Ghost Knight


Ghost Knight is a children's novel written by the German author Cornelia Funke. It was first published under the German title Geisterritter in 2011. It was translated by Oliver Latsch from German to English and published in 2012. A theatrical adaptation of the novel was performed at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg in 2012.

Plot summary

The novel is narrated by 11-year-old Jon Whitcroft, who is sent against his will to boarding school in Salisbury after an unsuccessful campaign to get rid of his mother's boyfriend, whom he disdainfully calls "The Beard". Once at Salisbury Cathedral School, he finds, quite to his disappointment, it is not too bad.
On his sixth night he hears the snorting of horses and sees three riders on horseback – all transparent, with dark bruises and burned out eyes. None of the other boys can see them. The next evening, the ghosts reappear and chase Jon to the walls of the Cathedral. They call him "Hartgill" and promise to return and kill him.
Jon's desperate quest to find out why the ghosts are after him leads him to the mystery of a centuries-old murder. Meanwhile, he is still pursued by the vengeful ghosts, so with the help of a new friend, Ella, he summons a noble ghost – Sir William Longspee, the Ghost Knight of the title – to protect him. They finally uncover a complicated truth and right a grievous wrong.

Characters