The Ghost of Thomas Kempe - Penelope Lively

I haven't read Penelope Lively's The Ghost of Thomas Kempe (which apparently won the Carnegie Medal in 1973) for about 30 years, but when I spotted it in the library recently, I didn't hesitate to borrow it and I was pleased to see it has hardly dated at all.

10 year old James Harrison and his family have recently moved to a cottage in a small Oxfordshire village. They find themselves dealing with a series of domestic disasters and his parents and older sister assume that James is causing the problems. However, after finding some notes, James discovers that he is being haunted by the ghost of a 17th century sorcerer who believes James is his new apprentice, but no one will believe James. When the ghost starts causing havoc in the village as well, however, things become more serious and James decides, following a change remark from the old lady who lives opposite them, to enlist the help of a local builder in order to attempt an exorcism.


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I've finally got around to watching the Because of Winn-Dixie movie this afternoon - and I quite enjoyed it, although not quite as much as I enjoy reading the book. It was nice to see AnnaSophia Robb playing someone less obnoxious than Violet Beauregarde in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie !

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The second chapter of Mortal Ghost is online and things are starting to get rather interesting !