Charlotte’s Ghosts: The Mystery of the Vanishing Boy

Book Review of Charlotte’s Ghosts: The Mystery of the Vanishing Boy
The Children’s Book Review

Written by L.P Simone

Ages 10+ | 188 Pages

Publisher:  L. P. Simone (2024) | ISBN-13: 979-8-9878699-5-6

What to Expect: Historical fiction, supernatural elements, grief, friendship, and a Civil War setting.

With its thoughtful exploration of loss, historical consciousness, and the power of helping others heal, this middle-grade novel offers a sophisticated take on supernatural fiction grounded in real emotion and authentic historical detail.

Charlotte Cross is struggling to adjust after her military father’s death forces her and her mother to move from Arizona to Virginia. When she begins training for the cross-country team near the Manassas Battlefield, Charlotte encounters Jeremy, a mysterious boy in Civil War-era clothing who seems to appear and disappear at will. What follows is a story that bridges past and present as Charlotte discovers her unique ability to help someone trapped between worlds.

Utilizing a ghost-story framework, L.P. Simone explores themes of family separation, unfinished business, and intergenerational healing—elements that are all handled with restraint, focusing on emotional truth rather than cheap scares. Mature and respectful of the reader’s intelligence, Simone alternates between the dual timelines of Charlotte’s contemporary struggles and Jeremy’s experiences during the 1860s; with the historical sections feeling meticulously researched, capturing both the daily realities of farm life and the period’s social tensions. Also commendable is the cross-country running subplot that provides a compelling and relatable metaphor for perseverance.

Charlotte’s character feels genuine as she navigates grief, friendship challenges, and finding her place in a new school. Her struggles with making friends, dealing with peer pressure, and processing loss avoid easy answers, yet they reveal realistic growth, successfully illustrating how understanding history can help heal current wounds.

Charlotte’s Ghosts is an emotionally intelligent story that makes a solid choice for readers who enjoy middle-grade novels that blend historical elements with contemporary coming-of-age themes.

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About the Author

Award-winning author, L.P. Simone lives and writes in Washington D.C. A former school librarian, history and writing teacher, and human rights advocate, L. P. and family have been known to harbor feral cats, a fox or two, and the occasional wild turkey in their DC garden. For more information visit Dragon Song Publishing on the web and Instagram.

Charlotte’s Ghosts: The Mystery of the Vanishing Boy came straight from the heart.

Before Charlotte, and after complaining A LOT about the lack of a good 2012 apocalypse story, Simone decided enough was enough. After earning a Masters Degree in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University, an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and teaching English in Guatemala, The 2012 Prophecies: Heir of the Jaguar was born.