Here Lies a Ghost

By: Shakirah Bourne

Narrated by: Damian Thompson, Brandon Miles

India Hill Brown meets Sharon Draper in a spooky, poignant, tour-de-force from Shakirah Bourne—an ode to Black Boy friendships, the richness of Caribbean history, and the power that comes from reclaiming your past.

Jermaine is NOT destined to be popular at his new elite school. First, he's the poorest kid in class—no phone, no cool sneakers, no chance. Second, he loves science and can't keep himself from gushing about geology. But after being bullied at his old school, he's desperate for the status and protection that comes from joining the "Turbo Jets"... even if that means abandoning Brody, a fellow outsider who truly wants to be Jermaine's friend.

As part of a hazing ritual, the Turbo Jets dare Jermaine to break into the notorious "haunted Chase Vault"—the crypt that once housed one of the cruelest enslavers in Barbados and his family. Then they lock him inside as a "joke."

Luckily, Jermaine makes it out unscathed. There's just one problem.

Someone else left the crypt with him.

Someone desperate to learn how she died... and get her revenge.

Jermaine is relieved someone else can see the ghost: his ex-best friend Brody. But freeing her won't be easy. It means ditching the Turbo Jets, teaming up with Brody, and unearthing ugly secrets from the island's colonial past. Will Jermaine really risk everything to help the suffering spirit find peace?

©2026 Shakirah Bourne (P)2026 Scholastic Audio Books