Gargoyle Hall by Angie Sage

Araminta Spook series, bk 6. Bloomsbury, 2014.
(Age: Junior novel) Themes: Ghost, Haunted houses, Boarding School, Families
Araminta Spook lives in Spook House with her Aunt Tabby, Uncle Drac, Wanda Wizzard her best friend and a house of crazy characters. She is honing her detective skills and is on the hunt for mysteries to solve at home. When her uncle returns from a holiday in Transylvania, he brings back an unusual souvenir and barricades his bats in the bat turret. Minty has fun collecting and building spider pyramids, however, her mission is to solve all of the mysteries going on at home.  Trouble abounds when Araminta's around!
Unfortunately Araminta's final act of helpfulness results in her being bundled off to boarding school on the weekend.  Gargoyle Hall lives up to its name, there are strange night noises, chains that clank and two creepy head girls who are up to no good. Araminta seems to be the only student, until she discovers a friendly surprise in her trunk.
Annie Sage's enjoyable quirky characters and spooky settings all add up to make this another fun junior novel. John Kelly's dark sketches and spider web embellishments add atmosphere to the story.
Rhyllis Bignell