The Haunting of Hiram

by Eva Ibbotson

"I will buy your castle," declared Hiram C. Hopgood. "But only if there are no ghosts!"

Alex MacBuff can't afford to keep his beloved Castle Carra, and an American millionaire has made him an offer he can't refuse. The castle is shipped all the way to Texas, but its ghostly inhabitants, including Krok the Viking warrior and a hell-hound called Cyril, follow their home across the Atlantic. How can Alex stop the haunting Hiram and also save the millionaire's daughter from an evil ransom plot?

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Ghosts, Young Adult, Paranormal

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Eva Ibbotson (Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner) was a novelist specializing in romance and children's fantasy.

She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler appeared, her family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, graduating with a diploma in education in 1965. Eva had intended to be a physiologist but was put off by animal testing. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. They have three sons and a daughter.

Eva began writing with the television drama “Linda Came Today” in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, “The Great Ghost Rescue”. Eva has written numerous books including “The Secret Of Platform 13”, “Journey To The River Sea”, “Which Witch?”, “Island Of The Aunts”, and “Dial-A-Ghost”. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for “Journey To The River Sea” and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature.

Her books are imaginative and humorous and most of them feature magical creatures and places, despite that she disliked thinking about them. She created the characters because she wanted to decrease her readers' fear of such things.

Some of the books, particularly “Journey To The River Sea”, reflect Eva's love of nature. Eva wrote this book in honour of her husband (who had died before), a naturalist. The book had been in her head for years.

Eva said she dislikes "financial greed and a lust for power" and often creates antagonists in her books who have these characteristics. Some have been struck by the similarity of “Platform 9 3/4” in J.K. Rowling's books to Eva's “The Secret Of Platform 13”, which came out three years before the first Harry Potter book.

Her love of Austria is evident in works such as “The Star Of Kazan” and “A Song For Summer”. These books, set in the Austrian countryside, display the author's love for all things natural.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Ibbotson’s ghoulish books. The ghosts were so endearing. Though Helen and Alex were a bit too perfect and grownup, I was surprised by the plot points and enjoyed all the delightful ghostly details.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another charmer from Eva Ibbotson. This time, a very young Scottish laird must sell his family's castle and the new owner is a Texan millionaire who wants the castle transported to his hometown for his ailing daughter to enjoy. He wants the whole dark Scottish castle atmosphere--except NO GHOSTS; he doesn't think his delicate daughter can handle being frightened. But, through an odd happenstance, the ghosts to make their way to Granite Falls, Texas--along with some sinister flesh-and-blood villains with designs on the millionaire's fortune; and Alex, the young laird, who helps Helen, the young Texan lass, realize there is more to her than her physical lameness.


Since I'd read The Great Ghost Rescue there were no real surprises here. The ghosts are all amusing and kind-hearted, with funny little quirks, and they get along well with the boy--so, nothing that "different" from GGR. Oh, but this time we have a Severed Hand, who features most prominently in some of the major plot twists, and I became surprisingly fond of him!!! What also I really enjoyed in this one is the friendship between Alex and Helen. Wonderful! And that the father was actually kind-hearted and very present in his daughter's life, even if he was a bit over-protective.

The villains are quite awful, especially the lead villain who named herself Adolpha after Adolph Hitler. She keeps some of his hair (at least, the shopkeeper assured her it was actually Hitler's!) in a locket around her neck, and she likes to stroke it and meditate on it. CREEPY to the max!!! BLEH! A few of the things she and her henchmen do are just a little too yucky for my taste and I think sensitive children could be very bothered, although the overall tone of the story is so warm and humorous that many children will probably be fine with the occasional intrusion of evil and, of course, good does win in the end!

All in all, a very fun read for Halloween--or any time you feel like spending time with some fun spooks!

[Leo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this at all. The story didn't really keep me interested and I don't have much to say about this one. Eva Ibbotson can write some really fun and charming story's but this one didn't work for me

[Guguk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku Ms. Ibbotson yang pertama kubaca~ yaa sampe sekarang baru baca 3 sih (^ ^;)> aku ketinggalan...

