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A Girl Called Corpse (Reece Carter, A&U)

Reece Carter—who previously brought us The Garden Apothecary—has turned his hand to prose for his debut middle-grade novel A Girl Called Corpse. Corpse is a ghost with no memory of her life, trapped in the middle of the ocean on the rock-that-doesn’t-exist, hiding from the evil Witches in whose attic she lives. Corpse has painstakingly fashioned a body from candle wax stolen one drip at a time, and trophies discovered in nearby rock pools. When an unexpected visitor brings important news, Corpse flees across the water to the town-that-nobody-visits in a desperate attempt to locate a treasure that could be the key to discovering her identity and reuniting with her family. But the Witches’ magic is failing, and they too are after the treasure and will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Young fans of The Graveyard Book and The Witches will find a lot to like here, but the real standout is Carter’s world-building. Corpse’s world is so richly imagined that it almost functions as a secondary character—menacing and spooky, but with small pockets of joy that hint at future redemption. A Girl Called Corpse is just the right mix of eerie and bleak—think Neil Gaiman by way of Roald Dahl and Tim Burton—with occasional moments of levity. And what’s not to love about a trusty spider sidekick named Simon?

Hannah Gardiner has been a bookseller since the pre-Titlepage era, and currently works as a book buyer.

 

Category: Daily newsletter Review Junior Reviews