The Boy in the Attic

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Kai-ming, 7, and his parents have recently emigrated from a small
Chinese village to a large North American city. His new street is
thronged with children playing, but Kai-ming is trapped at home by his
shyness and inability to speak English. At the height of his loneliness,
he discovers there is someone else living in the attic of their house.
The stranger turns out to be the ghost of a young white boy who died
many years ago in the house. A magic butterfly enables Kai-ming and the
ghost to communicate and they soon become good friends. But just as
Kai-ming has finally forgotten his loneliness, his parents announce that
they are moving again.

This tale by award-winning author Paul Yee is a deftly crafted
exploration of the interconnected themes of change, loss, and recovery.
Because all of the main characters experience this process, Kai-ming and
even his ghost companion come to realize that change is inevitable and
that they all must move on in their own ways. Earth tones dominating the
high realism in Gu Xiong’s illustrations give an autumnal mood to the
story. Highly recommended.