Waktu membaca buku ini, timbul perasaan gembira yang muncul seperti biasanya kalau aku baca buku anak-anak yang bener-2 aku suka (^,,^)

Tokoh antagonis yang keji, anak yang memiliki kastil tapi miskin, dan, favoritku, hantu-hantu yang unik (^-^)

Suka sekali ending-nya yang ditutup dengan pernikahan itu~ (>,,^)

[Robbie Cheadle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Haunting of Hiram is another fantastic tale featuring ghosts and other mythical creatures by Eva Ibbotson. Alex MacDuff is the young owner of Castle Carra, which has been in his family for generations. It is old, dusty, damp and covered in lichen and other creepers. It is inhabited by Alex, his aunt and a few staff as well as Alex's beloved ghosts, including Krok, the Viking who died at Carra when he suddenly became tired of bloodthirsty pillaging and decided to turn against it publicly. Alex's ghosts practically raised him, but they are not able to bring in any money to keep the castle running.

Alex's aunt is desperate to retire and live a life of ease and comfort elsewhere so when an American millionaire comes along who wants to buy Castle Carra, Alex is delighted and thinks his financial problems are resolved. There is only one small hitch. Hiram, the purchaser, has a young daughter who is a polo survivor and who is not very strong. Hiram does not want her to have any unexpected shocks so he wants to be assured that the castle does not contain any ghosts.

Alex must sell the castle so he speaks to the ghosts and arranges for them to go and live with another aunt of his in her mansion with some other [snooty] ghosts. This is a disaster and the Carra ghosts leave and make there way home, only to discover that the new purchaser is planning to dismantle the castle and rebuild it in America. Hiram wants to have his own ghost-free Scottish castle in a town in the USA.

This is an enjoyable story with lots of amazing and entertaining characters which will keep middle school children enthralled.

[Alysa H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had some cute bits and is not at all badly written, but it's really the humor of another era. There are so many troubling and offensive things here (e.g., a villain who hides in plain sight by cross-dressing, age-inappropriate romantic elements, racist jokes about Native Americans being named "Big Knee Joint"). And as I was reading this aloud to my kid, I was definitely not expecting to find myself needing to gloss over one evil character's obsession with Adolf Hitler. She is a young kid and had never yet heard of Hitler -- why the heck should she do so in a children's book about Scottish castle ghosts?!

This was recommended by a children's librarian when I asked about more books that could be enjoyed by a kid who liked Lemony Snicket, but perhaps with more progressive gender roles. I have a feeling that librarian hasn't read this book in many years and remembers it with rose-colored glasses, because it really missed the mark.

My kid liked it alright in the end -- especially Flossie the child poltergeist -- but I did not. I'd be willing to check out some of Ibbotson's other books, but we won't be reading this one again.

[~Silv (ilpianetadeilibri) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skotlantilainen Carran linna on kuulunut kuusisataa vuotta McBuffien suvulle. Linnan ylläpitokustannukset ovat kuitenkin nousseet sille tasolle, että viimeisen lairdin, kaksitoistavuotiaan Alexin, on myytävä amerikkalaiselle miljonäärille Hiram C. Hopgoodille.

Hopgood haluaa siirtää linnan Teksasiin, jotta voisi ilahduttaa sairaalloista tytärtään Helenia. Hän ei kuitenkaan halua, että mikään järkyttäisi tytön mielenrauhaa, ja niinpä kaupan ehtona on se, ettei linnassa saa olla lainkaan aaveita. Niinpä Alex joutuu kertomaan raskain mielin ystävilleen, että näiden on muutettava ja etsittävä uusi asunto. Näin ollen kummitteleva viikinki Krok Läskimaha, hampaaton vampyyri Tassu-setä, vettä tippuva aave neiti Spinks, räyhähenki pikku-Flossie ja helvetinkoira Cyril joutuvat pakkaamaan laukkunsa.

Kummitukset päätyvät kuitenkin erinäisen vaiheiden jälkeen Yhdysvaltoihin, jossa he saavat kuulla, että ilkeä rikolliskolmikko suunnittelee miljonäärin tyttären kaappaamista...

Eva Ibbotsonin "Aaveet muuttavat länteen" (Otava, 1992) on humoristinen, aidosti jännittävä ja sopivan mittainen lastenromaani, jossa ystävyyden merkitys korostuu mukavalla tavalla. Lähimpänä vertailukohtana voisivat toimia Roald Dahlin teokset, joissa on niin ikään mukana vähän mustanpuhuvaa huumoria.

