Funny, gruesome and scary, with the great setting of a funeral parlour, this is an action packed adventure full of the darker and dirtier details of life in Victorian London. Sam’s father buries the dead which maybe why they find it so easy to get in touch with Sam. But something has gone badly wrong with the the trip from one side of the world to the other. A deadly virus is trapping ghosts in the world of the living. Sam has to use all his powers to sort the muddle out.
Gareth's written a spooky song to go along with his book, and you can listen exclusively to it here.
Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour. While his dad buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention. Trouble is afoot on the 'otherside' - there is a horrible disease that is mysteriously imprisoning ghosts into empty houses in the world of the living. And Sam is caught in the middle.
Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour. While his dad buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention.
Trouble is afoot on the 'otherside' - there is a horrible disease that is mysteriously imprisoning ghosts into empty houses in the world of the living. And Sam is caught in the middle.
'An extraordinarily witty story that accurately depicts the lives of the dead and compellingly describes the death of the living.' The Ghost of Oscar Wilde
'As with its London setting, this book contains all that life can afford and all that death will allow. I thoroughly recommend it to all readers. the living and the dead alike.' The Ghost of Dr Johnson
'There were many moments during the reading of Mr Jones' thrilling talw that I would undoubtedly have held my breath with excitement had there been any breath in my lungs to hold.' The Ghost of Mary Shelley
'I wish I had written this story.' The Ghost of Charles Dickens
And if you want to know what the ghosts of Sir rthur Conan Doyle, Emily Bronte, Henry James, Jane Austen, Samuel Pepys and Edgar Allan Poe thought about it, you'll have to get the book!
Author
About Gareth P. Jones
Gareth first started writing when he was very young but it wasn’t until he was in his early twenties that he completed his first novel. Having had it universally rejected, he wrote a novel for children called Who Killed Charlie Twig, which received an equally unimpressed reception and remains rightly unpublished to this day. Some years passed during which Gareth met his future wife, Lisa and began a career in TV. Working on shows such as 'The Big Breakfast' and 'Richard & Judy', he became side-tracked from his book writing ambitions until one day he found himself having lunch at the offices of Bloomsbury. He mentioned the unpublished book to a nice lady called Sarah, who politely suggested that he should send in the first three chapters for her to look at. Gareth returned home and excitedly told his wife this news, who gently explained that the book he had written actually wasn’t very good, but reminded him that he had recently begun work on a much better idea. This turned out to be good advice.
In 2007 Bloomsbury published the first of four books in the series The Dragon Detective Agency and have since published The Thornthwaite Inheritance, Space Crime Conspiracy and The Considine Curse, for which he won the Blue Peter Book of the Year 2012. Gareth has also written a shorter story, Perry’s 5, published by Barrington Stoke and a series of books called Ninja Meerkats, published by Stripes.
The Case of the Missing Cats was nominated for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize. The Thornthwaite Inheritance has won the Hounslow Junior Book Award, the Calderdale Book Award, Leicester Children’s Book Award, Sefton Super Reads, Doncaster Book Award, Rotherham Children’s Book Award and Fantastic Book Award, Lancaster.
Gareth now divides his time between writing books, producing TV programmes, spending time with his wife and children, and playing the slightly ludicrous number of stringed instruments in his front room. He lives in Forest Hill, south east London.
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Frequently asked questions
Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour. While his dad buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Constable and Toop and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Constable and Toop features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Featured Books for 9+ readers
Paperback. Not Available.
Constable and Toop was written by Gareth P. Jones and published by Hot Key Books
Constable and Toop has 371 pages
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Funny, gruesome and scary, with the great setting of a funeral parlour, this is an action packed adventure full of the darker and dirtier details of life in Victorian London. Sam’s father buries the dead which maybe why they find it so easy to get in touch with Sam. But something has gone badly wrong with the the trip from one side of the world to the other. A deadly virus is trapping ghosts in the world of the living. Sam has to use all his powers to sort the muddle out.