The Trail of the Ghost Bunny: Volume 6 (The Curious Cat Spy Club, 6, Band 6) - Softcover

Singleton, Linda Joy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080751392X ISBN 13: 9780807513927

Verlag: Albert Whitman & Company, 2018

Inhaltsangabe

Kelsey and her family have moved into an abandoned B&B that they're fixing up. It's a beautiful place and it even comes with its own bunny'but it also seems to come with its own ghost. With the help of their new bunny friend, Kelsey and her friends and CCSC clubmates Becca and Leo investigate the true source of the mysterious on-goings at the B&B.

This story closes out the series in a satisfying way, and includes a very light ghost plot that feels seasonally appropriate. And animal fans will be thrilled to see plenty new animal capers, including the return of the lovable dogs from book 5, Dog-Gone Danger.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Linda Joy Singleton is the author of thirty-five books for children and young adults including YALSA-honored The Seer series and the Dead Girl trilogy. She lives in California.

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The Trail of the Ghost Bunny Book Six

By Linda Joy Singleton

Albert Whitman & Company

Copyright © 2018 Linda Joy Singleton
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8075-1392-7

Contents

Chapter 1: Ghost Story, 
Chapter 2: Strange Inheritance, 
Chapter 3: Tricky Trixie, 
Chapter 4: Puzzling Prints, 
Chapter 5: Key to Mystery, 
Chapter 6: Changing Winds, 
Chapter 7: Magic Girl, 
Chapter 8: The Bunny's Clue, 
Chapter 9: Leo's Surprise, 
Chapter 10: Is Anyone There?, 
Chapter 11: Intruder, 
Chapter 12: Bunny-Napped, 
Chapter 13: Yarn-Ado, 
Chapter 14: Dragon Flying, 
Chapter 15: Lady Bell, 
Chapter 16: Clueless, 
Chapter 17: Wag and Wash, 
Chapter 18: Treasure Hunting, 
Chapter 19: The Cat's Clue, 
Chapter 20: Sound of Music, 
Chapter 21: The Walls Are Alive, 
Chapter 22: Confronting a Shadow, 
Chapter 23: The Last Ghost Story, 

CHAPTER 1

Ghost Story

"It was a shivery, stormy night when I heard the death bells," the old woman says ominously, wringing sorrow out of each syllable. She swivels her wheelchair away from the curious stares of my siblings to point a bony finger directly at me. "I was the same age as you."

Me? I try not to look surprised as I grip the edge of the packing box I'm using as a chair. I can't imagine this ancient woman ever being thirteen. She's shriveled like a dried potato, with scraggly wisps of gray hair dangling down her frail shoulders. I only met her moments ago, when our realtor, Mr. Dansbury, arrived at our new house. When we'd bought the place, Mr. Dansbury told my parents that it came with some sort of secret inheritance, and now he was here to tell them about it. He'd introduced the old woman as his aunt Philomena, and asked us kids to sit with her while he talked with my parents.

"Aunt Philomena used to play in this house as a child, so she wanted to visit," Mr. Dansbury had explained. He rolled his aunt's wheelchair into the living room before disappearing behind a closed door with my parents.

I longed to follow and find out what we'd inherited when we'd bought this old house. When I told my Curious Cat Spy Club friends Leo and Becca there was a secret inheritance, we tried to guess what it could be. Logical Leo guessed a classic jalopy car since the house was built in the 1920s. Becca thought it was vintage jewelry or clothes. And I hoped for something thrilling like a cryptic map to buried treasure.

And just when the secret was finally being revealed, I was stuck babysitting an old lady.

But it turns out the old lady has secrets of her own to share. When she smiled slyly and offered to tell us a ghost story, even my three older siblings took a break from unpacking boxes to listen.

"Death bells don't sound like ordinary bells," Aunt Philomena continues, her intense gaze sweeping from my brother to my twin sisters, then back to me. "They harmonize so sweetly, I thought I was listening to a symphony of angels. But later I found out it was the opposite. When the death bells ring, someone is going to die."

