Young queens collection: The glimmering ghost by Megan Hess

Coco Blair lives in an enchanted castle with her fluffy white cat, surrounded by beautiful rose gardens.  She dreams of having a friend and being able to fly as no one in the castle seems to notice her.

Then the King and his children arrive, and chaos ensures as the children are rude, the father is grumpy and a ghost is wreaking havoc throughout the castle.  Coco is trying to help when she discovers a royal secret and decides to solve the mystery.

This delightful picture book is perfect for young readers with its gentle adventure, heart-warming friendship, and a little bit of mystery as well. 

The rhyming text helps to make this a terrific book to read aloud and share with younger readers. The illustrations are charming and life at the castle is easy to imagine.  The colour palette is very pink which got a bit overwhelming at times, but the story is such that readers will enjoy the illustrations as a reflection of the action. 

I really enjoyed reading this book and know it would make a fabulous read aloud in a class or home setting.  I liked that the rhymes followed a cadence that made it flow which helps when reading aloud. 

The Glimmering Ghost is written by the author of Claris and is the fourth book in her Young Queens Collection.   

Themes: Friendship, Ghosts, Mystery, Naughty Children, Castles.

Mhairi Alcorn