The Visitors

Description

From the author of The Whispers comes a heartrending tale of friendship, hard-won truths, and the healing power of forgiveness. A lonely twelve-year-old boy spends his days "stuck" at the deserted Hollow Pines Plantation in Georgetown, South Carolina with no recollection of his name, how long he's been there, and no idea how to leave. Things never change much for the lost souls at Hollow Pines and time is strange when you're dead. But when visitors from the living world arrive for the first time in a long while, the boy feels a spark of hope. These visitors are around his age, and they seem to understand more than others that the plantation is not just spooky or eerie, it's a sad place where the unspeakable happened again and again. And if these kids could understand the truth about Hollow Pines, maybe they could help him uncover the dark secrets of his past and help him find a way to finally move on. But Hollow Pines doesn't like visitors. And with a malevolent spirit lurking in the shadows and painful memories buried deep, and for good reason, the boy wonders if he'll ever find his way home or be stuck at Hollow Pines forever.

Born and raised in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Greg Howard's love of words and story blossomed at a young age. Originally set on becoming a famous songwriter and following that dream to the bright lights of Nashville, Tennessee, Greg spent years producing the music of others before eventually returning to his childhood passion of writing stories. Greg writes young adult and middle grade novels focusing on LGBTQ characters and issues. He has an unhealthy obsession with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and currently resides in Nashville with his three rescued fur babies-Molly, Toby, and Riley.

Praise for The Visitors: "Beautiful, bracing, heartbreaking, and uplifting in equal measure. Not to mention deliciously creepy. Just wow." -Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves and Aru Shah and The End of Time "Howard's intriguing novel . . . is smoothly written, the characters are appealing, and some surprises keep the plot percolating. A ghost story of substance." -Booklist "Howard's fourth novel is ambitious in form and quite successful in that regard; the perspective shifts between the first-person ghost in the present day and a third-person story about a White boy named Will Perkins, bullied for his same-sex attraction by his father, former best friend, and other classmates. There's a bit of mystery about who the narrator is as well as an interesting-and heartbreaking-twist. . . An atmospheric reckoning with the past and present, heavy but rewarding." -Kirkus Reviews "Greg Howard's latest book, The Visitors, truly has something for every reader: a haunting ghost story, a decades old mystery, a bit of history, and characters-both living and dead-you root for. An important page-turner!" -Bobbie Pyron, author of Stay and A Pup Called Trouble "Author Greg Howard deals compassionately with tough issues like racism, homophobia, and bias, both individual and systemic, but manages to avoid preachiness and weave lessons from both history and today into a compelling, atmospheric, and original tale. . . While the story deals with intense issues, the ending offers an uplift of hope." -Mombian Praise for The Whispers: A 2022 Garden State Book Award Nominee A 2020 Edgar Award Nominee A 2020 Wisconsin State Just One More Page List Pick "This taut, moving tale delves beyond loss into issues of sexuality, conformity and self-acceptance...a masterful exploration into the power of storytelling but also its dangers, including self-denial and escapism." -The New York Times Book Review "A dreamy novel recalling Bridge to Terabithia." -Entertainment Weekly "This is a story of a boy coming to grips with heartbreak and trying to understand why he is the way he is, who must learn to discern what is real, and who discovers redemption." -School Library Connection, starred review Praise for Middle School's A Drag, You Better Werk!: "This fun, funny, and heartfelt novel will leave you feeling hopeful and triumphant!" -Donna Gephart, award-winning author of Lily and Dunkin, In Your Shoes, and The Paris Project "A funny, fabulous, and ultimately life-affirming story that will uplift and entertain young readers from many different backgrounds. So, should you check this one out? Mikey says, yas queen!" -Booklist "A heartwarming story perfect for fans of Tim Federle's Better Nate Than Ever." -School Library Journal