Loppupuolella seikkailu saa aika hurjia piirteitä, eikä lastenkirjallisuudessa tapaa yleensä yhtä pahoja hahmoja kuin rikolliskoplan naispuolinen johtaja. Huomasin miettiväni, mahtaisiko tämmöinen mennä läpi näinä poliittista korrektiutta korostavina aikoina:

Janet Batters […] oli jotenkin pimeä alusta asti. Ja eräänä päivänä hän näki sitten aikakauslehdessä Adolf Hitlerin valokuvan huulipartoineen ja natsitervehdykseen kohotettuine käsivarsineen. Janetin mielestä mies oli lumoava. Hän piti diktaattorin nuollusta otsatukasta ja hänen hullun pyöreistä silmistään, ja kun hän oli lukenut tämän saavutuksista, maailmanvalloitushankkeista ja aikomuksesta hävittää rotu, josta ei pitänyt, hän ajatteli, että Hitler oli kuin jumala. Siitä syystä hän muutti nimensäkin Janetista Adolfaksi ja osti riipuksen, jonka kanteen oli kaiverrettu hakaristi.

Nelosten ja viitosten vinkkaukseen.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Alex, the laird of Carra, is forced to sell his ancient and dilapidated Scottish castle to an American millionaire. Poor Alex is heartbroken to be leaving his ancestral home, but worst of all is the parting with his ghostly friends who haunt the Castle of Carra. When the millionaire tears down the castle and transplants it in Texas where his ailing daughter, Helen, can enjoy it, the ghosts accompany the ancient stones of their home, and uncover an evil plot to kidnap Helen. The good ghosts befriend a mysterious phantom hand, and rely on Alex to help save poor Helen from her kidnappers!

This has all the charm and silliness that I've come to love in Ibbotson's books! The writing is fresh with a whimsical story-telling style. I love how weird and wacky the characters are, and how every detail about them carries weight in the story. The plot is full of preposterous surprises and plenty of action.

One of the best things about Ibbotson's writing is how she takes ordinary things and turns them upside down to the astonishment of the reader.

[Lia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid and it hunted me until I finally picked it up again this weekend. While I do appreciate Eva Ibbotsons creativity, I was (once again) totally thrown of by the villain of the story. Just putting a character, who's personal hero is Hitler and who wears swastika jewelry around and even names herself Adolfa, in a childrens book seems very inappropriate to me.
Please before you give this book to your kids be aware that it includes: the above explained very weird way of mentioning Hitler and fanatism, suicide and animal cruelty.

[Nara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...por que esperar pelas coisas é maravilhoso. Talvez, a melhor parte."

Eu também quero ter os meus fantasmas!
Qualquer um depois de ler os livros da Eva Ibbotson vai adorar ter uma casa mal assombrada.

[Fadhilatul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visit here for more review.

This is the second book of Ibbotson I read after Dial a Ghost. I still like Ibbotson's work respect with children's literature (fantasy). Meaning I like The Hauntin of Hiram, but I like better Dial a Ghost. Actually both of the books have the same concept; an orphan -boy- who owns a castle and doesn't know what he should do to maintain it. Then the boy has many invisible friends (ghosts) to accompany him living in this cruel world. It seems I exaggerate everything, huh? Ok, let's continue.

At the first time, readers just see simple and easy problem to overcome. But when they come and join the action of the book, they will see the problem is grower and more complicated than teaser has offered. So twist plays its role here. Readers won't believe that they'll catch many surprises.

If you ask for moral value from this book, of course there are some you can think about after reading. Here I provide you some good quotes that you can consider with;

"The braver man is - and Krok had been very brave - the less he will bully little creatures who cannot defend themselves." ~Ibbotson, The Haunting of Hiram, 24.

"When you are thinking of people, you seem to see them everywhere." ~Ibbotson, The Haunting of Hiram, 28.

"Alex was shocked. Mr. Hopgood worked so hard and looked so worried that it hadn't seemed particularly wrong that he should be so rich. But people labelling their tummy buttons to show which of them was which, or keeping the rubbish warm with mink when in other countries children were starving, just couldn't be right." ~Ibbotson, The Haunnting of Hiram, 89.

