Dial a Ghost

Eva Ibbotson writes excellent fantasy for the eight-to-ten age range. Her books have been read and enjoyed for over two decades but remain as timeless and child-friendly as ever. Set mainly in the late 20th century in the north of England, Dial a Ghost also has characters from the Victorian era and World War II and includes relevant historical details. Ten-year old Oliver is dismayed to find he has inherited Helton Hall, the dilapidated ancestral home of the Snodde-Brittles. His scheming relatives, who scare Oliver with nightly ghost stories, remove him from the loving environment of an orphanage. Oliver's Uncle Fulton asks Dial a Ghost, an agency for people who want to adopt a ghost, to send some vicious, gory phantoms to Helton Hall, and the Victorian ghosts of Sir Pelham and Lady Sabrina de Bone, a most nasty, foul-mouthed pair, are selected. Meanwhile a family of really friendly ghosts is to be dispatched to Latchford Abbey, a convent with some ruins in need of haunting. Destinations are accidentally switched and the plot to frighten Oliver to death goes wrong with hilarious consequences as the Wilkinson family of ghosts join Oliver in the thwarting of his Uncle Fulton. The climax of the story has suspense, danger and treachery but right eventually triumphs. Spooky tales are always popular with young readers, and Eva Ibbotson strikes the right balance of ghastliness and gore versus family comforts. The evil-doers are vanquished and the downtrodden survive and prosper. With colourful characters, situations both comic and chaotic and fast-paced narratives, her books are excellent value. (Kirkus UK)