The Ghost Box
14-year-old Sarah is trying to settle in to a new home and new family, but her annoying step brother Matt is making things difficult. When Sarah finds an old silver box in her room she thinks Matt is just playing another prank, but when a voice comes from inside the box Sarah realises there are darker forces at work. Should she unlock the box as the voice asks, or could it be a trap?
This spooky thriller is a short and snappy read.
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Extract
Sarah screamed and sat up in bed. Matt jumped back. “Whoa! What’s wrong with you?”
For a moment she had no idea where she was. Then she saw her bedroom, quiet and normal, the windows full of morning sun-light.
“What are you doing in my room?” she snapped.
Matt gave a shrug. “Waking you up. Your mum called, but you were dead to the world. It’s nearly nine o’clock.”
He wore black jeans and a black top. He was always in black, she thought, a creeping shadow in the bright house. Now he said, “I won’t bother next time.”
“No. Don’t. Get lost.”
Half-way to the door he said, “Where did that come from?”
She looked where he was looking.
The silver box stood on the bedside table, next to the lamp. It looked heavy and expensive. She stared at it, astonished, and the dream of
the tree came back to her in all its brilliant colour. Matt reached out his hand to it but she snapped, “Don’t touch it! It’s mine!”
The cry was so sharp she even shocked herself. Matt stood very still. She could sense his anger. His eyes were dark and bitter.
Suddenly he said, “Look, Sarah, I didn’t want our parents to get together either. Dad and I had a good place of our own – we didn’t need to come to this posh dump. But don’t worry. I won’t be sticking around to mess up your pretty life. Next year, when I go to college, you won’t see me for dust.”
He slammed the door as he went out and her dressing gown fell off the hook on the back. Sarah stared at it, lying in a heap on the floor. Just for a moment she felt bad about being spiteful to him. Then she swung her legs out of bed and took the box on her lap.
It was real. Silver, by the look of it, and very old, its lid made of silver leaves over-lapping each other. Oak leaves. Around its rim were words in a strange language. She couldn’t read them. She ran her fingers over them, feeling the cold metal. How could she have brought the box out of a dream? Or had Mum put it here last night, perhaps from the gallery, and forgotten about it, and Sarah had dreamed of it? It didn’t seem possible.
There was a key-hole but no key. She tried to open the lid but the box was firmly locked. Feeling let down, she shook it.
Something rolled and rattled inside.
She held it still, afraid what was inside it might break. From downstairs her mother called, “Sarah! Breakfast!”
There was no school because it was half term. Gareth had gone to work and she didn’t know about Matt. In the kitchen the dogs, Jack and Jess, lay sprawled on the mat by the door, looking in hope at their empty food bowls. They sat up as Sarah came in but she shook her head at them. “You’ve already been fed.”
“Let them out, will you?” her mum said.
As she opened the door a gust of wind blew wet leaves against her feet. Drops of rain spattered from the gutter. “It’s autumn,” she said, surprised, because the storm of the night had stripped the trees, and a new carpet of leaves clotted the lawn.
Mum smiled, and turned as the phone rang.
“Go on,” Sarah said to the dogs.
Jack growled. The sound came from deep inside him. He bared his teeth, and Jess barked, two sharp, worried barks. They were looking at the corner of the barn towards her bedroom, but there was nothing there apart from the leaves, whipping up in the wind.
“Oh, go on!” Sarah pushed them out.
Then, after a moment, she walked down the path and stared at the glassy corner of the building. The windows here were floor-to-ceiling. Through them she could see Mum on the phone, talking and laughing. She could see her own reflection too, looking cold and puzzled.
And there was a shadow.
It lay on the grass behind her, and it wasn’t hers. It was small, and close, and for a moment she felt a chill at her back, and turned quickly.
The lawn was empty.
Inside, Mum said, “I have to pop out to Marston. Will you be all right?”
“Fine. No problem.”
“I don’t know where Matt’s got to.”
