Ghostly Visions

GHOSTLY VISIONS

Ghostly Visions is a middle grade novel for grades four through six.  In April, 2016, Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch, in a two-for-one edition Ghostly Visions, was released by 4RV Publishing.

 

Wendy Wiles attracts ghosts, first in Ghost for Rent, when her parents separate and she, her brother, and mother move into a haunted house. The story begins in Portland, Oregon and quickly moves to small town, Scappoose, Oregon. Miserable at leaving her friends and beloved Portland behind, Wendy meets her neighbor Jennifer who tells her the house Wendy’s mom rented is haunted. After two of them appear to Wendy, the girls find themselves tracking down the mystery of who the ghosts are and why they "live" in the Wiles' home.

 

In Ghost for Lunch, Wendy’s friend, Jennifer, moves away, leaving Wendy sad until new neighbors and their restaurant in St. Helens bring ghosts back into Wendy's life. She, her brother, and their new friend discover the two cases are connected. Once again, the young sleuths use clues and lots of brainstorming to figure out who is haunting the restaurant.

 

Set in the early1990s, both books take the reader back to simpler times when kids researched information at the local library instead of searching on Google or looking it up on Wikipedia.


Excerpts for Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch can be found under the individual tabs.

 

Ghostly Visions is available direct from the publisher 4RV Publishing LLC for $15.99 including shipping and handling: http://www.4rvpublishingcatalog.com/penny-lockwood.php.  It can also be ordered from your local bookstore with the following ISBN numbers: ISBN-10: 0982642326, ISBN-13: 978-0982642320, or through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ghostly-Visions-Ghost-Rent-Lunch/dp/0982642326/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467660222&sr=1-1&keywords=ghostly+visions


BLOG VISITS, talking about Ghostly Visions:

July 13, I visit Stephanie Burkhart:

http://sgcardin.blogspot.com/2016/06/welcome-guest-author-penny-lockwood.html

On June 30th and July 1st, Barbara Ehrentreu featured me at: http://barbaraehrentreu.blogspot.com

On June 28th, I visited Kay Lalone: http://kaylalone.blogspot.com/2016/06/ghostly-visions-by-penny-lockwood.html

On June 26th, Marva Dasef featured me: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/2016/06/pennys-got-ghosts.html

On June 16th, I visited Kai Strand's blog: 

http://kaistrand.blogspot.com/2016/06/small-town-setting-ghostly-visions-by.html

On June 13, Nancy Bell hosted me:

http://nancymariebell.blogspot.ca/2016/06/wonderful-new-book-from-penny-lockwood.html

REVIEWS FOR GHOSTLY VISIONS

GHOSTLY VISIONS: GHOST FOR RENT AND GHOST FOR LUNCH

Have you ever seen a ghost? Some people say they have; other people say there’s no such thing. If you aren’t a believer, you might change your mind after reading Author Penny Lockwood’s latest novel GHOSTLY VISIONS: GHOST FOR RENT AND GHOST FOR LUNCH.

In the first of the two stories, GHOST FOR RENT, Wendy Wiles not only has to deal with the possibility of her parents getting a divorce, she also sees ghosts, which her mother says do not exist. Her older brother Mike likes to play jokes on her, but Wendy knows the ghosts are real and not a joke. So Wendy, like most eleven-year olds, sets out with her neighbor Jennifer to solve the mystery. In their research about ghosts, the girls discover a lot more than they anticipated.

Penny Lockwood has done a nice job creating true-to-life characters. The relationship between Wendy and her brother is a lot of teasing but when things get tough, they show how much they care for each other.

In the second story, GHOST FOR LUNCH, we follow the same major characters, except with different friends, as they continue searching the history of the ghosts to find out why they cannot rest in peace.

GHOSTLY VISIONS: GHOST FOR RENT AND GHOST FOR LUNCH is a fun and not too scary read that not only middle-grade readers will enjoy, but so will adults. I did. The novel would make a nice addition to middle school libraries, public libraries, and of course your own library. I would suggest reading the stories with the lights on.

Beverly Stowe McClure, author

 

TWO-PART HARMONY 

Penny Ehrenkranz brilliantly gives her fans a delightful paranormal ghost mystery for the young at heart and the avid ghost tale fan no matter what generation you hale from.

I found myself shivering, quivering, shaking, and watching goose bumps breeding up and down my spine and in all fleshy surfaces as I read GHOSTLY VISIONS.

Imagine the joy a reader gets when that reader purchases GHOSTLY VISIONS and finds not ONE tale of paranormal delight but TWO books in ONE! That alone would have earned it a multitude of pleased stars, but what one expects to be just ONE ghost story turns out to be TWO tales of paranormal mystery...and for the young reader of adventure it's ALSO a well developed youthful romance tale.

