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A Girl Called Corpse

#1 Elston-Fright

Reece Carter Simon Howe

$17.99

Paperback

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English
Allen & Unwin
05 October 2022
Series: Elston Fright

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- This somewhat weird-sounding book is exactly the sort of thing I would have enjoyed as primary-aged reader! Corpse doesn't know her name, or her past. She's a ghost on an island with three witches (who are nasty males) and by stealing crumbs of their magic has constructed a body of sorts for herself. Her best friend is Simon the huntsman spider, and she spends her days keeping herself hidden from the witches whilst keeping watch on their malevolent plots. One day she gets a mysterious message and must venture across the sea to the mainland where she might finally find some answers to the mystery of herself - if she finds The Merchant and precious thing they have stolen… Spooky without being scary, and oddly charming!   Lindy


'Find the thing the Witches call a treasure,' says Old Man, 'and you'll get back all those memories you're missing.'


With a body made of wax, seaweed for hair and polished abalone shells for eyes, Corpse is bound to haunt the Witches' sea shack forever. She has no memory of the kid she was before she was snatched and ended up on the rock-that-doesn't-exist. But the delivery of an unexpected message sets Corpse off on a surprising quest, searching for answers to the old and familiar questions that have filled her not-brain since the day she first woke up a ghost. Questions about her name. Questions about her family. With only her eight-legged friend Simon for company, Corpse heads into the unknown. There will be danger - cruel Witches, a silver-eyed sea monster and a cunning Merchant with a hungry grin - but Corpse is not afraid. She'll stop at nothing to uncover the truth about her past. Only some answers, it turns out, are much closer than she thinks.

A sparkling adventure story about friendship, family and finding out that there is nothing more powerful than a kid acting with their whole heart. A Girl Called Corpse is one of the most exciting children's fantasy debuts to hit the shelves since Nevermoor.

'Ghoulishly charming, with a compelling hero you will adore. I loved it!' Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of Nevermoor

'Just the right mix of eerie and bleak - think Neil Gaiman by way of Roald Dahl and Tim Burton - with moments of levity.' Books+Publishing

'Wonderfully imaginative and enthralling.' Jaclyn Moriarty, award-winning author of the Kingdoms and Empires series

'Fizzes and crackles with magic, mystery and exactly the correct amount of huntsman spiders. I loved this book so much.' Karen Foxlee, bestselling author of Dragon Skin and Lenny's Book of Everything

'Frightfully good. Death has never seemed such fun.' Jeremy Lachlan, bestselling author of the Jane Doe Chronicles

'As spine-tinglingly creepy as an old, abandoned cemetery. I loved this with my entire soul!' Shirley Marr, award-winning author of A Glasshouse of Stars

'Dramatic and spooky, with the most delightful lively voice.' Amelia Mellor, bestselling author of The Grandest Bookshop in the World

By:  
Illustrated by:   Simon Howe
Imprint:   Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication:   Australia
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 128mm, 
Weight:   308g
ISBN:   9781761066788
ISBN 10:   1761066781
Series:   Elston Fright
Pages:   352
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 8 to 12 years
Audience:   Children/juvenile ,  English as a second language
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Reece Carter grew up on his family farm in Tammin, Western Australia. There was an unfortunate lack of witches and ghosts on the farm though, and so Reece had to find them in books instead. Roald Dahl, Paul Jennings and Emily Rodda were some of his first favourite authors. When Reece moved away to boarding school at the age of eleven, he could regularly be found hiding in the library, tucked away in the corner with a good book, or else seeking out new recommendations from the school librarians. With the encouragement of his English teacher, Reece started writing his own stories too - although back then they never got much further than character outlines and first chapters! After a few years spent travelling overseas, Reece moved to Melbourne to study health science. But even while working as a nutritionist by day, Reece maintained a secret double life, continuing to write middle-grade novels and short stories by night. Now, Reece lives in Sydney and writes kids' fiction full-time. When not reading or writing, Reece can usually be found talking to his dog Hagrid - and hoping that one of these days Hagrid might decide to talk back. A Girl Called Corpse is his debut novel.

Reviews for A Girl Called Corpse (#1 Elston-Fright)

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- This somewhat weird-sounding book is exactly the sort of thing I would have enjoyed as primary-aged reader! Corpse doesn't know her name, or her past. She's a ghost on an island with three witches (who are nasty males) and by stealing crumbs of their magic has constructed a body of sorts for herself. Her best friend is Simon the huntsman spider, and she spends her days keeping herself hidden from the witches whilst keeping watch on their malevolent plots. One day she gets a mysterious message and must venture across the sea to the mainland where she might finally find some answers to the mystery of herself - if she finds The Merchant and precious thing they have stolen… Spooky without being scary, and oddly charming!   Lindy






'A Girl Called Corpse is ghoulishly charming. A spooky, funny, magical and atmospheric adventure with a compelling hero you will adore. Corpse feels like a worthy successor to Coraline by way of The Witches, with a creepy, comic touch of Round the Twist for good measure. I loved it!' Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of the Nevermoor series 'Wonderfully imaginative and enthralling.' Jaclyn Moriarty, award-winning author of the Kingdoms and Empires series 'Dramatic and spooky, with the most delightful lively voice.' Amelia Mellor, award-winning author of The Grandest Bookshop in the World


  • Long-listed for Australian Book Design Awards 2023 (Australia)
  • Long-listed for Best Designed Children's Fiction Cover 2023 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Best Designed Children's Fiction Cover 2023 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for BookPeople Book of the Year Awards 2024 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Children's Book of the Year 2023 (Australia)

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