The Visitors
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.
As the visitors investigate a mystery of their own for a podcast for a school project, the boy’s long-buried memories begin to shake loose. He wonders if maybe they could help him uncover the dark secrets of his past in hopes of finding 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.
Publication date: February 1, 2022 (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers)
ISBN 9780593111888 | Middle Grade (10 and up) | 256 pages
“Despite the challenging subject matter, this is a hopeful and affirming book with a sympathetic, relatable main character. Atmospheric and yes, challenging, The Visitors is ultimately a story of hope and redemption.” - Chapter 16
“…the story is smoothly written, the characters are appealing, and some surprises keep the plot percolating. A ghost story of substance.” – Booklist
“…innovative use of perspective, and the truly creepy haunting elements. An atmospheric reckoning with the past and present, heavy but rewarding.” - Kirkus Reviews
“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.” - Mombian
"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”
“Greg Howard is a force to be reckoned with in queer middle-grade and I can’t recommend this book enough!” - James Brandon, author of “The Edge of Being” and “Ziggy, Stardust and Me”
“Greg Howard is writing some of the best middle-grade fiction out there and I can’t say enough good things. Grab this one!” - Jeff Zentner, William C. Morris award-winning author of “In The Wild Light” and “The Serpent King”
“Beautiful, bracing, heartbreaking, and uplifting in equal measure. Not to mention deliciously creepy. Just wow.” - Roshani Chokshi, NYT best-selling author of “The Gilded Wolves” and “Aru Shah and The End of Time”
“Greg Howard manages to hold some haunted places to the light in his new novel and examine them through the eyes of thoughtful, vibrant young characters. Gorgeous southern storytelling.” – Natalie Lloyd, New York Times best-selling author of “A Snicker of Magic” and “Hummingbird”
“A haunting story of friendship, identity, self-worth, and finding your inner peace.” - Kids Bookshelf
