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The Nighthouse Keeper

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About The Book

Winner of the Bram Stoker Award

Evie once again leaves her world behind to rescue Blight Harbor’s ghosts in this “deliciously dark and gripping” (Kirkus Reviews) second book in the middle grade Blight Harbor trilogy that’s reminiscent of Doll Bones and Small Spaces.

Evie Von Rathe has been home for only a few weeks from her adventure in the strange world of seven houses when Blight Harbor’s beloved ghosts begin to disappear. Did they leave without saying goodbye, or has something gone horribly wrong? Soon Evie is invited to a mysterious council meeting, where she learns about the Dark Sun Side and a terrible secret.

Yes, the ghosts have gone missing. And that means serious trouble.

With the help of an eleven-year-old (or 111-year-old, but who’s counting) ghost named Lark, trusty Bird, and a plump ghost spider, Evie must find a way to defeat the vicious Nighthouse Keeper responsible for the missing ghosts, save her otherworldly friends, and find her way home from the Dark Sun Side before she’s trapped there forever.

About The Author

Photograph (c) Ira Gardner
Lora Senf

Lora Senf is a writer of dark and twisty stories for all ages. She is the author of The Clackity, Bram Stoker Award winner The Nighthouse Keeper, and The Loneliest Place. She credits her love of words to her parents and to the public library that was walking distance from her childhood home. Lora finds inspiration for her writing in her children’s retellings of their dreams, on road trips through Montana, and most recently at a very old plot in an older cemetery. She lives in eastern Washington with her husband, their twins, and two remarkably lazy cats. Visit her at LoraSenf.com.

Why We Love It

The Nighthouse Keeper is just as deeply imaginative, thrilling, and filled with wonders as The Clackity. While The Clackity excelled as an exploration of self and family, The Nighthouse Keeper opens Evie’s world up to new friendships and even larger stakes, whisking readers away on yet another richly captivating ride from horror powerhouse Lora Senf.”

—Julia M., Editor, on The Nighthouse Keeper

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (October 17, 2023)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781665934596
  • Ages: 10 - 99

Raves and Reviews

*"Nuanced character development is a strength across both first two books of the trilogy. Readers will undoubtedly eagerly await the final volume, even if it will mean saying goodbye to a fascinating and memorable world, and a brilliant protagonist in the heroic Evie, who is so much more than she initially dreams she can be."

– BCCB, Starred Review, October 2023

“Senf’s nightmarish, well-imagined supernatural landscape is original and compelling. . . . More than just a battle between good and supernatural evil, this story shows the ultimate power of empathy and tenacity. Readers will be left both satisfied by the ending and wanting more. . . . Deliciously dark and gripping.”

– Kirkus Reviews, 9/1/23

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More books from this author: Lora Senf

More books in this series: Blight Harbor