Alex and his grandfather are ghosts. They've been dead for over 150 years. And they've been haunting Halibut Hall for just as long. Not much happens at Halibut Hall. So when they win a holiday to stay at Moonbalm Hotel - occupied half by the living and half by the dead - for the first time in years they are, well, dumbfounded. Moonbalm Hotel is full of the most extraordinary ghosts - from clowns to ancient Roman warriors. However it's not these strange figures from the dead that spark Alex's suspicions but two surly characters from the living. And its not long before he has uncovered their plot to steal the long-guarded Moonbalm Treasure. He has to do something but with his grandfather busily falling in love and the only person vaguely his age a girl from the living, will he be able to find the resources to retrieve the treasure and return it to its rightful owner?

'While being full of action, this is much better than the usual, knockabout pirate stuff, with good dialogue and elegant, restrained prose ... exemplary early reading material.' Daily Telegraph (on Violet and the Mean and Rotten Pirates) 'There's plenty of humour in this well-paced adventure tale.' Anne Johnstone, Glasgow Herald (on Violet and the Mean and Rotten Pirates) 'This is packed with colloquial dialogue, which creates colourful characters and a speedy pace, and lots of lively illustrations.' Junior Magazine (on Violet and the Mean and Rotten Pirates)

Richard Hamilton is the author of a number of picture books as well as writing young fiction for children. In conjunction with writing books, Richard works at the BBC, running its location library. He also works part-time writing and abridging stories for BBC Radio 4. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters. Sam Hearn received a BA Hons in Illustration from Kingston University. He divides his time between working as a bookseller at the Lion and Unicorn in Richmond and illustrating children's books. This is Sam's third book for Bloomsbury.