Sarah plugged her ear-phones in. “Who cares!”
She read and then went on-line, and then phoned her friend Olly and ate some cheese and apples and crisps, but by the afternoon she was bored and fed up with being on her own. At two Mum rang.
“I’ll be another hour. Has Matt come back?”
Sarah gave a shrug. “No.”
“Well, you’re not scared there, all on your own, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Putting the phone down, she wished her mother hadn’t said that. She hadn’t been scared, but now the house seemed dim and gloomy, with the rain pattering on the windows and the early October gloom closing in. She went around putting all the lights on. Then she stopped. A door had closed upstairs. Standing still, she listened, her heart thudding.
A floor-board creaked.
Then she was sure.
Someone was walking across the floor of her room.
About the author
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Catherine Fisher
Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of... Read more about Catherine Fisher
Video & audio
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Catherine Fisher asks you to open The Ghost Box, and 11-year-old Jayden recommends the book to those who like their books short and snappy.
Reviews
The book was really fantastic because the book had some excited and some sad parts in the book and some of the chapters had a cliffhanger
I read The Ghost Box it is weird and confusing at first, eventually I got to understand it. It wasn't that scary it was sorta scary but it could of been a lot more intresting. I think that it wasn't my sort of book it was boring to me and I didn't really think it was that interesting but someone else might love it but that's just my opinion.
I think that the ghost book is not that scary well to me. When I read the first couple of pages it was ok but when I read on it was starting to get boring to me. Some of my friends read it to and thought the same as me, we wanted it to be more scarier towards the end.
I havent finished it yet but it is quite good although i knew what was going to happen. it was quite funny in parts but the cover makes it look like a horror
This is a very good book full of mystery. I would recommend it for 9-11 years old. Great read! Some boring parts.
I thought this book is really good, I wish it was longer though. It was really interesting and it had a great story line. I really enjoyed it!!!!!!
i think it was good but it was strange beacuse its about a girl who finds a tree growing in her room with a box in it. the box leads to a ghost the ghost who hunts a girl until she finds the key to the box. i found the book very short i would have liked it if it was longer.
i think this book was really interesting and exiting. Mainly this is a horror/scary book. there are really mysterious things in the book like faces on trees and talking boxes, i really loved it. It was about a girl called sarah and her step brother matt. sarah hates her step brother matt they move to a new home and spooky things happen....
This book is about a girl who gets step dad, Gareth, and a new goth step brother, matt. I like this book because it had a lot of tension, and when you expected something to happen, it would turn out to be the complete opposite of what you thought.
I thought it was an alright book but not the best one I have ever read. I thought it was quite action packed at some points and a bit jumpy as well.
This book was really good. I liked this book because it made me want to read on more and find out what was going to happen. This book is about a young girl named Sarah who meets a ghost and is on a mission to get the key for a secret box. She has a goth step brother who she hates. I would recomend this book to people around my age group.
I like the spooky begining of the tree growing in the girl's room and how she was scared but then climbed the tree......
it was fun to read.
AWESOME I really enjoyed this book because its fun and spooky. Just my type of book
It was a fantastic book and I read it all over again and again.
The book was good, I loved it.
The Ghost Box is a short but very descriptive book. I didn't like it as much as I thought would but it did have a creative plot. Thank you! =)
The ghost book was a very mysterious, creative book! It made me want to read on..it went straight into detail and didn't waste any time, I would definitely recommened this book to others. Thank you!
This book was amazing I would recommend this to any one
I am reading this book at the moment in my English lessons. I am really enjoying this book and told all my friends about it they read a certain page and wanted it as their book I was laughing and not surprised. I am 12 years old and going on 13 in two weeks so this book is recommended to kid at the age of 12-14 :)
This book was great I found it very interesting and I just didn't know what to expect when I turned every page. This is a great book and I would recommend it for boys & girls aged 9-13. All together this book is great.
