The Ghost of Opalina

by Peggy Bacon

A ghost cat tells three children, the latest inhabitants of an old house, all about the people who passed through and the events which took place in the house during her previous eight lives.

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Cats, Middle Grade

243 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Cam (Lana Belova) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh it seems strange that one book could remind of so many stories from other books... First of all, the main character Opalina is an awesome cat, who protects her own and human families. My favourite story told by Opalina was the third one - adventurous, featuring two siblings finding a boat near the stream not far from their home and the surprising outcomes their discovery brings. 



Initially this book reminded me of The Lost Library for an obvious reason (cat + ghosts), then But Not Forever because of a time era (19th century). The fifth story (the fifth life of Opalina) reminded me of one of my favourite Christmas movies Blizzard (2003) because of friendship. The sixth - Little House in the Big Woods. The seventh - The Secret Garden.

I didn't particularly search any resemblance, some little thing or other were triggering the memory and bringing me back to a familiar place I am fond of. Maybe it's because of the summer, the time of the year that usually brings back memories of events and books we read... At least for me, the summer comes first among all the seasons evoking pleasant memories, then it's spring. 

Well... the eighth story reminded me of The Twins, the Ghost and the Castle I read twice and did really enjoy spending time with it.



The final story was set in present days, the 20th century, the year the author was penning her book. And see, the final story didn't bear any resemblance with one particular story - but many... when you've been told about mystery and the people from the past and then discovering you kind of live in that mystery and have connection to those people you developed fondness to. Love such stories! 



I learned that it was out of print - why? - and only recently was brought back to readers. I found these tales to be very engaging, with good messages and just lovely and kind! I'm so glad I accidentally came across it while reading reviews on one particular book, then checking out the page of a person I liked the review the most and finding this book among her favourites:)



Art by Thomas Little (2; 5)
Art by YunFan (4)
Art by Raphaël Vavasseur (1)

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Phillip, Ellen and Jeb Finley move from the city to a large, rambling house in the country, they gain an unexpected friend and guardian in Opalina, "a diaphanous being from another world, made of the finest grade of atmosphere, a limpid lightsome spirit." The ghost of a Persian cat who lived two hundred years before, Opalina relates the history of the house to the Finley children, beginning in 1750, when it was owned by the Trumbull family.

With plotting younger brothers and secret chambers, false accusations and make-believe noblemen, the early years in the life of the house are filled with colorful incident. Soon passing to the Paisley family, Opalina's house is the scene of both wild childhood adventure and sedate elderly existence, before being sold to the Cumberlands. Generation follows generation, as Montagues replace Cumberlands, and then give way to Pankeys. Young people grow up and have their own children, forgetting - those who ever knew her - the extraordinary feline presence who guards the house. But she does not forget them...

Part ghost-story and part historical fiction, The Ghost of Opalina is a delightful juvenile novel: an entertaining mixture of matter-of-fact children's adventures and delicious supernatural thrills. Young readers will thrill to the story of Opalina foiling the dishonest Saul Trumbull's scheming in 1750, relish the tale of Pelley and Patrick Montague's sojourn in the woods with lovable hermit Batsy Diggs in 1880, and enjoy seeing the superior Sophy Bannister get her comeuppance in 1905.

The pleasure of reading - already considerable - is enhanced by Peggy Bacon's charming illustrations, which include full and half-page drawings, as well as margin portraits depicting the main characters of each chapter. All in all, The Ghost of Opalina was a delightful reading experience, and given how difficult it is to obtain, I can only hope that some enterprising publisher decides to reprint it. Never was there a title more worthy!

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five happy, "revisited-a-beloved-childhood-memory-and-was-thrilled-all-over-again" stars!!

This was out of print for years and years - you could only get a copy for hundreds of dollars on eBay. Recently I was participating in a reading challenge here, which made me think of this book again. I looked it up and was surprised to find it is back in print, so I ordered it right away.

Opalina has haunted "her" house since her first life ended there. She watches over the succeeding generations of families, helping out when needed and regarding them all with fondness and general amusement.

Her ninth life begins when a new family moves into the house in 1966. The Finley children, Ellen, Phil and Jeb discover Opalina and befriend her. Each night, she tells them stories from her previous lives, from 1750 to the present. The book is illustrated with gorgeous drawings of each character and various scenes described by Opalina, all drawn by the author. Here's an example, from Life #2:



This is just a lovely and imaginative story. If you have children or grandchildren, buy it for them but read it yourself first. If you don't, just buy it for yourself and enjoy!

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book 11 times as a child. In a summer where I read over a 100 books. I read this one 11 times. Turns out it had a very small run and the author was actually a famous artist/illustrator. You can't find copies of it for less than $300 nowadays. I hope the library in Geneva still has their edition.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. I read it many times starting when I was in 7th grade. Years later, as a librarian, I got it via interloan and re-read it, and sadly, didn't find it quite as enchanting as I had before. Ah well, I'd still like to own a copy...

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three children who move to the country find a ghostly cat lives in their new playroom.

https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...

The author seems to have illustrated a book that is revered by sister's in-laws, Mt. Allegro.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars.
*I read this book so many times in elementary school and loved. Rereading it, I can see why. I did notice, maybe it's just this edition, that one of the illustrations is mislabeled--Angelina instead of Angelica. What an odd thing to miss. Not to mention a misspelled last name later on.
*Some quotations I enjoyed:
"After Saul's departure a number of years went by, during which I had many litters of kittens, exquisite kittens, three or four at a time, while Ben and Angelica produced only five children and not all at once" (27). *Well that's a new way of looking at it.
"Aunt Selina was on the verge of accepting a scoundrelly imposter" (41).
"...and turned the clammy white of a forest fungus" (102).
"When they had eaten, they waded in the stream, found a beaver dam and added to it in order to give the beavers a pleasant surprise..." (114).
"...fireflies! Alas, the merest ornaments to darkness!" (118).
"Within a tangle shrubbery of whiskers..." (120).
"As Mr. Cumberland pieced the story together from the twins' double-barreled narrative..." (144).
"It is very hard to be forced to play with someone you detest and it's quite impossible to play with someone who feels the same way about you" (168-169).

