What is The Visitors about?
A young ghost is trying to figure out who he is, and why he can’t leave the grounds of a historical slave plantation many years after it was abandoned.
When three teen podcasters arrive to investigate an unsolved murder, the ghost knows he must protect them from the evil forces that still remain on the estate.
Plot summary of The Visitors (No Spoilers)
A ghost moves through the grounds of an abandoned plantation, visiting other ghosts and wondering for the millionth time, who he is and why he can’t leave. It’s good to have other ghostly company, but endlessly wandering the grounds is no afterlife at all.
The only interesting things that happen are when real people make their way up the long driveway which is hidden from the main road, to explore the plantation buildings and site of so many stories. Many believe it to be haunted, or if not haunted, at least intriguing to check out.
The ghost’s job is to make sure The Visitors leave again without causing too much damage or more to the point, while they can leave. There is a much darker force that resides at Hollow Pines Plantation. This ghost is of a man who was cruel and evil when he was alive, and now as a spirit, is even worse. Especially to anyone alive.
Three young explorers arrive one morning on bikes. They have a camera and a podcast to prepare for a competition and are investigating the disappearance of a young boy many years before. The young ghost recognises the name of the missing boy, but doesn’t know why. Could these three help him finally remember his past?
Review
A tragic history, ghosts, danger and a missing boy? So many things intrigued me about this book. Meeting a tween ghost who didn’t know who he was, was a great way to hook me in early. Learning there is another mystery to solve about a missing boy, hooked me further.
There are many tragic stories behind the ghosts in this novel, and then again about the missing boy. The story flicks away from the ghost every now and then, to this boy. Readers meet him and learn what life is like for him as he faces a terrible betrayal and the fallout afterwards. This tugs at the heartstrings and even more so, as the story progresses.
Both the ghost and the missing boy are characters to feel for, and then my heart was thumping at the danger everyone at the Hollow Pines Plantation is suddenly under.
Greg Howard writes beautiful stories with queer characters, and The Visitors is another to savour and think about afterwards. His author’s note explores how the real history of slavery in South Carolina was not taught when he was a student, and the personal struggles he also faced.
Book Style
253 Pages (including Author’s Note & Resources) / 26 chapters
In the rear of the book are chapters from 2 more Greg Howard titles
The Whispers & The TravellersÂ
FAQ’s
What age is it for?
10+
Where & When is it set?
A plantation based on the author’s own memories as an exploring tween. South Carolina. USA.
Modern day and 1960’s America
What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?
Two points of view
1. A ghost in first person  2. A boy betrayed in third person (years before)
Present tense / Past tense
Is there Violence?
Yes
What genre is The Visitors?
High Middle-Grade
Themes
Horror / Historical / Mystery
Is it part of a series?
No
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Author
Greg Howard
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen Books / Penguin
(2026, Nancy Paulsen Books / Penguin Books, Ghost, Historical, Murder, Mystery, LGBTQ+, Bullies, Conflict, Friendship, Horror, Gay, Slave Plantation, Loss, Grief, Evil, Souls, Courage, Memory, Podcast, Animal, Dog)