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Cover of The Ghost Cadet

The Ghost Cadet

Elaine Marie Alphin (1991)

SubgenreHigh Fantasy
Age groupMiddle Grade 8-12
Content ratingPG
Pages (Quick Read (<250))
Setting
CSM age10
Goodreads3.89
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Content levels

ViolenceMild
Sexual contentNone
LanguageNone

Trigger warnings

DeathWarGrief

Positive tags

FriendshipMysteryHeartwarmingSelf-DiscoveryHealing Arc

Hero archetypes

Ghost / Supernatural Hero

Protagonist archetypes

Coming-of-Age ProtagonistFish out of Water

Tropes

Ghost CompanionComing of AgeFish out of WaterQuestHistorical ConnectionLost Artifact

Themes

Friendship Across TimeUnderstanding HistoryFamily ConnectionHelping Others Find PeaceSouthern HistoryComing of Age

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Benjy, in Virginia visiting the grandmother he has never met, meets the ghost of a Virginia Military Institute cadet who was killed in the Battle of New Market in 1864 and helps him recover his family's treasured gold watch.

Is The Ghost Cadet appropriate for my child?

Suitable for most readers 10 and up.

A gentle ghost story where a boy helps a Civil War-era cadet's spirit find peace by recovering a family heirloom. Historical war context (Battle of New Market) with death but no graphic violence.

What to know going in

This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death, grief, and war.

Who'll love this

Readers who like mysteries with friendly ghosts and historical adventures will enjoy helping Benjy solve the puzzle of the lost watch.

Tags

Historical FantasyGhost StorySouthern GothicTime-Bridging Narrative