The Story So Far

Lewis Barnavelt seriesLewis Barnavelt is in trouble again! This time he has stumbled upon something more power than even his overactive imagination could dream up. On a camping trip with his Scout troop, Lewis discovers an ancient whistle and a strange grave. He quickly realizes that this whistle has the magical ability to get rid of the bullies who insist on making his life miserable. What Lewis doesn't know is that the whistle also has a more sinister power: it summons up an ancient vampire! With the help of his best friend, Rose Rita, his uncle Jonathan, and their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, Lewis must fight the female blood-sucker that threatens his own life and the lives of those he loves.

The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost (2003), by Brad Strickland, is the tenth book in the Lewis Barnavelt series.

Reviews

 

"In the end, there are no loose ends. Every loop has closure. Everything works and makes sense...To the reader, the Bellairs/Strickland veteran and beginner alike, pick up this book." - Alex De Luca.

Inside

 

At first Lewis thought that somehow water was running from under the stone, as if a spring were beneath it. But the patch of darkness was not water. It moved beneath the moonlight, catching glimmers on its oily black surface. It crept over the rocks in the clearing, and Lewis stepped slowly away afrom it, as if it were a living creature and he did not want to attract its attention.

Then his feet rustled in something. Somehow the edge of the clearing was deep in dry leaves, though autumn was months away. The moving patch of darkness stopped. Then, incredibly quickly, it flowed toward Lewis. He moved fast than he thought he could. He bolted forward. He leaped up onto the mossy stone covering the grave.

The dark, shapeless form flowed into the dry leaves. They heaved and rustled. Then -- then, somehow -- they stood up!

Lewis felt his heart hammering. The leaves were clinging together, making a shape that was roughly human. It shambled toward him, its head thrust forward and slowly swinging from side to side. Moonlight fell on it, and Lewis saw that instead of eyes, the weird face of the thing had just two hollow pits.

It was blind.

But then it dropped to all fours. It lowered its face to the ground. And it shuffled closer, hissing.

It could smell him.

Lewis backed away, trying to be quiet. He came to the edge of the stone. He took a step down --

And felt dry hands close over his ankle!

Read More Lewis Barnavelt!

The Tower at the End of the WorldThe House where Nobody Lived