"What sort of life was it, being a millionaire? No sort of life at all. His stomach was full of acid, he never had a decent night's sleep and his daughter danger from every vile sort of crook." ~Ibbotson, The Haunting of Hiram, 156.

This book is very interesting and good to be read by children aged 8-9. Moreover, it can be a good book to introduce ghost characters to children without scarring them.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Eva Ibbotson's characters and style of writing are hilarious. In my opinion she overdid the character and background story of Adolpha Batters a bit. - But all the ghosts are really great; I think my favorites are Cyril the hellhound and the Severed Hand. Eva Ibbotson has made them all very endearing and given them great background stories and plot in their quest to find a new home.
The story of a rich kid being kidnapped for ransom is a common one, that has been used by many other writers. However, by interspersing it with the story of the ghosts of Carra and making them the heroes of the rescue, Eva Ibbotson completely reworked the theme and made it into a new and funny story.

Eva Ibbotson was such a great children's book author, although she is far too little known beyond the UK. Her stories are heart-warming and full of humor and bizarre exaggerations that make her characters so unique and lovable. Everyone should read at least one of her books.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

American millionaire Hiram Hopgood buys the family castle of Alex MacBuff, the impoverished heir of the MacBuffs of Carra, but he doesn't want the castle in Scotland -- he wants to move it to his hometown of Granite Falls, Texas, where his ill daughter, Helen, can enjoy it. However, Mr. Hopgood insists that the castle be ghost-free, so Alex has to convince his five ghosts to move out. When Alex and the ghosts all end up in Granite Falls, the stage is set for a lively, scary tale of kidnapping and supernatural mayhem. I love how Ibbotson mixes humor and deft characterization with genuinely tense and spooky action, like a slightly less ghoulish Roald Dahl.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I encountered such great ghosts in literature. They steal every scene with their winning combination of naivety, bloodthirstiness and touching loyalty. For a book aimed at younger readers it has some seriously black comedy - the first page with its cheerful recount of horrific murders by the inhabitants of Carra castle preps the reader for the tone to expect. The plot is slight and very predictable towards the end, but redeemed by unexpected twists along the way and fantastic detail, like the villain who strokes a lock of Hitler's hair like a holy relic and the spot-on parodies in the films the ghosts watch in the cinema.

[Elevetha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

This lacked the charm and sense of atmosphere I usually find so prevalent in Ibbotson's MG books.

The idea of a Scottish castle transported to America, Texas no less, and its ghosts following it there was a cute idea (and based off a true story, excepting the ghosts!), but I was having trouble mustering up energy to really care. It's cute, no doubt, but not among my favorite of Ibbotson's.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad read this book for me when I was a kid and I really loved it. I read it again as a grown up and still enjoyed it. A perfect book for children (and their parents) and not to scary even though it's about ghost.

[Abigail H. Leskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had ghosts. It had Scotland. It had Sleipnir. It had evil kidnappers (including Adolfa, in love with Hitler). It had a severed hand, who was lovely.

PG.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, family. Is ghosts. No, I will not elaborate.

