Tomes of Spellcasting--The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: The Ghost of Thomas Kempe
Author: Penelope Lively
Publisher: Berkley/Pacer Grouop
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1973

James Harrison is your average boy with an average life: he has two parents, who always suspect him of the worst, and an older sister who almost always finds a way to get him into trouble with his parents. On the other hand, he isn't quite as average as all that, because he just happens to have a ghost haunting him. This particular ghost has this irritating way of getting James into trouble even when he's nowhere near the trouble spot, simply by leaving annoyingly indicative messages in plain sight, complete with archaic spellings which makes everyone think that the whole thing is the work of a boy exercising his creativity. Will James be able to get rid of the ghost before his reputation becomes firmly entrenched in the mud?

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe isn't your usual fantasy novel. If anything, you might think it falls more in line with horror, seeing as how there's a ghost involved. To my mind, though, it's much too light-hearted to earn such a classification. No, while this novel doesn't contain so many fantastic elements as it does fanciful ones, it is definitely closer to fantasy than horror.

One part of the novel which I especially like is the way James manages to find a companion of sorts through a diary he unearths from the debris of his home's--and in particular his room's--renovation. It is, I admit, somewhat unsettling to see how completely he becomes immersed with the people mentioned in the diary; on the other hand, given how "outside" of the rest of his local society he is--especially since his own family doesn't believe him when he claims to be innocent of wrong-doing, or most of it anyhow--the diary provides him with the kind of comfort he needs to keep pressing on in his endeavors.

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe may seem like it's for younger readers, and it may very well be so, but that doesn't mean older readers won't enjoy it as well. It's well-written and interesting, so just give it a chance and see how it goes. After all, don't we do that with every book we read?

Rating: Thumbs up! An unhappy ghost, a twentieth-century boy, and a largely disbelieving populace do not mix...except in a great novel!

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