PHANTOM EXPRESS

In Cameron’s paranormal middle-grade sequel, a group of kids in the early 20th century accompany their parents on an archaeological expedition to look for artifacts from a 30-year-old train wreck.

Back in 1883, the Dakota & Western Express train would stop twice monthly in Danford, North Dakota, before crossing over a trestle bridge high above the Wakasica River. One night, Danford’s infamous Penny Ante Gang built a blockade on the bridge to stop the train and rob its passengers. The engineer failed to stop the locomotive, which collided with the blockade; the train fell from the bridge and exploded, killing more than 100 people. Although the Penny Ante Gang was caught and hanged, a rumor in Danford was that one member had gotten away. In 1917, an archeological team visits the site of the wreck to recover artifacts for the local museum. Some Danford residents claim to hear a ghost train passing through town every few days, which they call the Phantom Express. The team members’ five kids—Sadie and Scotty MacGregor, Laura Hall, Frederick Everett, and C.J. Kask—travel with their parents and visit the dried-out riverbed. Laura spots a gold watch on the bridge and falls into a strange trance; she goes out on the limb to retrieve the watch and almost falls to her death. The team also finds a woman’s purse, which contains a train ticket. Later that night, Laura sleepwalks to the train station; the other kids follow and make a major discovery. The kids must uncover the secrets of the watch and the ticket to stop the Phantom Express from haunting the town.

Cameron vividly describes the Phantom Express, its conductor, and passengers, and the surreal interactions that the children have with these elements of a past tragedy. As Laura draws the group deeper into the mystery, C.J. leads the group in their investigation. Why Laura is hypnotized by the watch is one of the story’s intriguing questions, and readers may not be satisfied by the fact that this part of the mystery isn’t resolved. The group and the locals tangle with the question of how a culprit should be brought to justice after so many years, and his involvement effectively connects the past with the present. At one point, C.J. publicly accuses the town mayor of horrible deeds, and the mayor explains the complexity of the issue at hand: “It was like a witch hunt…They wanted someone to hang.” A prominent character’s story turns out to be more complex than it first appears, as do their present motivations for their actions. Although the novel is straightforwardly plot-driven, it deals with the nuances of complex themes, such as capital punishment, how to honor the victims of a crime, and even the spirit world. Over the course of the narrative, the prose is fluid and enthralling, and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, which will make it a difficult book for young readers to put down.

An often engaging tale of five intrepid kids and a town that’s haunted by the past.