Widmo z Głogowego Wzgórza

by Edward Fenton, Irena Tuwim (Translator), Bartłomiej Biesiekirski (Illustrator)

Z humorem napisana powieść "kryminalna" dla młodzieży. Bohaterem i narratorem jest chłopiec, który wraz z dwójką swoich kuzynów odkrywa tajemnicę starego domu. Jest "widmo" ukazujące się w oknie, jest dziwny zdziczały pies i jest ukryty w oryginalnym miejscu testament samotnej starszej pani, poprzedniej właścicielki tytułowego Głogowego Wzgórza.

Genres: Middle Grade

172 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Edward Fenton is the author of many books for young readers, including The Phantom of Walkway Hill, which won the Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery of its year. His three translations of the Greek write Alki Zei have all received the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for outstanding books translated from a foreign language. In addition, his poems and stories have appeared in several magazines, among them The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Cricket, and The Horn Book.

Mr. Fenton was born in New York City, but is "Greek by adoption." he and his wife, Sophia Havarti, a well-known educator and child psychologist, live in Athens and in Galixidi, an old sea captain's village on the coast near Delphi.

Reviews

[David Ivester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid when I would read anything that had a mysterious title. I absolutely loved it, forgot about it for 40 years, then remembered that the word "Phantom" was in the title. After some creative Googling, I found it again, and it was almost exactly as I remembered it. I love this book even as an adult. I have learned that the books for which I have a sentimental liking are not really very appealing to adults who were not exposed to them as children. Thus I never talk up Sea View Secret or the Mushroom Planet books or Rusty's Space Ship, or the City Under the Back Steps or the other books I loved as a kid, but I love them just the same. And I love this book. There you go.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a favorite of mine as a child, haven't reread it for many a moon. Actually I never owned it, used to check it out at the library but recently spotted a used copy and realized I had forgotten about it. I can see why I liked it, some nice suspense, interesting characters and atmospheric setting.

[Randall Ailes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember being in 4th grade when my teacher (Mrs. Walters) Read this to the class. She also read Charlotte's Web and City Beneath the Steps, so it was in pretty high company. I think a measure of a book is among other things, if it was memorable. It was read to me in 1961. I remembered it all the way to 2021. 60 years and I could still remember two names (Mrs MacMinnies, and Barney Rudkin) from it an a good deal of the plot. Another measure of a good book is, were you changed by it in some way. I was. In the story, Uncle Oliver was an author. I started writing after listening to the book being read. It was written during a different time (the late nineteen fifties) and reflects certainly some of the feel of those years. There is a certain charm and atmosphere in this book. It held my interest and can still be a page turner after all these years. Edward Fenton is gone now but also is here through his books, especially I think, this one. It took several awards. So, I read it again after 60 years and for an all too short amount of time, I found the 4th grader who was me. I could have read it in a day, I sipped it for a week. Thankyou Edward Fenton for your magic.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started to read this book twice when I was a pre-teen back in the '70s. It was stacked in the Teen section, and I felt older reading it. However, I never finished it, which was unusual for me. After decades passed, I was curious about the book, and I forgot its name. Using the "What's the name of that book?" on this platform, someone helped me track down the book's name based on a few chapter names.

Re-reading as an adult, I see why I was attracted to this book. It has all the elements a young boy would like: adventure, suspense, and mystery. The dialogue is a bit stiff, and I suspect the story moved along too slowly for me at that time. Thus, I would only get about halfway through and then return the book. Compared to today's YA standards, the plot is straightforward and almost benign in suspenseful parts. The characters are all a bit exaggerated as well.

Any Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew mystery would probably stand up better than this book over time, but I did get a lot of satisfaction from finishing a book I had started to read as a boy in my childhood home.

[Jess Cantrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kind of story couldn't happen today. People don't get truly snowbound anymore since global temperatures have been rising, single-income families with three kids and a dog can't afford housekeepers or the house to keep, and the idea of phone lines getting cut is almost laughable in post-landline America, which I find interesting through a historical and anthropological lens. Definitely a product of the 60s with its language (mostly outdated terms, some offensive), but otherwise I think it's good entertainment for kids.

I like James' narration, and the supporting cast and plot are pretty solid, if rather simplified and predictable due to its younger target audience. I read a lot of fiction from this era as a kid, and I can see how it influenced my own writing, as well as the types of male protagonists I like to read and write.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was in 4th Grade, loved it, and wanted my own copy. When I couldn't find it anywhere, I wrote to the publishers and got a nice response. Ultimately, I sent them money for the book and got my own copy (very exciting as a 4th grader). It's been on our shelves ever since, and just this past week I decided to give it another read. Forty years or more later, I still love it. Good story line, fun characters, a "mystery" to solve (!), and a satisfying ending. What more could you want? I'll keep it forever. It's still a great story. Good job, Mr. Fenton! And excellent illustrations, Miss Stover (yes, she was "Miss" back then)!

[Noemi Modnicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jedna z ukochanych książek dzieciństwa przypomniana po latach! Polecam :)

[Dominika · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute story - an old house covered with snow, a group of really nice children, two dogs and a mystery; a bit old-fashioned, but I enjoyed it a lot.

[darkblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5