Pirates & Privateers: Dietlof Reiche's Books

Twelve-year-old Vickie waits tables at her father’s restaurant, Ye Olde Seashell Room, during the summer. She expects it to be boring as usual, but then she meets Peter, one of the tourists, and her father decides to have the figurehead of Storm Goddess repaired. What’s unusual about this particular figurehead is that they only have her head. The rest goes down with the ship in 1772, with all hands aboard. The only things to wash ashore are the head and the quartermaster’s journal.

One night, Vickie steals a peek at the hollow figurehead after it’s removal from the wall. The moonlight seems to play tricks with her eyes, for inside she sees an unsettling picture – a man hanging from the yardarm. When deafening silence fills the air, Vickie looks out the attic window. The water in the bay is gone! Sitting in the sand like a beached whale is Storm Goddess, but rather than a derelict wreck, the ship looks brand new. Vickie has an eerie feeling that she’s responsible for what’s happened, so with Peter’s help, she decides to unravel the mystery of the events that resulted in the sinking of the ship so long ago. Only then will she understand why her dead ancestor, the ship’s quartermaster, beckons her and why the severed head of the figurehead has watched Vickie for so many years.

Ever sit around a campfire at night and tell ghost stories? This is what it’s like to read Ghost Ship. From page one the characters and story weave a spellbinding tale that grasps you by the hand and won’t let you go. You have to keep reading, keep searching with Vickie and Peter to discover the truth. Along the way you meet an interesting array of characters – from the mysterious sea captain and the honor-bound quartermaster of the past to the conniving mayor and the intrepid reporter of today. You will smile and nod your head. You will quiver and shake. No matter what, you won’t abandon this mystery. Ghost Ship is a treasure for children and adults to share and savor for ages to come.