Collins Big Cat - The Grey Ghost: Band 18/Pearl

Jane Grey comes from a rich and powerful family in Tudor England. She loves stories about ghosts and legends, and dreams about excitement and danger. But when a hunt is arranged at Bradgate House and Jane meets the mysterious White Deer and the ghost boy for herself, will she regret what she wished for?

Pearl/Band 18 books offer fluent readers a complex, substantial text with challenging themes to facilitate sustained comprehension, bridging the gap between a reading programme and longer chapter books.

A reader response page provides lots of opportunities for speaking and listening and scaffolding writing.

Text type: A story with a historical setting

Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities

Stuart Hill left school with few qualifications and went to work in a small car factory where mice made a home in the bags of sugar meant for our tea at break time. It was also so cold in the winter the water in the kettle froze solid. This made Stuart determined to make his escape, and at the age of twenty-two he went to college and took the O Levels and A Levels he should have taken when he was still at school. After this Stuart worked as an archaeologist and eventually went to university where he took a combined Honours Degree in English and Ancient History. Later Stuart worked as a bookseller in Waterstones bookshop, and it was here during coffee breaks and on days off that he wrote his first published book. He'll be forever grateful to my colleagues for reading it and then encouraging me to send the manuscript to publishers. The Grey Ghost was an ideal story for Stuart because it combines his love of history and the fascination with the supernatural that he has had since a very young boy.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.

Collins Big Cat is a whole-school reading programme that provides complete support for primary reading. Children will become fluent readers through hundreds of high-quality fiction and non-fiction banded books by award-winning authors and illustrators. In-depth teaching resources support you in developing and assessing key reading skills at all stages from early reading through to phonics, to guided, whole-class and independent reading for more confident readers.