Review Tour: The Ghost of Walhachin

Title: The Ghost of Walhachin
Author: Ramona Nehring-Silver

Date Published: March 8th, 2020

Publisher: Tellwell Talent

Format: Kindle

Genre: MG Fiction - Historical 

Source: Goddess Fish Blog Tours
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Synopsis:

A ghost, time travel, and unusual friendships await Kean in Walhachin. Kean feels displaced at his home in Seattle since his mother recently re-married and has chosen to spend the summer in the small desert town with his aunt and younger cousin. Not long after arriving, he regrets his decision. There is no one his age. The town is too small for public amenities. Then everything changes when he uncorks an old soda bottle that was made in Walhachin eighty years prior. He becomes embroiled in an adventure to try and help a ghost retrieve a much-needed item from the past. In his quest to help the ghost he discovers the town's spirited history and develops unusual friendships with an old man in the present and a young boy in the past.

~My Thoughts~
The plot moved at an unmatched speed, with me clinging to dear life to hang on! :) I do think the speed of things might appeal to younger readers with shorter attention spans, but as for me, I did wish there was a bit more of a "stop and smell the roses" attitude as I would have liked to see the scenes change in more detail from present to past and back again. I especially enjoyed seeing Walhachin as it was back in its heyday and wanted to spend more time exploring there!

Nehring-Silver did a wonderful job actually describing the scenes! I loved even the introduction of Calvin/Kean and how clearly you could picture the dusty, withered landscaping surrounding them and how vibrant the boys seemed in comparison. 

This was a very quick read (for an adult!) spanning just an hour or so.  It was a mostly calm but adventurous trip, and the time travel was the coolest part for me. There was nothing scary or untoward in the book that might turn off younger kids. It was a pleasant diversion and might appeal to early middle grade readers the best, around 7 or 8 I would think. 

~Try an Excerpt!~

He examined his surroundings from behind a flowering bush at the corner of the hotel. The sagging boarded up remains of the hotel Kean knew were now a huge sturdy building with a long balcony and welltended flower gardens. He recognized most of the other buildings lining the main road through town. Yet, even in the weak moonlight, things were different. No cars were parked along the street, and not one porch light shone. Picket fences stood straight. Everything looked new. The air smelled of green grass and animals. Even the mosquitoes weren’t biting. Probably a luxury of being a ghost.  

There was no hint of sunrise. It must be very early, he decided. A good time to scout out hiding places. Using fences and brush for cover, he made his way through town. Aunty Maggie’s little store and post office turned out to be a restaurant. The post office was in a building Kean recognized as the Jorgenson’s house. A sign hanging over a barn-like building read, “Livery Stable,” and four horses stood in the adjoining corral. 

He passed a store, a small real estate office, and a newspaper office. The bakery and the butcher shop surprised him the most. He had to remind himself he was still in Walhachin. Nothing was the same, yet so much was familiar.

~Meet Ramona!~ 

Ramona Nehring-Silver's memories of living in and around Walhachin as a child and exploring the surroundings with seven siblings provided the initial inspirations for The Ghost of Walhachin. Ongoing motivation, and sometimes interruptions, came from her four children and thirteen grandchildren. She now lives in the far northeast corner of British Columbia, where her teaching career has ranged from adult art and writing classes to elementary school. Exploring B.C. and beyond by motorcycle is her favorite thing to do, as well as spending time with her grandchildren.a Rafflecopter giveaway
 Ramona will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.