James is a wonderfully drawn character, a rambunctious and mischievous yet history-loving and thoughtful boy who loves nothing more than to torment his sister. When he realizes that a portrait in his school of a portly old man with whiskers is the ten-year-old Arnold of the diary, he ponders the passage of time and the different people we become as we grow older. He finds a diary from the 1800s that tells the story of the last time Kempe ran amok in the cottage, and the characters from that time really come alive for James. What begins as a very straightforward and entertaining ghost story takes on a more thoughtful and moving tone as James researches the history of the house and town. James has got to find a way to put the ghost to rest before he does something really bad, and before James loses his allowance and dessert privileges forever. Even worse, Kempe begins meddling in the affairs of the townspeople, leaving scrawled messages everywhere and accusing a very nice old lady of being a witch. James’ parents, not believing in ghosts, naturally blame all the mayhem on James.
Kempe has decided that James will be his new apprentice and writes him bossy notes, besides slamming doors, thumping about, and breaking things to get attention. Somehow when the Harrisons moved into the old cottage and fixed up the ratty attic room for ten-year-old James, they disturbed an ancient ghost, a sorcerer from 300 years ago named Thomas Kempe. Next: Tom’s Midnight Garden is a very moving and unusual haunted house story, for medieval adventures you might try The Trumpeter of Kracow or Adam of the RoadĪlso by this author: The House in Norham Gardens, Astercote, A Stitch in Time, The Voyage of QV66 Interests: ghosts, history, magic, supernatural CARNEGIE MEDAL WINNER – 1973 The Ghost of Thomas Kempe
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