#MGTakesOnThursday: A Girl Called Justice The Ghost in the Garden by Elly Griffiths

This is a weekly meme started and hosted by @marysimms72 on her brilliant Book Craic blog which I urge you to read. Also, please check out all the other posts and Tweets with the #MGTakesOnThursday tag, you will be sure to find many fantastic recommendations!

If you love books written for an MG audience and wish to take part, the steps to follow are:

• Post a picture of a front cover of a middle-grade book which you have read and would recommend to others with details of the author, illustrator and publisher.

• Open the book to page 11 and share your favourite sentence.

• Write three words to describe the book

• Either share why you would recommend this book, or link to your review.

Author: Elly Griffiths

Illustrator: Nan Lawson

Publisher: Quercus/Hachette Children’s UK

Favourite sentence from Page 11: 

She had tried to be brave (she remembered repeating an old saying of mum’s to herself: ‘Screw your courage to the sticking place’) but, deep down, she’d been terrified.

p11

This book in three words: school – kidnap – mystery

This is the third of the Justice Jones mysteries, a wonderful MG mystery series set in a 1930s girl’s boarding school, written by renowned crime writer, Elly Griffiths. The sentence I have chosen demonstrates Elly’s skill at conveying an impressive quantity of information with an economy of words. Firstly, even if you haven’t read the two preceding books, you can pick this one up and immediately catch up with the protagonist’s back story. Secondly, you gain an insight into Justice’s character; she is not only a keen observer of her school mates and the staff at Highbury House Boarding School for the Daughters of Gentlefolk but she also demonstrates an empathetic personality as she tries to put herself into the shoes of a new classmate.

As she returns to school to begin the third form, Justice is pleased to catch up with her dorm-mates and Dorothy, the maid that she has befriended. However, relationships are put under strain by the arrival of the Hon Letitia Blackstock who imposes herself between Justice and her former best friends, Stella and Dorothy, leading to resentment and jealousy. Letitia’s apparent fearlessness and reckless behaviour leads Justice into deeper and deeper trouble with Miss de Vere, the headmistress and expulsion looms large on the horizon. When one of the third form goes missing following a midnight feast, Justice has to use all of her ingenuity to uncover the kidnappers, restore her own standing and save the school from closure.

There are many enjoyable aspects to The Ghost in the Garden. Firstly, the plot cracks along at a good pace, chapters are short, often ending on cliff-hangers which propel you through the story. Justice’s character is very well drawn, showing her independence and intelligence but mixed with a healthy dollop of self-doubt, which makes her a very believable and relatable character for young readers. The author’s use of her journal and notes home to her father, to record reflections and feelings, are clever devices for personality insights. The strained relationships with friends when a newcomer has to be accommodated are scenarios that many youngsters will experience in school and seeing these dilemmas played out in the story can provide comfort and a degree of guidance. The world of Highbury House is beautifully portrayed, from the disgusting school meals, to the entertaining cast of teachers and pupils and the atmospheric construction of the school ghost legend; all add greatly to the entertaining plot.

I have blogged many times about books which fall into the “read for the pure pleasure of reading” category, which are so essential if we want to instil a life-long love of reading in primary school children. At just under 200 pages, the Justice Jones series is perfect for readers of 8+ who are building their independent reading stamina. They are ideal for children who enjoy the Scoop McLaren Books by Helen Castles, the Clifftoppers books by Fleur Hitchcock, the Agent Zaiba books by Annabelle Sami and are an excellent precursor to the Sinclair’s Mysteries by Katherine Woodfine, the Jane Austen Mysteries by Julia Golding or the Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens.

The other Justice Jones books are:

A Girl Called Justice

A Girl Called Justice: The Smugglers’ Secret