This book was really fascinating and by the cover it seemed it was going to be a quick but good, interesting read. One thing I liked about this book is at the end when Matt and Sarah meet up together and how problems are solved by support which is moral to work towards.
I loved this book but it was too short. Read it but have another book ready as you will finish this book really fast.
Well The Ghost Box was quite a mystery for me very good.
I thought the book had a good story line and ending but it could have been better for me.
The Ghost Box was an amazing book I found it really interesting and a bit weird.
I did not like this book, I didn't understand it very well and found it very confusing. I would not buy this book. I would suggest it to older people around 13 & 14 but no younger.
I thought 'The Ghost Box' was amazing and I couldn't stop reading it! I think the only way to improve it would to make it a bit bigger.
It was very very scarey.
The book was amazing. I thought it would be another boring book but the second I read it it just pulled me in!
This is the best book ever
I thought the Ghost Box book was really good and a little spooky...
this book is soooooooooooooooo ccccccccccooooooolllllllll
This such a epic book I can't put it down I just read it 8 times. Sooo epic
This book is a great book to read and it is a book you can read over again again and again. This book is about a girl called Sarah she is a well mannered girl that does what her mom wants. Her mom is a sculptor in the her own exhibition and sarah helps by being a waitress . And Sarah has a step dad and step brother her step dad is a nice person and matt is his real son he is a nasty person he's rude to other people. The story is great and you should read it and it is a nice sort book.
I thought that the book Ghost Box was a good book and a bit scary
Heya!! This book is so cool I love it, its got everything a good book should have (except pictures) but hey! You don't need pictures if you read this to the word you get a image in your mind and thats what makes this book what it is!! Signed... Emma xx
This book is a creepy book and is great when you're reading it! i enjoyed this book so much because I'm in to creepy books! shyshy x
The theme of the story is of estrangement between a step brother and sister wich is healed by an unlikely encounter with a ghostly boy trapped in a life of sorrow. In helping him the brother and sister find their own peace and a new love for one another.
This book was wicked I really enjoyed it too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart was thumping it was quite scary but fantastic as well
The Ghost Box is a very good book.Its about a girl called Sarah and she finds a silver box but she dosn't know if she should open it or not.
The ghost box is a awesome book.
This book is great. It gets better and better every chapter. Chapter 3 is the one that was the most interesting. By looking at the front cover you could see it is spooky and its a thriller or maybe a horror story. Many of you think this book is great, I agree with you people. However others have different opinions about it. I don't mind if you have different opinion than me but it was amazing you must admit that.
The best part had to be when the story left you in a heap of suspense. Even though it had a lots of charcters they where all left in suspense too. What I did not like- I did not like the fact that at the end it didn't leave you on a cliff hanger because if they would of left it in a cliff hanger I would of read the other book but they didn't, it would of made the story get a 7/10 if so!! MY FAVOURITE CHARCTER NAME- Sarah. I GIVE THE BOOK- 6/10 Only because it didn't leve me in a cliff hanger.! <3 Thank You For Reading <3
WHAT I LIKED BEST:- I enjoyed reading the ghost box, its the sort of book what makes you want to read on. I liked the use of words and description, you can really get a picture of the characters. WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:- I didn't like the the way the book finished so quickly. I wish it was longer so there was a climax because as soon as they discovered what was in the box the story just like finished a couple of paragraphs later. -apart from that I have REALLY enjoyed the book! FAVOURITE CHARACTER NAME:- Sarah RATE:- 8/10 <3 Thank you for reading <3
l think that the ghost box story is very good and l think that a boy or a girl will like this book
i think this book is good because it is interesting and it will give you more information !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i thought this book was amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think it was boring
good book :) so far
I didn't really like this book because I didn't find it spooky at all and it would of been better with more gore and horror.
Thank you for my book I have read it already and it is very good.
Thankyou for the book. It interests me loads and i chose well.
I thought it was a very excellent story and I really enjoyed reading it, a great page turner the best book I've read in a long time.
