The Phantom Tour by Keir Graff
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Publication Date: August 21, 2018
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.
About the Book:
Twin brothers discover their new home is also a portal--for an hour a day--to a parallel dimension in this rollicking middle-grade adventure, perfect for fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society.
Colm and Mal are twins so identical their own mom can't tell them apart, but they're different in just about every other way. Mal's a pragmatist while Colm's a dreamer, and they bicker and battle constantly. Neither brother is excited to be moving to Chicago for a fresh start with their mom just after their dad's death. But nothing cures homesickness like intrigue--and their new home, Brunhild Tower, has plenty of it: mysterious elderly neighbors who warn against wandering the building at midday, strange sounds in the walls, and an elevator missing a button for the thirteenth floor.
One day, that button appears--and when the doors open on the missing floor, the boys are greeted by the strangest puzzle yet: a twin building that is stuck in time and bustling with activity. All of Brunhild Tower's former residents live on in this phantom tower, where the rules of the real world don't apply. But when the brothers and their newfound friends discover they're all trapped by an ancient curse, they must band together to set everyone free before it's too late.
Rating:
The Phantom Tower follows two boys that have been having it pretty rough lately - their dad passed away and their mom is depressed and now they have to move to an all new city. In a creepy old apartment building they find that there is no 13th floor, which is pretty common but one afternoon a button for the non-existent floor appears and they are whisked off to a different plane. They see ghosts and a lot of them and they learn that if you aren't back on the elevator in time, you can be stuck there overnight.
The boys have soon realize that there is more to it than just a mysteriously appearing floor but a whole building that twins their own and an old curse that needs to be broken.
This was an enjoyable read, I like the twin apartment buildings and the depth of the story to create the Phantom tower, and I really liked a lot of the auxiliary characters as well. I didn't have too much love or connection to the boys though. I was invested enough to enjoy the book but there wasn't a lot of character growth until the very very end. I think the book overall was a very cool recreation of a ghost story and I liked the way the ghost behaved in the tale - not too spooky.
The book had a lot of talk about death, acceptance and forgiveness and I think those are good discussion points in a Middle Grade read. So if you are looking for an interesting story with some ghosts and a good amount of mystery involved this is a great one to pick up. It can be a page-turner at times so be prepared to be swept up.
About the Author:
Keir Graff is the author of The Matchstick Castle, The Other Felix, and a handful of books for grown-ups. When he's not making things up, he works as the executive editor of Booklist at
the American Library Association. He lives in Chicago with his wife
Marya and his sons Felix and Cosmo--in a building that looks exactly
like Brunhild Tower.
BLOG TOUR STOPS!
WEEK ONE
August 13 –
Book Princess Reviews – Q&A
August 14 –
Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – Review
August 15 – AEB Book Reviews – Review
August 16 – A to Z Book Reviews – Review + AGP:
You have two twins in your story. They have different personalities. Do you relate more to one than the other one?
WEEK TWO
August 20 –
Cover2Cover – Review *you are here*
August 21 – YA Book Nerd – Listicle
August 22 – Book Fidelity – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
August 23 –
The Reading Corner for All – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
August 24 – Good Choice Reading – Creative Instagram Picture
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