Phantom of Fire

Description

Things aren't going so well for fifteen-year-old Dylan Maples. He's sick of his own reflection, his parental units are driving him nuts, and, worst of all, he's trying to come to terms with the unexpected death of one of his best friends. Now, to top things off, he's been roped into a family trip to stay with family friends in New Brunswick. After just a few hours in Bathurst, Dylan worries this will turn out to be the most boring vacation ever, but when he meets a local girl, Antonine, and the two of them witness what looks like a burning ship on the water, he begins to think that New Brunswick might be more interesting than he thought. As Dylan and Antonine begin to research the famous ghost ship of the Bay de Chaleur, they raise more questions than they answer. Does Antonine's father hold a clue to the mystery? What's the deal with the local right-wing politician who is on everybody's minds these days? And what really happened on the water all those years ago?

Shane Peacock is a novelist, playwright, journalist, and television screenwriter for audiences of all ages. Among his novels are Last Message, a contribution to the groundbreaking Seven Series for young readers, Double You, its sequel, and Separated, its prequel. His bestselling series for Young Adults, The Boy Sherlock Holmes, has been published in twelve languages and has found its way onto more than sixty shortlists. Visit shanepeacock.ca.

In this fifth installment in the Dylan Maples Adventure series, Shane Peacock has created an extremely readable page turner that incorporates Canadian history, politics, and modern day familial relationships, all wrapped in an immensely enjoyable mix of adventure and mystery. --Resource Links (Pouch Cove, NF) Phantom of Fire is very much in the tradition of historic adventure stories like Moonfleet and Kidnapped and in movies with scrappy heroes and mysterious ships, like The Goonies. Phantom of Fire could also be described as Scooby Doo with more teen angst ... All in all, though, Phantom of Fire is a very good yarn full of action and suspense. It is probably the best in the series so far and combines a tale of adventure and romance with timely concerns about justice and fairness. --Canadian Review of Materials (Winnipeg, MB)