I thought it was a very good book and it was scary at times my only criticism is that it could have been longer but overall it was a excellent story and a great page turning mystery.
I got this book a couple of weeks ago from school and I must say its very mysterious picking up the book and seeing the front cover tell you that its going to be amazing and that you must read more! The only down side about it is that it only has 60 pages it would of been good to see what happend next but then I think of it maybe you could write a second book about it see how her life is from there... I love writing books its my favourite thing to do when I'm at home bored, I hope to be an author when I grow up! overall, I enjoyed this book very much :)
This is the best book I have ever read so addictive and scary my heart was thumping in my chest really loved it !!!!!!!!!!
I think its a really good book and very exciting at times!
I liked the book because it is very spooky and the whole book is like a mystery.
I think this book is so interesting and breath taking.
I have just started reading this book and it is great
I read the Ghost Box by Catherine Fisher. I thought that it was probably the best book I have ever read, it has alot of problems that they have to solve! its also quite scary thats why I liked it so much because I really like horror films and scary books, but I wouldn't say that its too scary though.............I love this book!
It was an amazing book because of its interesting story line and unusual character and every time you turn the next page it just gets better!!!!
I like this book because it is very interesting and you always want to read more, and every time you turn the page you get more interested and excited!!!!!! I just wish that it was a bit longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm reading this from my friend and its really good. Its spooky and mysterious and I really like it!
I enjoy this book very much because it was exciting, fun to read and scary. It was one of the best books I have ever read and I hope that the author has more books and that she is one of my favourite authors!
Just the front cover makes you want to pick it up and read it-such great use of selective colour and font choice. This book by Catherine Fisher is a thrilling read about a young girl who has moved into a new house-it gives you that understanding of having a new step-brother and the typical plot where they don't like each other that is common in books and films-and then there's the whole, having to get use to the new life-then the girl discovers a box, and Fisher builds up slowly, making you want to read on so you find out the secrets it holds. A well written book for over 11's.
This book is one of the best books I've ever read because it is full of emotions angry, happy and even more. It is imaginative and fascinating book full of surprises. I really enjoyed reading the book as it is creepy and fun.
This book is really interesting, because you can feel what Sarah was thinking. I really enjoyed reading this book it was really fun to read although it was a bit creepy. I liked the brother and sister back chat that Sarah and Matt did. This book is full of ideas and imagination.
I think Ghost Box was a good book but bits of it were boring, I think if you like horror books then this an ok horror book to read. It wasn't that scary but I still enjoyed reading it.This is a good book to read if you like books that make you jump.
Very good easy to understand the storyline.
I thought the book was great I love scary short snappy books and I would have loved it to be a 1000 pages just because I loves it so much ..... I would rate it 4 stars and a half
love this book my whole family wants to read it .
Ghost Box is about a young girl Sarah. I think the book is very good and quite spooky.
This book is amazing! The strenth to this book is it grips me to the book and I never want to put the book down.The weakness of the book it should include more pages to the book.
The Ghost Box is a spooky. I enjoyed the book. I would recommended this book to 6 years and over. xx
‘The Ghost Box’ is a really good book. It's 60 pages long, so it’s good if you like short books. I think it needs more description so it makes it more exciting, but overall, it’s a great book to read. I recommend this book to people who likes mystery and adventure.
The Ghost Box is a really good book and it makes you want to read on and find out more. It is about a girl who finds a box in a dream but is it a dream as she finds out the truth.With more turns than a rollercoaster this book will have you gripping your seat with anticipation.It is an extremely well written story and I would recommend it to any one.It is for people 9-14 year old and I would give it 5 star the only inprovement is that it should be longer than it is!
The Ghost Box was great and i kept on itching to pick it up again but i had homework. it's all about a girl who finds a silver box and her step bother matt who she dosn't really like work together to help this ghost boy who is stuck inside the box
This book is alright.
