At first glance, Sycamore Hill is a charming 1960’s Irish girls boarding school but it has a dark secret. Rumours of a ghost travel in whispers amongst the girls and is that crying they can hear in the night?
For first years Clare, Molly and Rose, there is a lot to learn. Routines and rules shape their days as they negotiate the challenges of living away from home. There are sports to play, lessons to keep up with and, of course, legendary midnight feasts! It doesn’t take too long for them to suss out which nuns are the kindest and which they need to watch out for.
12 year-old Clare is a scholarship student and so grateful for her place at Sycamore Hill. Home seems a very long way away but she’s determined to make the most of it. When she meets chatty Rose while shopping for her uniform, she’s so glad there will be a familiar face on the first day. Rose is not the first in her family to attend Sycamore Hill. Her glamourous mother attended the school in the 1940’s and hopes Rose will create so many happy memories there. Shy Molly finds it hard to settle in but when she befriends Rose and Clare, they make the best trio. Together they can face anything and learn to be brave.
One afternoon, Clare spots a figure standing in the window of the tower. Could it be the ghost of a girl who died many years before? Clare and her friends start to investigate uncovering a list of suspects, potential motives and plenty of questions. With every step forward, they are pushed back. Why won’t anyone talk about the past? Who has a secret? Who knows the truth?
The combination of the 1963 students and adults who were involved in the school in the 1940’s allows readers to explore two time periods and think about just how long the consequences of actions can last. The role of the nuns in the story gives children a glimpse of this life and how it differs from those living in the secular world. There is so much in this story that will broaden children’s understanding of life in Donegal at the time.
The Tower Ghost is an engaging historical mystery that keeps readers guessing until the final pages. With incredibly likeable characters, a sinister mystery and all the charm of boarding school, children will be begging for time to read “just one more chapter”. I hope this will become a series with more adventures with the Sycamore Hill girls.
Don’t miss the other stops on the blog tour:
Books by Kate Heap:
Order Fiction & Poetry and Non-fiction for Year Two on the links below:
Books for Years 3 -6:
Scope for Imagination 