Other editions of book Ghost in the Noonday Sun

"The wind is howling and through the door comes Captain Scratch, a villain if I ever saw one." So begins the adventures of Young Oliver Finch, born at the stroke of midnight. "Aye, there's a wondrous power in it," says Captain Scratch, believing that the midnight-born can spy out ghosts. Shanghaied aboard the captain's ship, Bloody Hand, Oliver sails the high seas in pursuit of the ghost of Gentleman Jack, who paces his grave where pirate treasure lies buried. "You'll be me eyes, boy!" Once Oliver spots the vaporous gent, Captain Scratch and his crew of cutthroats will know where to dig for the long-lost treasure. Oliver is determined to outfox the crafty captain despite a shipwreck, the night of the dredgies when sea ghosts climb aboard, and "other events too horrible to mention." It's a tale of treachery, intrigue, and suspense, written with gusto by the Newbery Medalist."The wind is howling and through the door comes Captain Scratch, a villain if I ever saw one."So begins the adventures of young Oliver Finch, born at the stroke of midnight. "Aye, there's a wonderous power in it," says Captain Scratch, believing that the midnght-born can spy out ghosts.Shanghaied aboard the captain's ship, Bloody Hand, Oliver sails the high seas in pursuit of the ghost of Gentleman Jack, who paces his grave where pirate treasure lies buried. "You'll be me eyes, boy!" Once Oliver spots the vaporous gent, Captain Scratch and his crew of cutthroats will know where to dig for the long-lost treasure.Oliver is determined to outfox the crafty captin despite a shipwreck, the night of the dredgies when sea ghosts climb aboard, and "other events too horrible to mention." It's a tale of treachery, intrigue, and suspense, written with gusto by the Newberry Medalist.

So begin the adventures of young Oliver Finch, born at the stroke of midnight. Believing that Oliver can spy out ghosts, Captain Scratch kidnaps him, bringing him aboard the notorious pirate vessel Bloody Hand. The ship sails the high seas in pursuit of the ghost of Gentleman Jack, who paces his grave where the pirate treasure lies buried. A despicable pirate captain, a mutinous crew, a band of sly sea ghosts—Oliver is determined to outfox them all and get safely home. It's a tale of treachery, intrigue, and suspense!

“The hair stood up on my neck. I was to be marooned! Left to perish like Jack o’Lantern! I felt the anger in my eyes like sparks. Was there ever such a double-faced scoundrel as Captain Scratch? I’d gladly see him hung in chains! He meant to trick me, did he? Not if I kept my wits about me. That ghost wasn’t spied out yet. That treasure wasn’t dug up, either. I was one against them all …” —from The Ghost in the Noonday Sun Oliver Finch has waited three long years for his father’s whaling ship, the Capricorn, to sail boldly into harbor. Although he’s just turned twelve, Oliver has sea salt in his blood. He can’t wait for the day when he will join his father and leave childhood far behind. Oliver gets his wish soon enough, but not in the way he’d hoped, when a scurvy captain named Scratch shanghais him aboard the Sweet Molly, known to its villainous crew by another name, the Bloody Hand. Far from Nantucket, and powerless to escape his captor’s determined grasp, Oliver wonders if he will ever see his home again.