The Night Train: A Spooky Good Read

Betsy Kerekes reviews a novel for middle-grade readers by Catholic Mom author Lorelei Savaryn.

The Night Train

by Lorelei Savaryn
Viking Books for Young Readers, releases August 20, 2024 (preorders available now)

Adventuring into a new genre with my family

As is our family tradition, once the youngest is in bed, I read to the rest of the family: husband and three teenage daughters. We interrupted the series we were in the middle of to try out something new: a horror story.

The Night Train is not our usual fare, but it did not disappoint.

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Twin sisters Nat and Maddie, soon to be thirteen, inherit an unusual skill from their late grandmother: the ability to see ghosts. Before long, they realize they need to use this newfound talent to help ghosts “move on.”

Soon they find themselves face to face with a ghost stuck in the present for over a hundred years. It’s up to the girls to unravel a mystery that will free not only this ghost, but those of other children forever aboard “the night train.”

The stakes are raised even higher as the story unfolds, and their timeclock to solve the mystery is literally ticking.

I must give the author credit for keeping this older, one would hope arguably savvier audience, guessing. We even found ourselves discussing the book at the dinner table on more than one occasion, trying to work out how things would unfold.

Safe to say, this book is entertaining even for older readers. But unless your younger children are already into the scary book genre, proceed with caution. A couple of scenes were creepy even for me. My 14-year-old was the only other one willing to admit getting heebie-jeebies in a few places, but nothing was truly nightmare-inducing.

Sneaking Catholicism into a book by a mainstream publisher

One side character is unabashedly Catholic, mentioning Mass, Purgatory, his deacon and priest, All Soul’s Day, and praying for the dead. There is even, though not explicitly stated, an exorcism.

One of my daughters commented, “Wow. Talking about Catholic stuff in a non-derogatory way. That’s refreshing.” Well done, Lorelei Savaryn, for sneaking a positive view of Catholicism into secular media.

So long as your children are okay with ghost stories, and if you enjoy mysteries, I highly recommend The Night Train.

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

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