Ghostlines is another beautiful novel by Katya Balen. The island of Ayrie is brought to life on the page through the eyes of Tilda, who adores life on the island in all its wildness, freedom and natural beauty. Tilda is a bright, strong-willed and quirky pre-teen, mourning the loss of her older brother, Rowan. Initially it appears that he has died but as the story develops an alternative possibility arises. Albie and his mother arrive on Ayrie. Albie is resentful and determined not to settle. He rebuffs all attempts at friendship but Tilda is given the task of helping him to adjust and a mutually reluctant partnership begins. Katya Balen's characters are rounded and real; the prose is lyrical. She explores a range of themes but with a light touch which means they do not detract from what is a gentle and moving story. Highly recommended. My thanks to the author and publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an independent review.

Another wonderful story by Katya Balen. Her attention to detail and description is amazing and I was totally swept up in the island of Ayrie and the characters.
Tilda loves her life on the island but is torn up by memories of her brother, Rowan. When a newcomer arrives on the island, she is determined to become friends and show him around, but Albie has different ideas.
A beautiful story of friendship, family, the natural beauty of the world and of course, puffins.

A great quick, easy read. Katya Balen is a great story teller and she didn’t disappoint with this. Set in an island, the story follows a girl who is coming to terms with her brother not being around when a young boy arrives and changes everything. What starts as a forced friendship, turns into a life of death moment when they are stuck in a perilous situation.
A lovely story about friendship, family, and the beauty of nature around us.

3.5 rounded up
This was a sweet read set over only a few days, the main message is that friendship also means listening to and hearing different perspectives to your own. The main character lives on a small island where everyone knows everyone and it’s all she’s ever known. But a new boy moves from the mainland and everything is new strange and different and probably very scary for a ten year old. The two characters opinions differ on how cool the island is and causes conflict between them both. I loved how the island was described with beauty and whimsy. Our main character is also dealing with the feeling of abandonment from her older brother and she’s scared the new boy will also leave her. My only issue is that because we were getting the information about her brother in a trickle, i thought maybe he’d died a few times, I know realistically this is because to her he felt as good as dead but it felt anticlimactic to me.
#ad I received this book for free as an arc but the opinions are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this story. The author's lyrical prose perfectly captures the wildness, beauty and freedom of Ayrie, and made me want to live there. Katya Balen is a master of first person present tense. I totally believed I was in the head of a twelve year old girl, and I felt all her pain, her anxieties, and especially her love for the beautiful environment she lives in. The friendship which grows slowly and painfully between Tilda and Albie is done very well, and I felt for him, torn from the life he knew and all his friends, to be brought to a such a small close-knit community.

The only thing that didn't quite work for me was the backstory of Tilda's brother, Rowan, which I didn't find convincing or necessary. But that's a small point and didn't make any difference to my enjoyment of the story.

Ghostlines is a wonderful story of friendship and loss, of home and family, and of the beauty of the world about us.

In recent years Katya Balen has written some of the most moving and wonderful children's fiction- stories that dig deep into the emotions and challenges confronted by children. She has also a magical and somewhat ethereal element element woven into her stories.

Ghostlines is a story about belonging, family and identity - linked to the past and the present. We all have ghostlines-those memories, passed-down tales and connections to people and places.

Tilda lives on the island of Ayrie-an idyllic community where everyone knows each other and the seasons and festivals draw a pattern to life. new residents arrive- a mother and her son Albie. But Albie doesn't want to connect - he doesn't want to be on this island 'cut off' from the mainland. Told also carries a sadness - a brother she has not seen in over a year ...he left the island.

Tilda is asked to befriend Albie; it's not aneasy task- Albie isn't interested in the wildlife and the island's people. After struggling to connect with the newcomer, she tells him of a mysterious island nearby that is supposedly haunted. Albie's curiosity is piqued and with Tilda's new kayak they row to the island where cracks appear in Albie's defensive and closed personality.... but this is just the start of an adventure for the duo.

Ghostlines is a beautiful story- all readers will connect with trying to fit into new situations or befriending a newcomer. Emotional, touching and heart warming, Ghostlines is a wonderful read. Perfect for 9-13 year olds- a great Ks2 class read or a book for individuals to escape into. Katya Balen knows how to create irresistible and poignant tales. Where will she take us next?

Highly recommended

I adored Ghostlines!
Such a beautiful story about life on an island. When a new family arrive Tilda immediately wants to get to know the new boy but he doesn't seem to love the island as much as she does.

It's an interesting way to deal with move and change and the viewpoint of the story is always Tildas. Via Tilda we learn about her loss, about Albie's loss and see how their friendship grows and develops.

Very glad to have had a copy from Netgalley to read.

This is another beautifully woven story from Katya Balen - one of my favourite contemporary authors. Set on a remote island, it tells the story of Tilda who tries to convince new boy Albie that Ayrie is the best place in the world. The storyline is gentle in pace and tone, told using the most gorgeous lyrical language. Yet there is also a real rawness to the descriptions and reality of the character's feelings. Balen shows real understanding of how young people think and feel and this is where the power of the story lies, alongside the nod to the beauty and magnificence of nature and wilderness. Reading this story will transport readers to a breath-taking landscape and remoteness - literally sweeping them away and allowing them to experience a deep sense of quiet and awe that I find unique to Balen's writing. The story takes a dramatic twist towards the end, darkening in tone and verging on a spooky plot without being completely terrifying. There are themes of family, especially the bond of siblings, friendship, community, nature and dealing with change, written in a way that is heartfelt and moving.

Katya Balen writes such beautiful prose and Ghostlines is a really gorgeous book and reading experience. Often books aimed at independent reading for children bursts with adventure or comedy but sometimes the writing can be overly simple, I love how Balen doesn't subscribe to this and never compromises on the magic/ adventure nor the stunning prose.
My ten year old adored this tale of loss and friendship and hope, she loved the writing too especially the vivid descriptions and wonderful characters. Recommend for any readers age 8+ who love books about friendship. Looking forward to buying a copy of this for our shelves.

Another fabulous book by Katya Balen and can’t wait to buy a copy when it comes out to add to my collection. Ghostlines is perfectly written and pitched beautifully for middle grade/young teen age. I loved the characters and the troubles each of them have, that ultimately brings them together. The setting was brilliant and I was completely and utterly sold as soon as puffins were mentioned!!

Simply stunning. Not a word out of place, not a word wasted. Katya Balen's prose is exquisite - another one to add to the collection.

Really enjoyed reading about Tilda's summer adventures with Albie, the new boy on her little island of Ayrie. The settings are really well described, making the reader want to go to the island (or one on which it is based!). The characters are likeable and have a good depth, with back stories which unravel as the story goes on.

Another stunning read from the pen of Katya Balen. From the very beginning, I was delighted by the idea of an island and puffins. By the time I'd read 'No-one arrived in September. Never. Ever.', I was filled with questions and desperate to know more. The languages choices were clear and vivid and completely fitted the landscape and atmosphere being described. I now know what ghostlines are too.
A story of friendship, loss, loneliness, change, difference, resilience, fear, hope and love.
I'll definitely be buying a copy for my classroom.

Another beautifully written book from Katya Balen. This one follows a young girl living on an idyllic remote island dealing with loss & learning to build a new friendship & trust. Every time I’m drawn into these stories, desperate to know how they will end. Can’t wait to buy a print copy for our school library & I will be recommending it to everyone to read.