By Amerigo Pinelli and Megan Atwood

While on a cross-country road trip, Patrick and his family stop in Ravens Pass. They check in to the only hotel in town. But what they can’t see is the place is absolutely packed . . . with ghosts! And if the family doesn’t manage to leave by sunrise, they’ll be joining the ghouls for a never-ending stay. Packed with creepy black-and-white illustrations and spooky frights, this thrilling Return to Ravens Pass tale will chill young readers to the bone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666346091

Amerigo Pinelli

Long ago, Amerigo Pinelli met a pencil when he was a child living in the heart of the city of Naples, Italy. From that moment on he started to play, joke, fight, and make peace with it. Today, he works in animation and publishing, and he also teaches kids in the comics school of Naples. He thinks making a living doing the thing he enjoys the most is a great gift, and he considers himself very lucky. His three daughters Chiara, Teresa, and Irene fill his life with color and joy. They are really unpredictable! For him and his wife,Giulia, it's impossible to get bored!

Book preview

You tried to get away, but you couldn’t help returning to this odd little town. Every time you wandered, you stumbled onto its streets. It sits along the highway, and off the beaten path. It’s in the depths of a forest, and in the middle of a desert. It’s surrounded by mountains, and balanced on the edge of a deadly cliff. It’s the place where weird things happen, where the unreal becomes real.

Welcome back to RAVENS PASS. It’s been waiting for you.

A full moon shines behind ravens perched on a twisted tree. Mountains are in the background. Fog fills the scene.

CHAPTER 1

THE DETOUR

Here, Mom said, pointing to a road sign. Ravens Pass, three miles. We can stop there to go to the bathroom.

Patrick rolled his eyes. Not again, he thought. We’ll never get there at this rate.

They had been on the road for six hours. They were traveling from upstate New York all the way to Yellowstone Park. It seemed like his seven-year-old sister, Natalie, had needed to stop every single minute.

Worse, at each stop, Natalie managed to wander off. Yet somehow Patrick was the one who got in trouble for not watching his sister. Natalie could be a real pain.

The sun had started setting when Mom took the exit. The GPS told them to take a right, a left, then a right. With each turn, they traveled farther away from the lights and sounds of the highway.

Finally, they came onto a dark lane surrounded by forest. A sign read Welcome to Ravens Pass. The sun had completely set, and shadows grew in the trees.

Patrick shivered.

Natalie said, M-maybe I can hold it.

Mom chuckled. I know it looks creepy, baby. But that’s just because it got dark. In fact, I’m thinking we should find a hotel here to spend the night. Your old mom is tired.

Patrick swallowed and looked out the window. They continued down the long lane, through the trees, and turned onto a main street. The town seemed deserted. It was only lit by the