The Ghost Box was great, I couldn't put it down I wish the book could have been a longer story. Catherine Fisher is a great author she really bring the characters to life through her words and I guess thats how you want it to feel. The one thing I would put in is more description on the ghost boy, maybe Catherine could have put in at the end were they find a book and the story continues in another book the ghost book. I would recommend this book to children from ages 9-12 because it could be hard to understand. Overall I love the book and I would definitely tell friends to read it.
I think this book was exciting but needed more description. It wasn't very long, it was about 50 pages long, it could of been a lot longer. The character's plots weren't very descriptive and some were better than others, you knew some people better than others. The ending wasn't very good but it was a good cliffhanger. I think the author should bring out a series of them because I want to see what happens to Sarah.
Ghost Box is a kind of horror story for people who like ghost and mystery.I also think it is fun and heart-taking. It is about a girl called Sarah and a silver box has appearsr and she has to try and get it open but there is a catch that Sarah does not know about. Read this book and you will find out. Thats why iIam going to rate it 5 out 5.
I really liked this book because it was very spooky and frightening but to be really honest I mean 100 percent honest I think that this author can make this book much better by putting more description in to it! E.G Sarah's heart beated like a thousand drums. get what I mean? But I do like this book and still reading it!
It was a gratifying book but was a bit aphoristic. I wanted it to be a bit longer and it should have had a better ending or another chapter; but I would intend on others to read it because it was very good.
It was okay, wouldn't really recommend it to any of my friends, it was short and didn't have much of a plot, and I don't think the author told us a lot about the charaters. It was okay though, not too bad but wouldn't put it in my top 10.
It's a very interesting book and I really liked it. I hope other people like it too.
I thought it was boring
i think I am going to find this book scary to be honest I am really scared and I just can't wait to read it. I recommend this book to years 10 and over
I think that that The Ghost Box is a very interesting book to read. When I first saw the book I thought it was a bit short but the author has packed a lot if information into such a short book. So I think the lesson that I learned when I read the the book is don't judge a book by its cover. It is a great book and I would love to read other books like this one. It is a page turner and I would recommend it to girls more than boys though. Over all I think that it is a great book and I would thoroughly recommend it!
This is a really good book .......
I chose The Ghost Box because of its intriguing cover and title. "The Ghost Box" is a very good title and makes you want to read it. You know that there is ghost box and a key that opens it just by looking and reading the front. When I read the back of the book I immediately wanted to read on. I think Catherine Fisher is a very good author just by reading the back I can tell she has true potential.
I found The Ghost Box box disappointing because I like long books and haven't read a book with less than 100 pages since I was seven. I liked the storyline, but it wasn't scary enough. You didn't get to know the characters and to be honest I preferred the ghost to Sarah! She was a bit weedy. I would recommend this book to people who like short, kind of scary reads.
I didn't think this book was very good because the story went too quickly. If it had had more of a story then it would have been very good as I liked the plot and it was quite gripping.
It was really short and a bit random, otherwise it was good.
The Ghost Box was an exciting book to read. I found Matt very funny and Sarah, brave and cool.
I would recommend this book.
I chose The Ghost Box because it sounded mysterious, and I was eager to find out what was in the silver box, as it said in the blurb. I was quite surprised when I finished reading the book. When you start reading, you just can't stop. I found the character Morgan Rees, who was the 'Fine Antiques' shopkeeper especially appealing, as he was very mysterious in the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes mysterious and ghost stories. I will try to read similar types of books to the Ghost box as this appeals to me, and I'm sure many others. I will also try to read more books by Catherine Fisher.
[Chapter1-5]: I think it's a good book so far. There's great detail, and I love a book where you can sort of, be apart, feel as though you're really there. The only real big thing which disappointed me was the size. I was expecting a big book but it's this insy winsy book. The front cover looks good but a bit strange. All I can say is, the author is great at what they're doing and carry on.( I had to rate It 3 star but I really wanted to rate It 31/2) :-)
it is amazing! :):):):):):)
Amazing book, love it, so scary
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