Ghost Knight - by Cornelia Funke

Eleven-year-old Jon is annoyed that his mom has a new boyfriend, "The Beard," even though his dad has been gone for ages.  When his nasty pranks on his mom's mate get too wild, he is sent away to an English boarding school on the grounds of an extremely old and creepy Gothic cathedral.  His sour mood at being sent away does not improve when he discovers that a collection of ancient ghosts want him dead, and all because of something one of his ancestors did.  What would you do if you were alone in a new school, getting chased by bloodthirsy ghosts?  Well, Jon found a girlfriend.

While this is not a love story (it's more of a fast-paced action suspense knights and ghosts and sneaking around doing things you're not supposed to story), Will's relationship with the mysterious and brave Ella not only makes his classmates jealous, but helps him to find the solution to his problem.  Before long, there are ghost battles, searches for long-lost hearts (literally), demon dogs, a guy who shaves his beard and turns out to be someone other than who we thought he was, and some really boring teachers.  It's a magical, mystical gallop through an old English cathedral with a cast of characters you won't soon forget.

Note:  Like all of Ms. Funke's (pronounced FOON-ka) books, this was written in German and translated.  A book about an English boy, written in German, and published in America.  Hey, it works.