The Red-Eared Ghosts

by Vivien Alcock

Mary Frewin tried to act and look like any other child, but what kept her separated from her classmates was that she could see ghosts -- red-eared ghosts. Recently two of those forms -- a thin man and his large wolflike dog -- seemed particularly interested in young Mary Frewin.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Ghosts

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 1997

About the author

Born September 23, 1924, in Worthing, Sussex, England; died October 11, 2003, in London, England. Author. Alcock was a bestselling author of mystery and fantasy fiction for young adults. Her early training and career, however, was in commercial art, and she attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Arts from 1940 to 1942. She left school to become an ambulance driver for the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II; after the war, she held several different jobs, including as an artist for the duplicating firm Gestetner Ltd. from 1947 to 1953. This was followed by three years as an employment bureau manager; and from 1956 to 1964 Alcock worked as a secretary for Whiltington Hospital in London. Although she had enjoyed storytelling and novels since she was a child, Alcock was shy about trying to be a published author and was content to stay in the background behind her famous author husband, Leon Garfield. However, she did occasionally give him ideas for his books, such as the popular Smith stories. It was not until 1980, therefore, that she finally published her first novel for teenagers, The Haunting of Cassie Palmer. Alcock continued writing fantasies, ghost stories, and mysteries through 2001, many of which proved popular with teens and some of which were adapted to television as movies and series. She published almost two dozen books in all, including Travelers by Night (1983), The Cuckoo Sister (1985), The Monster Garden (1988), A Kind of Thief (1992), Time Wreck (1996), A Gift on a String (1998), Ticket to Heaven (2000), and her last book, The Boy Who Swallowed a Ghost (2001). Several of her novels were named notable books by the American Library Association (ALA), and The Monster Garden was named the best science fiction/fantasy book of 1988 by the ALA.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 1 out of 5]

A time fantasy that begins as a horror book, has the middle of a sci-fi story, and ends as a fuzzy family tale.

[Mir]

The red ears sound familiar...

[Taimi Värva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mul on koduriiulitel liiga palju lugemata raamatuid, lastekaid sealjuures muidugi samuti. Loetud raamatute kaalukausi allapoole saamiseks haarasin täiesti suvalise pihku, nii need punaste kõrvadega vaimud mul sinna sattusidki. Ja oh sa poiss, uskumatult põnev lugu.
Nooruke õpetaja preili Timpson on veendunud, et igal inimesel on mingi anne. Isegi sellel vaiksel kummalisel punapeal Mary Frewinil, kes oskab öelda vaid "Jah, preili", "Ei, preili".

Maryl ongi anne, ta näeb vaime. Mitte traditsioonilisi hõljuvaid kummitusi, vaid jupiti inimesi - käsi, päid, poolikuid kehi, kuidas kunagi.
Muidugi hakkab isegi preili Timpson kahtlema Mary vaimses tervises ja räägib murest tuttavale meesõpetajale Edwardile, kellega koos nad püüavad tüdrukut aidata.

Mary emal on päranduseks saadud raamat tema vanavanaemast, Mary Coramist, kuid see tundub emale lapse heaolu silmas pidades ohtlik ja ta viib selle antikvariaati. Sealt satub raamat juhtumisi....
Ja seiklused saavad alguse.

Rohkem ei spoilerda, loe ise!
Iseloomuga tegelased ja põnev vaatenurk. Mõne tegelase vajalikkus jäi küll kahtlaseks, aga eks statistid tahavad ka tööd saada 😊. Ning ei saa mainimata jätta ka väga head tõlget.

[Kaleido · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a child in grade school it was one my favorites I held very dear, at some point the schools library got rid of it and I hadn't been able to read it for a long time. I recently checked it out from a local library and have been reading it. It's an even better read than the first time. Enchanting world with a plot that continues to thicken. Not much of a novel for action but the mental stimulation and challenges the main character (Mary Frewin) faces are tantalizing. The main character is not much older than 12 and goes through things no one else can fathom. I love coming into this world that has been so beautifully described and written. :)

[Adaline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book terrified me as a child. I'm still creeped out by it

[Larinmtz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, but not one that I particularly enjoyed, either. I didn't connect with the main character very much. The plot was interesting and was paced well, but didn't involve a strong sense of purpose, peril, or compelling problem to solve.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for books I read and loved growing up. I remember reading this multiple times in middle school and loving it so I picked it up for a re-read. A nice, short novel about different worlds.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember really loving this book when I first read it and reading it multiple times.

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary has seen ghosts since she was a baby and after learning about her great-great-grandmother and stumbling through a time wreck near her home in London, she understands why.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story never "came alive" for me. A strong editing would make this a much better story.