Hooked on Books: Ghost Girl by Brooke Carter – Unveil the Mystery, Embrace the Chill

You’ve heard about Gossip Girl - but what about Ghost Girl? Our next Hooked on Books feature is a Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Award Nominee (Grades 3-4). Ghost Girl by Brooke Carter is a chilling mystery that blurs the lines of the supernatural and the emotional, published by Orca Book Publishers. But this is more than just a ghost story—it’s about facing fears, uncovering truths, and finding the courage to stand up to what haunts us. If you love a chilling mystery that blurs the lines of the supernatural and the emotional, like the in-person and online tutoring team at Teachers on Call, Ghost Girl might just be your next obsession. Ready to get hooked? Don’t miss our interview with author, Brooke Carter.

Fuel a Year-Round Passion for Reading with the Forest of Reading Program

Looking for ways to inspire a love of reading that lasts all year? The Forest of Reading program might just be what you need! As Canada’s largest recreational reading initiative, it’s a favourite for parents eager to encourage their children’s reading habits. Managed by the Ontario Library Association, the program showcases the work of Canadian authors, illustrators, and publishers, while young readers themselves get to vote on the winning titles. The excitement reaches its peak at the annual Forest of Reading Festival, where the winners are announced during a vibrant two-day event. In our Hooked on Books series, the Teacher on Call in-person and online tutoring team is thrilled to introduce many of the 2025 Forest of Reading nominees—stay tuned for more!

About the Author:

Brooke Carter is a Canadian writer and editor with a passion for storytelling that explores the human experience. With a degree in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, she crafts narratives that delve into both the beauty and complexity of everyday life. A lover of nature, adventure, and the written word, Brooke's work reflects her deep curiosity about the world and its many layers. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she draws inspiration from the landscapes and cultures around her. When she's not writing, Brooke enjoys hiking, photography, and spending time with her family.

Read our exclusive interview with Ghost Girl author, Brooke Carter:

In Ghost Girl, the protagonist, Sly, navigates themes of loss and identity. How do you think books like this can help children process difficult emotions?

We all need help with processing emotions—even adults—and one of the things that books crucially provide is a window into someone else’s experience. Seeing another child (even a fictional character) going through similar challenges helps young people to relate and to apply solutions to their own real-life struggles. It’s sometimes lonely being a kid, and it’s difficult to name big feelings. Having a character represent those feelings goes a long way toward feeling seen and connected. When it comes to loss, that’s a particularly lonely thing, and kids tend to feel like they’re the only ones having that experience. This is why representation is so important to social and emotional development.

The book blends mystery and supernatural elements with real-world struggles. How can genres like fantasy be used in the classroom to spark imagination while also addressing important life lessons?

Engagement! As someone passionate about reading instruction and literacy, I really believe it’s all about helping kids choose a book they will enjoy. Fostering the love of reading is crucial—and kids do love speculative elements in fiction. It’s exciting to read mysteries and fantasies! Kids have that wonderful ability to access deep imaginative play, and if a book can reflect that process it’s going to open possibilities for them in their own thinking and problem-solving. It’s not about hiding moralistic messages within the confines of a genre book—it’s about using the genre conventions to embody the qualities that the book’s characters (and readers) need to cultivate, like a sense of adventure, risk-taking, exploration, problem-solving, courage, and resilience. Many genre novels feature a young person on a perilous journey—that’s something all kids can relate to on a deep level. Life is a perilous journey.

The themes of friendship and self-discovery play a significant role in Ghost Girl. How can educators use this book to encourage discussions about building strong, supportive relationships among peers and embracing individuality in a school environment?

I think this book is a good fit for kids of all ages, but I think it’s particularly relevant to that grade 3-5 range when social dynamics start to become more complex. This age range sees kids joining new friend groups, navigating uncomfortable group situations, and figuring out who they are. They develop a sense of style, try out new things, and are becoming “big kids” on their way to being pre-teens. They have increasing autonomy and responsibility (maybe they walk to and from school), and they are learning about respect and how to speak to one another effectively. 

As well, they are becoming increasingly aware of the greater world around them. Choosing books like Ghost Girl that represent kids who are unapologetically themselves, who are accepted by the people that matter to them, and who are shown to have positive and aspirational qualities, is vital to helping kids understand that they (and others) are just fine the way they are. Educators can read this book with their students, highlighting the ways that Sly is unique (they wear their cape all the time, for example), and ask students to reflect on the things that make them unique, too. Maybe they can try to draw themselves as a book character—what unique strengths do they have?

One of the key aspects of Ghost Girl is the protagonist’s journey toward understanding their own strengths. How can this kind of narrative help children develop resilience and self-confidence, especially during the often-tumultuous school years?

I often write about characters who are stuck in the “in-between places” (literally and figuratively), and I explore these elements of ambivalence in my characters because I find that relatable. We don’t often recognize our unique traits as strengths right away; we develop that insight through navigating challenges. Resilience doesn’t come from unearned confidence—it comes from struggle. It’s important for kids to learn that not only is it okay to have a hard time, it can be a good thing. It’s even more important for them to understand that everyone struggles. We must learn to see others the way we see ourselves, and vice versa. 

This is where the right kind of narrative can have a positive impact. Sly learns that everything will be okay—not because their problems are magically solved, and not because someone else saved them—but because they encountered seemingly insurmountable problems and worked through them. By the end of the book, all is not perfect (Sly’s parents are still divorced, for example), but they know they have the tools and the support to get through hard times. They know they have people they can rely on. They know how to ask for help, and they have learned to trust in their own judgment. Kids develop these skills when we allow them to explore and to make mistakes. If a book can help model that in an age-appropriate way, then I think that’s amazing.

What do you hope children will take away from Ghost Girl in terms of understanding themselves and their emotions?

I very much hope that my young readers will see themselves in this book as they are: capable, caring, creative, and courageous people. I hope they will see that whatever problems they are facing that they can use their skills to get through it—and one of the most important skills they can learn is to ask for help when they need it. I hope they will turn to someone they trust—a parent, a teacher, a friend, a beloved grandparent. I hope they will understand that their feelings are normal—and that everything is going to be okay.

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Thanks for reading this installment of Hooked on Books! We hope it sparked your love for reading and gave you fresh ideas to share with the students in your life. Be sure to check back for future articles in the series, where we'll dive into more great books, teaching tips, and inspiring ways to keep kids engaged with reading. Did you miss our previous interviews with 2025 Forest of Reading Nominees? Check out Hooked on Books with Colleen Nelson and Kathie MacIsaac’s See It, Dream It, Do It: How 25 People Just Like You Found Their Dream Jobs.