That's what I found when I jumped into GHOSTLY VISION by Penny Ehrenkranz.

Giving this book five stars is a no brainer.

WELL DONE Ms. Penny Ehrenkranz.

This is definitely an EXCELLENT book Mom's for you to rush out and add to your daughter's e-reader. You won't be sorry because SHE'LL LOVE IT and thank you over and over again.

Lin Holmes, author

 

Thank you! I enjoyed the books so much, and i cant wait to find more of your books. I loved the characters and the lay out of the book. i enjoyed both stories, and I am  definitely gonna recommend  the book to all of my friends. when i was down to the last few pages i was thinking NO!!!! it cant already be over! it was such a great book! It was all planed out perfectly and i absolutely loved every word of it. Thank you so much again and i am  gonna go home and find the rest of your books and read them!

                                                                                                                   Madisen, student

MORE REVIEWS FOR GHOSTLY VISIONS


Great fun characters. Wendy is scared at first when she learns her house is haunted. Ghost aren't real her mother says. Wendy is determined to help solve these ghostly mysteries. In the first book she helps the ghost haunting her home. In the second book she helps ghost haunting a restaurant. Her brother Mike might pick on her like brothers do, but they learn to get along. Good book about ghosts, family, and friendship. Thanks, Penny, for a good read.

Kay Lalone, author

I had read Ghost for Rent many years ago when it was first published. I thought it was a fun read and that it was perfect for middle grade students. The story moved along and there was a satisfying ending. So I was surprised that not only was there a sequel, but the sequel Ghost for Lunch, is bundled with the original book, Ghost for Rent. I started reading Ghost for Lunch and the familiar characters invited me into the story. If you haven't read the first book it is there for you to read. For anyone who hasn’t read Ghost for Lunch, it takes up where Ghost for Rent ended. Only this time, Wendy’s best friend Jennifer moves to California and is replaced by a new family from California that moves next door. Mike, Wendy’s brother, is thrilled when he finds the family has a boy his age. When Wendy and Mike find out this family has bought an old restaurant in the nearby town that they think is haunted, Wendy is both intrigued and worried remembering her experiences with the ghosts in their old farm house. As the children begin to uncover more secrets about the ghosts who had haunted them in Ghost for Rent, strange things begin to happen in the restaurant leading them to believe that this place is indeed haunted. You can feel her fear as the author brings you into the story. The reader feels how Wendy is feeling as Ms. Lockwood describes the experience as if you were there. As the story progresses you just might believe there really are ghosts. The writing is crisp and clear and aside from the fact that certain things in this book seem a little dated, and there is no real time reference, the story moves along at a fast pace. I would recommend this as an excellent book for grades fourth through sixth.

Barbara Ehrentreu, author

Having been an elementary teacher for 20 years, the thing I like about this book is that it's appropriate for this age group. It's not mind boggling scary, it's just the right kind of scary. It reminds me a little of the ever popular Goosebumps series. Ms. Lockwood is obviously well versed in today's kid culture and uses situations and language that reflect kids of today. Her novel consists of two stories: Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch, but she's left the door open for future stories. I foresee a definite series happening here.

Suzanne de Montigny, author


Ghostly Visions: Ghost for Rent and Ghost for LunchGhostly Visions: Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch by Penny Lockwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This volume contains: "Ghost for Rent" and "Ghost for Lunch."

Wendy Wiles has to move out of her big city life out to the boonies, the small town of Scapoose, Oregon. She's pretty sure she'll hate it. She is no country girl, and the shabby house her family rents needs a whole lot of work.

She lucks out when she meets neighbor Jennifer, a girl about Wendy's age. The two girls hit is off immediately. Jennifer shows Wendy an old summer house in the woods between the girls' homes with the story of the ghosts who inhabit it.

Wouldn't you know it! The ghosts appear to put on a show, scaring the heck out of Wendy. But when she learns of the sad story of the dancing ghosts, Ruth and Steve, plus Ruth's younger brother, John, she can only sympathize with their sad tale.

Wendy the newly discovered Ghost Whisperer easily sees the ghosts and follows the clues to discover the mystery of the ghosts' untimely deaths.

The first two books in the Ghostly Vision series details Wendy's determination to discover why the ghosts are haunting her home and an old restaurant in a nearby town. While the ghosts scare her, she also knows they won't harm her. What she needs to do is reveal the ghosts' secrets to set them free.

These are wonderful books for tween readers, particularly girls. While spooky, the books are more about Wendy and her family, her proclivity for writing poems about everything going on in her life. That means, of course, which ghosts are haunting where and maybe a little about that cute guy who moves in down the road.

I see more of Wendy's ghost-hunting stories following. She's already becoming a somewhat notorious ghosthunter from her experiences in these two tales. I can envision people coming to her to help solve their own hauntings in future stories.


Marva Dasef, author

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