[EmiliAna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Als die 1925 in Wien geborene englische Schriftstellerin Eva Ibbotson 1987 ihr Buch "Das Geheimnis des wandernden Schlosses" ( englischer Originaltitel: "The Haunting of Hiram" ) veröffentlichte, hatten Kinderbücher in England noch nicht den Status, den sie heute, dank einer mit überwältigender Phantasie begabten Joanne K. Rowling oder eines Philip Pullman besitzen.
Ihre eigenen Werke für Kinder, die immer eine Verquickung von phantastischer Welt und Realität sind und die sie lange vor Rowling und Pullman schrieb, blieben bei ihrem Erscheinen, wie sie selbst, was für die bescheidene Ibbotson, die nie eine öffentliche Person sein wollte, aber in Ordnung war, weitgehend unbeachtet und erlebten erst nach der Jahrtausendwende eine beachtliche Renaissance. Zum Glück, möchte man aus tiefstem Herzen sagen, wenn man ihre lustigen, spannenden, oft recht bizarren Geschichten liest, die zugleich märchenhaft sind und voller Ironie und schwarzem Humor, dabei aber so unverfälscht herzlich, anrührend und mit unvergesslichen Figuren bestückt, die sofort für sich einnehmen.
Zum Lachen möchte sie ihr Publikum bringen, hat sie in einem ihrer letzten Interviews vor ihrem Tod 2010 auf ihre unprätentiöse Art gesagt, denn Lachen sei ein heilender Prozess. Keine Botschaften möchte sie vermitteln, vielmehr einfach nur wunderbare Geschichten erzählen und ihren Lesern Freude bereiten.
Und das ist ihr auch wieder mit vorliegendem Roman gelungen, einer weiteren phantasischen Erzählung für Kinder, die diesmal jedoch mit starken Nerven ausgerüstet sein sollten, denn es geht teilweise ungewohnt brutal zur Sache - und ungewöhnlicherweise sogar mit boshaften Seitenhieben auf die Nationalsozialisten, die ihr, der Wienerin, die Heimat geraubt haben, denn die Erzschurkin der Geschichte ist eine gewisse Adolfa Batters, eine stramme Anhängerin ihres Erzschurken-Vorbildes Adolf H., dessen angebliche Haarlocke sie in einem Medaillon mit sich herumträgt....

Neben der Hauptperson der vergnüglich-gruseligen Geistergeschichte, die es hier zu besprechen gilt, dem zwölfjährigen Waisenjungen ( wie so viele ihrer jungen Protagonisten! ) Alex, der der letzte Laird von Carra und Besitzer des unrentablen und nicht mehr finanzierbaren Schlosses aus dem Titel ist, lässt die Autorin eine Reihe höchst amüsanter Geister auftreten, sie, die nach eigenem Bekunden merkwürdigerweise weder dem Magischen zugewandt ist noch Geister oder Hexen mag, die sie als "exzentrische Underdogs" bezeichnet und immer wieder in der Verliererrolle sieht!
Aber diese Carra-Geister sind einfach entzückend in ihrer so ausgeprägt individuellen Absurdität und Unvollkommenheit und mit all ihren schrägen Marotten! Man möchte sie mit nach Hause nehmen, liebhaben und verwöhnen, die armen, geplagten Wesen, die ihrem Freund Alex so treu ergeben sind - und ohne die die Geschichte böse ausgegangen wäre, was selbstverständlich undenkbar ist bei der Happy End-verliebten Eva Ibbotson!
Die liebenswürdigen Gestalten, die so gar nicht zum Fürchten sind, bewahren ihrem Alex sogar die Treue, als dieser Schloss Carra, das sie als ihr Zuhause betrachten, aus Geldnot an den exzentrischen texanischen Millionär Hiram C. Hopgood verkauft! Und wer fühlt sich da nicht erinnert an Mr. Oscar Wildes Amerikaner Hiram B. Otis, der seinerzeit nach England kam, um Canterville Chase zu erwerben! Nur dass dieser das englische Schloss mitsamt dem Geist des unglückseligen Sir Simon de Canterville übernimmt!
Hiram C. Hopgood hingegen stellt eine Bedingung: er kauft Carra, das er abzubauen und Stein für Stein in seinem heimatlichen Texas wieder aufzubauen gedenkt, nur, wenn Alex ihm garantieren kann, dass es geisterfrei ist - um seiner kleinen Tochter Helen, um die er äußerst besorgt ist, besorgter, als eigentlich notwendig, Ängste zu ersparen....
Also müssen die Carra-Geister wohl oder übel umziehen - was so manchem jungen oder schon erwachsenen Leser die Tränen in die Augen treiben könnte. Und ihn sogar vergessen lässt, dass auf Eva Ibbotsons Happy End Verlass ist!
Wie Krok, der Wikinger, Miss Spinks, in einem früheren Leben Gouvernante, der zahnlose alte Vampir Louse, Flossie, ein kindlicher Poltergeist sowie Cyril, der Höllenhund, aber auf abenteuerlichen und gewundenen Pfaden wieder mit ihrem Alex vereint werden und dabei zu vergnüglicher Hochform auflaufen, denn sie retten nicht nur ihm, sondern auch der pfiffigen Millionärstochter Helen, die weitaus belastbarer und vor allem mutiger ist, als ihr Vater wahrhaben will, das Leben und machen obendrein noch drei wirklich garstige Verbrecher unschädlich, das ist spannend und mitreißend zu lesen und immer aufs Neue mit Überraschungseffekten bestückt, wie sie sich nur Eva Ibbotson ausdenken konnte, das englische Pendant zu einem Otfried Preußler, der so genau wusste, was Kinder brauchen, und es wie kaum jemand sonst verstand, tief in Kinderseelen zu blicken.
Wahrhaftig - so, genau so, sollten, nein müssen Kinderbücher sein!

[Chazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In order to make the sale, Alex agrees. Then Alex has to tell the resident ghosts that they will have to move. Krok, a Viking warrior; Miss Spinks, a governess of the damp and spooky side; Flossie, a 5-year-old poltergeist; Stanislaus, an ancient vampire sans fangs; and Cyril, the hellhound of unusual length have all been with Alex since he was born. It is a difficult thing to do, but the ghosts understand that it is for the best for Alex and his aunt to sell the castle.

The castle is dismantled and shipped and is being reassembled in Texas. Hiram C. Hopgood invites Alex to come stay with him and his daughter and help supervise the reconstruction.

Alex accepts, and over time, he and Helen become good friends. Meanwhile the ghosts have moved to another castle and have no idea that Alex is in Texas. They are not welcomed by the ghosts that live at their new castle and so the ghosts decide to go to America and see how the castle is doing there. It turns out that they and Alex are there at the same time but don't know it!

There is a trio of characters that are up to no good in Scotland and follow the castle to Texas. They have come up with a plan to steal something from Hiram C. Hopgood and hold it for ransom.

I've read other books by Ibbotson and this is just as enjoyable. Even though each character is different, they also share common values.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve really enjoyed all of Eva Ibbotson’s books that I’ve read so far, but this one didn’t age well. As others mentioned, there’s a bit of casual racism toward Native Americans and the main villain has a disturbing obsession with Adolf Hitler.

The main issue that bothered me, though, wasn’t either of these things. There is a side character, a ghost, who became a ghost by drowning herself. It is said that whatever a ghost was doing when it died is something it continues to do for eternity in the afterlife. So this character is constantly throwing herself into fountains and sinks, trying to drown herself again. This is mainly played for laughs, but I found it quite disturbing. (Especially as someone who has dealt with suicide in their family.)

As I’ve come to expect in an Eva Ibbotson book, most of the characters are charming and lovable, and the plot is funny and adventurous.

[Anna E · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is supposed to be a children’s book and I read this with a 7-year-old, but after finishing it, I seriously wouldn’t recommend it for kids under at least 10, maybe even older. The villain is truly nasty and the things she does and says are incredibly explicit and gory. I had to skip and/or change half of the book. The ghosts and their (back)stories also tend to have some violent themes and described imagery I’d rather not put into a child’s mind. I normally love Ibbotson’s books, but this one just wasn’t it.

[Rati Mehrotra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always on the lookout for fun MG books to read aloud to my kids and this fits the bill - ghosts, castles, haunted movie cinemas, nasty baddies who will be eventually be caught and punished, a girl with polio, and a spectral Hand. Of course, polio still exists in some conflict-ridden parts of the world, and I'm hoping to discuss that with them.

[Haley Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely brilliant young adult thriller. The story of a Scottish Laird, his castle, and its ghosts being shipped to America. A beautiful nod to the differently abled in this book with Helen having had Polio and now a lame leg. Crime, laughter, some spooks, and good old fashioned justice.. what isn't to love!

[Brynn Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Eva’s writing style and ridiculous plots. She creates characters well as well. I can see why it does get the highest rating but I really enjoy the silly plots and funny characters. She does nicely set up plots for each character as well and finds solutions for them nicely

[Az · Rating 4 out of 5]

.... I hate to see her waiting and waiting.'
Then you're silly to wish it,' said Alex, 'because, waiting for things is lovely. The best part, perhaps.'

[LudmilaM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,75 stars. Love Eva's humor and storytelling

[iixo · Rating 2 out of 5]

3 when I was a kid, 2 now.

[Janika Puolitaival · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oman lapsuuden suosikkeja. Tästä soisi tulevan uuden painoksen, niin värikäs aavegalleria tässä seikkailee.