Gallowgate

Following his parents' murder seven years ago, 12-year-old Sebastian Wight, who can see ghosts, lives with his aunt Dahlia. When he comes face-to-face with the shadowman, a malevolent entity wearing a porcelain mask and set on capturing him, Aunt Dahlia reveals that Sebastian is an Æthercist--a being meant to banish evil spirits to the underworld. She sends him to Gallowgate Academy for the Ætheric Arts to study alchemy, conjuring, necromancy, and summoning. Once friendless Sebastian now finds himself with two pals, classmates who show him the ropes in dealing with poltergeists, banshees, and more. But the shadowman is stronger than the Gallowgate wards, and as the spirit's pursuit of Sebastian grows more harrowing--and Sebastian realizes that the school is hiding secrets about his powers and his past--he must unravel many mysteries to face his foe. Employing myriad magical-school tropes, Alexander (Possess Me) delivers a thrilling fantasy adventure that sets itself apart via its vivid goth aesthetics and use of horror elements that are more squick than scary. Sebastian reads as white; context clues cue racial diversity among the supporting cast. Ages 9--12. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Aug.)

When Sebastian's ability to see ghosts turns from a secret curse he lives with to a deadly danger, he is thrust into a world where he must learn to hunt what haunts him. Twelve-year-old Sebastian hoped to start over in middle school. Fitting in has always been difficult, especially since he has white hair and can see the spirits of the dead. Sebastian's lone source of comfort and normalcy is his eccentric aunt Dahlia, with whom he has lived since his parents were murdered. Sebastian's hauntings turn violent with the appearance of the terrifying specter he calls the shadowman, but his world is truly upended when Aunt Dahlia reveals his lineage as being one charged with protecting the living world from the departed. No longer safe, Sebastian is sent to Gallowgate Academy for Ætheric Arts to learn the skills he needs to banish the dead and defend himself. There he makes friends and develops a sweet, reciprocated crush on another boy. Sebastian not only learns that his path is different than most, but that the ripple effects of his parents' long-kept secret will put many lives in mortal danger, starting with his own. This is an overall entertaining read with a gothic aesthetic and some loose ends that readers will hope may be resolved in a sequel. Sebastian is implied White; there is some diversity in race and nationality at the academy, and a couple of students use wheelchairs. A dark, fantastical adventure. (Horror. 10-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.