Spook's Shack
Illustrated by Kerry Millard
first published: 2003
publisher: Allen & Unwin, Australia
age group: 9 to 12 years
length: 108 pages
ISBN: 1-86508-645-2
Excerpt:
Deep in the bush, down by the creek where the trees grew tall, Finn saw a
chimney. If there was a chimney there must be a roof and if there was a roof
there must be a house. But there was no road and no driveway, and all this great wild bushland belonged to Aunt Agatha.
"No one else has lived here for a hundred years," she'd said. "Stay off the
farms and away from Boris Banks' mansion - but while you're in the bush
you'll bother no one and no one will bother you."
So Finn went exploring, because there was nothing else to do and no one to
do it with.
If he'd had a dog it would have gone with him and bark if there were danger.
But his old dog had died and Finn had an angry, empty feeling inside,
because he might never have a dog again. His house had been sold, and now
his parents were looking for a home far across the sea, in a sky-scraping
building in the biggest city in the world.
Finn didn't want to live in a flat in the biggest city in the world, and he
didn't want to be left behind with Aunt Agatha. He was stuck in the middle
in a place he didn't want to be, between the home that he didn't want to
leave and the home that he didn't want to go to.
"But I've come this far," said Finn. "I'll keep on going."
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Description:
Deep in the bush, where the trees grow tall, Finn discovers an old
deserted shack. Inside is shivery cold, with green fungus on the walls. When
a dog growls and a gravelly voice snarls, Finn's hair stands up like
bristles on a brush. An old man and his dog are glowing in the darkness.
Jack Henry lived in the shack 100 years ago and was friends with all the
wild creatures. When Finn is with the old ghost, he can feel what the birds
are singing and what the animals are feeling. But now they are all in danger
- someone is going to bulldoze the land and wreck their homes. How can one
boy, a ghost and his dog save the bush?
 Wendy's Comments:
The idea for the book started when we bought five acres of bushland, with an
old, derelict shack. When we went inside it was full of rat and possum poo -
but also still full of furniture, tea cups, dressing gowns and hot water
bottles, as if the people living there had just disappeared, so it seemed
the sort of place that might be haunted. I started to wonder about the ghost
who might live there, and decided he needed a story. Then I discovered that
a fungus called a ghost mushroom is supposed to grow in our bush - it's
white during the day but glows green at night. I still haven't found one -
but I thought a ghost surely would.
read more
Purchasing Information:
Spook's Shack was published in Australia in 2003 and is now in stores there.
Or you can purchase it online:
in Australia at The Well
Awards:
Shortlisted for The West Australian Young Readers' Book Award, 2004
Editions and Translations:
No other editions are available yet.
Wendy's Recommendations:
If you liked Spook's Shack, I think you'll also enjoy these books:
Nim's Island
A Light in Space (Mindblowing!)
And by other authors:
The Boy who Spoke Dog by Clay Morgan
The BFG by Roald Dahl
More About This Book:
Teachers' Resources
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