I glance over at my siblings, expecting them to roll their eyes because there's no such thing as death bells. But Kenya and Kiana huddle close on the faded velvet couch, both bug-eyed, while Kyle munches potato chips with an intense expression, like he's watching a horror movie.

"The wealthiest girl from school, Caroline Olivianne Whitney, invited me to her slumber party in this very house." Philomena sweeps her arm toward the high ceiling. "This room was called the parlor, and there used to be a crystal chandelier that sparkled like diamonds. It was the grandest house I ever saw, shining like a palace by the river." She pauses and looks around, fear in her eyes. "And it was haunted."

"Our new home is haunted?" Kiana hugs a couch pillow.

"Like with real ghosts?" Kenya adds, grabbing a pillow to hug too.

"Ghosts aren't real," my brother says in a know-it-all voice.

"'All houses wherein men have lived and died are haunted houses' — that's a Longfellow quote." Philomena's thin lips twist into a wicked smile, and I realize she's just trying to scare us.

Fortunately, I'm not easily scared. As the Spy Specialist in the Curious Cat Spy Club, I've trained myself to analyze clues and sort truth from lies. Still, it's fun to hear a ghost story, and I grab a handful of chips from Kyle's bowl.

"That fateful night still haunts me." Philomena sips tea from the coffee cup we were lucky to find in the jumble of our moving boxes. She puckers her mouth as if the tea — or her memory — is bitter.

"What happened?" I ask, dying to know but uneasy too. How will I be able to sleep in my new home if it really is haunted?

"I had a lovely day celebrating Caroline's birthday with girls from school," she says in such a low voice that I scoot closer. "Caroline was the only child of a divorced father who gave her anything she wanted. We enjoyed pony rides, a magic show, and triple-layered chocolate cake. Everywhere Caroline went, her pet bunny Trixie hopped along too. Caroline loved her bunny so much that her father gave her a stuffed toy bunny with white and black floppy ears handmade to look exactly like Trixie. And all us girls at the party received a similar stuffed toy as a party favor. I still have mine." A wisp of a smile crosses her face then sinks into a scowl. "But the happy birthday party turned into a tragic deathday."

My sisters gasp, but I know they're not scared. I'm not either because it's just a story. I play along, though, and let my eyes go wide like I'm afraid.

"Late that night while the other girls were sleeping," the old lady continues dramatically, "I awoke to the sound of bells. When I looked over at Caroline's bed, it was empty. Caroline, Trixie, and even the toy bunny were gone. And the strange bells kept ringing." A lemony sage aroma wafts around the room as she sips her tea. "Where was I? Oh, yes, the empty bed. I thought Caroline must be looking for the bells, so I slipped on a robe, grabbed a flashlight, and followed the sounds. But the bells echoed from all directions. I was scared and started to turn back, when I heard a thump-thump — and then I saw the bunny."

"Trixie?" Kyle guesses as he grabs more chips.

"I thought so, except it was transparent." She shivers. "It hopped down the staircase and vanished — like a ghost. I never saw the bunny or Caroline again."

"Ohmygod!" Kiana's hands fly to her cheeks. "What happened to them?"

"No one knows for sure." Philomena shakes her head solemnly. "But the next morning, one of Caroline's shoes was found near the river. Everyone was sure she'd drowned, except her father. He insisted she'd been kidnapped. He shut up the house, and some people say he traveled the world searching for Caroline. When he returned for short visits, he was seen carrying boxes from faraway countries into the house. Rumors spread that he was collecting priceless treasures. Decades later, an illness brought him home to stay, until one night the death bells called for him too," the old woman finishes with a sigh. "He died alone, and no treasure was ever found. The house sat empty for years until new owners transformed it into a bed-and-breakfast, naming it Down the Rabbit Hole Inn. And on stormy nights, guests claimed to hear bells and see a ghostly bunny hopping on the staircase."

My brother rubs his stubbly chin, frowning. "Has anyone else died here?"

"Oh yes. Many." Philomena nods a bit too enthusiastically. "But...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Albert Whitman & Company
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2018
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 080751392X
• ISBN 13: 9780807513927
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar