Scary, Mysterious and Sweet? The Ghost of Whispering Willow - A Different Kind of Ghost Story for Young Readers!

    FORT WORTH, TX, January 10, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- David A. Bedford's review sheds new light on ghost story:

"The Ghost of Whispering Willow by Amanda M. Thrasher - will capture middle school and older readers with its fast-moving plot and likable characters. Suffused with warmth and love, it provides a theme that is largely missing in the world of books but sorely needed.

A group of three boys learns to accept the cooperation and value of four girls as they attempt to befriend the ghosts they think they have sighted. The success of their efforts puts the kids in the middle of an intense battle they never could have envisioned. All is achieved without the direct help of parents, making the children learn resourcefulness.

The plot is well constructed as it is paced intelligently and maintains the reader's interest. One element of the clever crafting can be found on page 124: it is the very middle page of the book and on it the major turn in the plot occurs.it is the very middle page of the book and on it the major turn in the plot occurs. I first discovered this middle page phenomenon in the French author Pierre Loti, in his novel Pecheur d'Islande (Iceland Fisherman). The main character's younger brother, who had been injured in Viet Nam is returning to France on a hospital boat, but dies precisely when the boat passes the Equator on the longest day of the year, at the moment the sun dips under the horizon, at the middle of the world in the middle of the year, precisely at the middle page of the novel. I thought it was amazing, maybe unique. But years later, I found in Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose what is most central to the theme of the book happening on the very middle page and I have found something similar in a few other books. This is the mark of a writer and I have found it again.

Some of the most solid literature these days is being written for children and teens. The Ghost of Whispering Willow joins the list. It is a fun read for pre-teens and maybe for their older siblings and their parents." - David A. Bedford, Ph.D. Instructor of Spanish at TCU. Bedford is also the author of Angela 1:Starting Over and Angela 2: The Guardian of the Bay.

Born in England, moved to Texas, resides there still. Amanda M. Thrasher is the author of 'Mischief in the Mushroom Patch' and 'A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch,' 'Sadie's Fairy Tea Party' - an interactive picture book, and 'The Greenlee Project,' a YA novel (Jan. 2014). She also wrote a graphic novel titled 'What If...A Story of Shattered Lives,' adapted to a reader's theater for the Texas Municipal Education Center. This project was part of the D.R.S.R. (Driving on the Right Side of the Road) program and is available in English or Spanish.

Thrasher continues to write, conducts workshops, visit schools, and works closely with her local Barnes and Nobles, raising funds through BookFair programs. Next releases include the third installment of the Mischief series and 'There's a Gator Under My Bed.' She will attend and sign copies of 'The Ghost of Whispering Willow' at the third annual Paranormal Expo. - Ghost and Legends Tour, located and hosted in Granbury, TX at the Granbury Resort Conference Center. The Expo is scheduled for May 17, 2014. Guest speakers include Dean Haglund of The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen.

Title:The Ghost of Whispering Willow
ISBN: 978-0615749907
Price: $9.95
Published by: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press

For purchase information contact: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press [email protected] http://www.progressiverisingphoenix.com/

Titles available: www.amazon.com www.barnesandnoble.com www.progressiverisingphoenix.com author's site: www.amandamthrasher.com - online retailers and select stores

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