Double O Stephen and the Ghostly Realm

Twelve-year-old Stephen Oh-O’Driscoll has an unusual name. His last name is a combination of his mother’s Korean name Oh hyphenated with his father’s name O’Driscoll. His classmates tease him relentlessly calling him Double O Stephen. His parents are divorced, and Stephen lives with his mother near the Riverside Docks where he admires the moored boat Blackbeard’s Vestige. He secretly wants to be a pirate. His favourite book is Treasure Island, and he enjoys playing pirate with his best friend Brandon. He even makes up a new definition for the word “pirate”. He uses the word “piventurates” to describe these “courageous explorers” and “bold adventurers”. One day, Stephen and Brandon are playing pirate at school with stick swords. By accident, Stephen chips Brandon’s two front teeth. He is suspended from school for three days!

His mother takes the suspension as an opportunity to further Stephen’s education. They visit the Museum of Cedar Coast where Stephen discovers a wax statue of Captain William J. Sapperton. Was he really a pirate as the placard says? Stephen cannot resist touching the brass nameplate engraved with William’s name. His getting a sudden jolt of energy from the contact begins a series of life-changing incidents.

After visiting the museum, Stephen’s mother takes him to see The Rail’s End Steam Clock, which is powered by a geothermal steam engine. When it chimes at noon, Stephen is accidentally bumped and somehow tumbles into the clock. He ends up in another world where he meets three ghosts: Abigail, Mrs. Morris and Captain Sapperton. He has found himself in The Midway, “the first stage in the realm of the dead.” (p. 74)

Sapperton is stuck in The Midway, waiting to gain freedom for his soul in The Great Sea. If he doesn’t transition soon, his soul will be lost and cursed forever in The Chasm. Stephen promises to help the Captain, but the first thing he must do is leave The Midway and return to his life in Cedar Coast. When he returns, he discovers several very shocking family secrets about his own spiritual powers as well as the complicated history of his family. His mother tells him that his family is involved in Korean mysticism and has “[a] kind of kinetic energy, to communicate with the spirits.” (p. 180) The rest of the journey involves more ghosts, pirates, and an exciting journey on a ghost ship.

Double O Stephen and the Ghostly Realm is a well-written novel about a brave young man who struggles to discover his true path in life. With a distracted mother and a father who is absent much of the time, Stephen finds comfort in his friends and his pirate ruminations. His quest to help the ghostly Captain Sapperton is exciting and shows that Stephen is determined, resourceful, enthusiastic, and courageous. He believes in helping others despite the danger.

Angela Ahn, who was a Governor General’s Literary Award Finalist in 2021 for Peter Lee’s Notes from the Field, has created an exciting and spooky novel. There are some leaps of logic for readers, but, overall, the storyline is fast-paced and intriguing. Her characters are well-crafted. The relationship between Stephen’s divorced parents is difficult, and Stephen finds himself caught in the middle. Brandon is hurt when the two friends play pirates, but he forgives Stephen and helps him rescue Captain Sapperton. This novel deals with many topics, including divorce, piracy, the afterlife, supernatural beings, friendship, empathy, family secrets, and Korean mysticism.

Ahn leaves readers with a memorable message about self-awareness, engagement, kindness and empathy: “If you’d taken some time to explore the world with a little more, shall we say, enthusiasm, you’d have found out that there is much more to see. But one must be willing to look.” (p. 282)