Description
A quirky and very funny middle-grade fantasy title that is perfect for fans of A Girl Called Corpse and Nevermoor.
When Nanny Tobbins fell off a horse and broke her neck, the grown-ups told nine-year-old Albertine she'd never see her beloved governess again. But it simply isn't true. For every night, when the clock strikes twelve, Nanny returns to the nursery.
Yet in her new ghostly state, Nanny Tobbins quickly causes chaos in the household -- and the timing couldn't be more inconvenient. Albertine's stepmother is struggling to settle in, and Papa is much occupied working with Prince Albert on the Great Exhibition.
To make matters worse, the grown-ups don't believe in ghosts at all, leaving Albertine to take the blame for Nanny's unruly antics.
How will Albertine restore peace to her home before the unthinkable occurs?
Review
Nanny Tobbins is strict, and has very good manners, but Albertine loves her governess anyway. Albertine is only nine years old when Nanny falls off her horse and dies.
The grown ups tell Albertine that Nanny is gone, and she won’t ever see her again. But Nanny has other ideas! It seems she is not ready to leave Albertine, so every night at midnight her ghost comes back to the nursery to teach her. This ghostly version of Nanny causes chaos, and just as Albertine's new stepmother arrives. Poor Albertine keeps getting blamed for all the nightly hijinks, because no one except her friend Blot believes in ghosts.
Will Albertine ever get to sleep all night again? Can she find somewhere else that Nanny might be happy to stay?
Albertine is a great character who shows lots of resilience as she struggles to control Nanny, while dealing with the changes in her family life with the arrival of her new stepmother. She has a special relationship with her father, but this is also under strain, and family is a key theme throughout the book. This is a funny and quirky ghost story that will be thoroughly enjoyed by those who like a slightly spooky mystery. Perfect for ages 10 and up.
