Tayla and his mum and dad are out in their restored Ford Zephyr, laughing after Mum pulled the perfect practical joke on Dad. They are a
family of practical jokers, always ready to serve another prank. Their laughing stops suddenly when another vehicle is on the wrong side of the road…
Tayla wakes up in a hospital. Everything hurts so much. There are tubes in his throat, then pop, he is looking down on himself in a hospital bed. The machines are still beeping though, so he slowly realises he is still alive but able to move around the hospital. His feelings are a mix of confusion and excitement at the possible practical jokes he can pull.
Jamie has just moved from Scotland to NZ with his family. He checks out his new school, shaking his head at only 3 classrooms and cows next door in the paddock. From Edinburgh, this rural setting is almost too quiet and small to get his head around.
In the meantime, Tayla meets Mrs Myrtle Mannering in hospital. She is the Senior Inspector of the Bureau of Unexplained and Malicious Phenomena or BUMP for short. She has decided Tayla needs to go to school if he doesn’t want to return to his body just yet.
This is how The Prankster and the Ghost meet. Jamie might think his school is too small and boring, and Tayla might not like the idea of a ghost school, but they are both surprised with what they discover.
Even more ghosts, technology, pranks and stinging nettle all blend together as Tayla tries to put his life back together, and Jamie gets used to his new one in NZ.
A thoroughly enjoyable read full of ghosts, but not scary ones. A terrible accident is sobering, but practical jokes galore will make tweens laugh as they read The Prankster and the Ghost. I enjoyed the way ghost characters give a glimpse into New Zealand’s past, and also the unique way they connect with the present.
There is a challenge in the rear of the book to see how many practical jokes can be found throughout the story, then a list to check them from. There is also a warning – Before trying these practical jokes out, check with an adult first to avoid getting into trouble!
The Prankster and the Ghost was shortlisted for the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award in 2012.
Author – R L Stedman
Age – 8+
(2015, Waverley, NZ, New Zealand, Ghost, Accident, ICU, Practical Jokes, Scottish, Scotland, Edinburgh, Secret, Hospital, Laugh, Funny, Humour, Award, Kiwi Read)