Book

Tunnel of Bones

📖 Overview

Cassidy Blake travels to Paris with her ghost-hunting parents who are filming their TV show about haunted cities. Her best friend Jacob, who happens to be a ghost, accompanies her as they explore the City of Light and its dark history. While investigating the catacombs beneath Paris's streets, Cassidy encounters a poltergeist causing havoc throughout the city. As someone who can cross the Veil between the world of the living and the dead, she must stop the dangerous spirit before it wreaks more destruction. The story combines supernatural elements with real Parisian history and landmarks, including famous burial grounds and underground tunnels. Cassidy navigates both her growing ghost-hunting abilities and her complex friendship with Jacob as they race to solve the mystery. This middle-grade ghost story examines themes of friendship, responsibility, and what it means to be caught between two worlds. The haunted setting serves as a backdrop for deeper questions about life, death, and the bonds that connect us.

👀 Reviews

Readers describe this middle-grade ghost story as fast-paced and spooky while remaining age-appropriate. Many note it works well as a standalone despite being book 2 in the series. Readers appreciated: - The Paris setting and incorporation of catacombs - Character development of protagonist Cassidy - Educational elements about French history - The friendship between Cassidy and Jacob - Short chapters that maintain momentum Common critiques: - Less complex plot than book 1 - Some found the ghost story predictable - Several readers wanted more development of side characters Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (6,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (380+ ratings) Book Riot readers rated it among top middle-grade ghost stories of 2019 Sample reader comment: "Perfect balance of creepy and emotional - my 10-year-old was scared but couldn't put it down." - Goodreads reviewer "The Paris setting adds layers to the ghost hunting premise" - Amazon reviewer

📚 Similar books

City of Ghosts by Katherine Woodfine A young girl hunts ghosts through London with her ghost best friend while learning about a dangerous spirit who threatens her family.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman An orphan boy grows up in a graveyard raised by ghosts and learns to navigate both the world of the dead and the living.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden A middle school student faces supernatural forces and evil spirits during a field trip gone wrong that turns into a fight for survival.

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega A girl uses her grandmother's ghost-hunting methods to save her town from malevolent spirits during Day of the Dead.

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown A student uncovers the history of a segregated cemetery and must help the ghost of a young girl find peace while confronting past injustices.

🤔 Interesting facts

🗼 The book takes place in Paris, France, specifically in the famous Catacombs beneath the city, which hold the remains of more than six million people. 👻 This is the second book in the "City of Ghosts" series, following protagonist Cassidy Blake, who gained the ability to see ghosts after a near-death experience. ✍️ Victoria "V.E." Schwab wrote this middle-grade series while also maintaining successful careers writing both young adult and adult fantasy novels under slightly different pen names. 📺 The series was partially inspired by ghost-hunting TV shows, as the main character's parents are paranormal investigators who host their own ghost-hunting television program. 🎭 The ghost in this story is a young boy named Felix Fayette who died in a fire at the Théâtre des Célestins, and his presence threatens to unleash dangerous poltergeist activity across Paris.