School of the Dead

Gr 5–7—"The first time Uncle Charlie came to live with us, he was alive. The second time, he was dead." So begins Tony's story, one filled with mystery and danger, and one where the dead come to prey on the living. His great-uncle Charlie is old, infirm, and a bit odd, so Charlie's parents decide that he'll move in with them. Though at first cautious, Tony and Uncle Charlie become fast friends, bonding over junk food and a shared appreciation for scary stories and the paranormal. When Uncle Charlie dies, Tony is devastated—and he soon starts seeing his uncle's ghost everywhere. While he finds the presence comforting, his parents are concerned and continually pressure Tony to move on and let go of the past. Soon, the moody seventh grader learns that he's been accepted at his great uncle's alma mater, the Penda School in San Francisco. On his first day in the posh new school, he sees another ghost. As Tony learns more about the school and its checkered past, he fears that there is nobody whom he can trust. Things come to a head on Halloween, when Tony discovers some of the dark secrets harbored by the school and his connection to a missing student. Avi takes readers on a wild ride where the dead do far more than haunt the living.