The Haunting of Granite Falls
by Eva Ibbotson

If you have read any of her other books, you already know that Eva Ibbotson has a flair for turning nightmares into sparklingly witty, heartwarming stories. Wicked witches and wizards, fierce ghosts, evil adults plotting against innocent orphans, and gruesome monsters turn into objects of gentle irony, hilarious word-play, and outright absurdity. And some of them even turn out to have a heart of gold!

The ghosts in this story are no exception. They happily haunt a Scottish castle, until the laird of the keep – an 11-year-old orphan named Alex, who was practically raised by the ghosts – realizes that he has to sell the castle. Parting from Alex is hard enough, but now the ghosts have to find a new place to live. Snubbed by the upper-crust ghosts who haunt a nearby mansion, the Carra spooks return to their old home to find that it has been pulled down!

Surprise! The new owner of Carra Castle, a Texas oil magnate named Hiram C. Hopgood, has had Carra pulled down stone-by-stone, shipped to Texas, and reassembled there. He wants a safe place to live with his delicate daughter Helen – but he doesn’t want ghosts to frighten her. Nevertheless, when the ghosts find their way back to their old home, they aren’t the ones who give Helen the scare of her life. Leave that to a band of villains who are willing to rob, kidnap, and even do murder, to raise funds for a neo-Nazi political party.

By himself, poor Alex is no match for these thugs. But bring a family of faithful, Scottish spooks to Granite Falls, Texas, and then see what happens! I won’t say any more except that this is one of Ibbotson’s best stories, full of danger and excitement and silliness and love. It has some of her quirkiest characters, some of her wickedest spoofs (such as an audience at a film festival who can’t tell the difference between special effects and the real thing), and a very satisfying storyline. It also teaches one valuable lesson: it is not necessary to attempt to make a haggis when entertaining a guest from Scotland.

Robbie Fischer
Arizona USA

Recommended Age: 10+

10/16/2005

If you would like to contact Robbie, you may do so here.