Out of the Wild Night

Out of the Wild Night
Blue Balliett
Scholastic, 2018 291 pages
Grades 4-7
Horror & Suspense

Mary, the town crier, wakes up from a long sleep. Construction workers are ripping apart the beloved old house next to hers and her home is next. As a long-time residential ghost where will Mary retreat to once her beloved Nantucket home is gutted? Mary must sound the alarm and alert the other ghosts, as well as human, of the dangers threatening the historic homes of Nantucket. Alternating points of view tell the story from Mary’s perspective and that of two children who are members of the Old North Gang. Gabe's dad is a town police officer. He has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts and takes it upon himself to try to settle the unrest of the recently disturbed local spirits. Another gang member, Phee, lives with her grandfather, who works hard to preserve the traditional Nantucket way of life. Her mother may be missing and her father gone, but Phee and her grandfather are close. The two decide to form a group of fellow- Nantuckians to help each other out and respect the old ways and structures. A few local contractors are determined to modernize the old homes, completely destroying the character of the houses and the residents, both ghostly and worldly, are not happy. Accidents begin to happen at construction sites, as well as mysterious doings. Are the ghosts responsible? Can anyone stop them before they go too far?

Blue Balliett, of Chasing Vermeer fame, turns away from writing mysteries to pen a creepy ghost story set on her beloved Nantucket. An author's note explains the connection Balliett has to the island and her personal account of local hauntings. The setting is fully realized and the author's love and respect for the island's culture certainly comes through. This story does deliver ghosts and strange other-worldly occurrences as promised. There is a plot-twist I didn't see coming. I had an idea of a possible plot-twist, but Balliet did something even cooler than I came up with. The problem is, most readers will probably not take the time to get there. The book is really long and meanders in parts. The musings of the elderly ghost go on far too long and feel repetitive. Even though the ghosts are interesting and exhibit some devilish behaviors, Balliett clearly has an agenda to preserve the old houses of Nantucket and that agenda often overshadows the ghost story. I am an avid preservationist. I live in a house over one-hundred years old that my husband and I have lovingly restored. I think that it’s important to educate young people in the value of our past and to respect those who have come before. This book drives the point home a bit unrelentingly and may cause young readers to lose interest in the story. It certainly is well written and would appeal to die-heart ghost story fans, nostalgic old timers, and residents of New England. A glossary of old sea-faring terms used in the book is included at the end.