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a child and loved it...I'd love to get a copy but they are few and far between. A nice story of a cat ghost who tells the history of the people who lived inthe house before the current owners.
Great drawings.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite!! Shared with my daughter who now looks at all the books in every second-hand shop we go.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this back in grade school and I still remember it so well. Just like comments I've read, I've been unable to find a copy of it under $200. Told my husband if he wants to win me over forever, find this book for however much it costs for an anniversary, birthday, or Christmas present instead of anything else.

1/11-reading again since being a little girl. Hubby found a copy for under $200 & gave it to me for Xmas. Yeah

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must have read this book a million times when I was in middle school. I have yet to be able to find it anyplace else! Apparently it's out of print. I just remember really liking the idea of each of the nine lives, as narrated by the cat. This was during my ghost story phase, so that's probably another reason I liked it.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is this book still out of print???

Updated: Finally, back in print, and I have my own copy. So happy to be able to read it to my daughter, even if she is no longer as young as I was when I first read it and fell in love with it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of two of my favorite children's books.

[Liz Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG, another fave from childhood. I love Google! another book that I would love to get my hands on.

[Vikkidawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally found a record of this book. I read this somewhere between 4-6th grade. It was in the school library. Don't remember a lot about it but I would love to re-read it.

[Missjennjenn Hebb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of print and impossible to find. It's my fav story from growing up.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book so many times as a child and even every few years as an adult. I believe it is what started my love of historical fiction. The illustrations are wonderful and add so much to the story, I can visualize the characters in greater detail with the head start of the authors ideas of the characters appearances. My daughter read it and loved it as well, it’s a treasure.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m like many other readers, having read about Opalina many, many times as a child. This time, however, I read it in homage to Peggy Bacon as I begin my own writing attempt, bringing this beloved book along for the ride. It is my ambition and hope to complete my own fist book and mention Opalina in the credits for putting me on the path. Teachers and writers…I owe them so much!

[David Guerreri · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this 3rd grade twice, again 4th and 5th also, then found a copy took years and reread in 2008. Great kids book, great book, lost of us family-level history, what what home was life w family after family overseen by a ghost cat in her secret panelled room near the attic.

[Karen Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brothers and I read and re-read this ghost story that is by and about a cat. Set in the 1960s, and a good historical fiction read about US history in a small hamlet. It remains one of our favorites to thus day. A great read if you like gentle ghost stories.

[Silver Prion Chemistry the Martian Blob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really an awesome story!

[Donna]

Favorite childhood book

[Wrenaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from my childhood. Still hoping it will someday be reprinted.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ghost cat? Sign me up! Peggy Bacon's illustrations perfectly capture the
feline spirit, and her charming series of mild adventures make for a delightful
read. A perfect purr of a book.

[Akiva ꙮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally loved this as a kid!

[Meredith McGhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a child and was pleased to find it on the high-rated list. Would read it again, and definitely recommend it for kids as it is both wholesome and imaginative.

[Diora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 4th grade (1984). I absolutely loved it then & was so proud it was my first book over 200 pages.

[Padraigj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have set a challenge for myself to read the iconic snd beloved books of my childhood and I started with artist and illustrator Peggy Bacon’s 1967 _The Ghost of Opalina or Nine Lives_, a book that had been out of print for sometime before beung reissued earlier this century! What joy it was to find it- I had found mine in my elementary school library and could not believe how perfect it was when I found that yellowed cellophane hardback. A ghostly book about a ghostly cat! Such joy for a cat loving boy like myself.
Now I have to say that in my adult reading I found this story a little flat although the illustrations are abundant, and the cat character of Opalina a proper diva. I believe the reason is the lack of realness in the multiple sets of children depicted. My cheif and happiest memory of the book was that one of the children grew up to be a professor of folk snd fairy tales, and I believe it is bevayse that was the only time Ms Bacon allowed herself some freedom in depicting a bohemian artistic family in Life 8 of the book. For most of the various sets of children we meet over the course of her ghost life, Opalina just meets rough and tumble outdoor loving good ole’ kids- except for the one story where the villainess is a spoiled prissy girl.
To be fair this is a very ambitious book. When I saw Ms. Bacon’s portrait at the Smithsonian gallery I was so pleased to know I wasn’t the only one to treasure her. She was known for her New Yorker caricatures but I haven’t seen any yet, and apparently she has other more popular titles still published in kids lit. In this effort a contemporary set of kids in a cozy nature adjacent New England (upstste NY?) town in a large multi winged home meet Opalina, the ghost of a colonial woman’s long haired pampered white longhaired cat who exulted in rearing kittens and scaring dogs. She foils a dastardly theiving brother who builds a secret room as he steals from Opalina’s owners, but in her second “life” is killed by the jealous dog of a mean older woman.
Thereafter her adventures are mostly with successive generations of children, and the majority of those adventures involve more hobos than Opalina. When Opalina features in a story it is usually as a creative, shape shifting deus exmachina. We see kids stealing a hobo’s stolen row boat, twin boys who get to spend the night in a hobos cave. So exciting! There’s also a lonely orphan who Opalina helps to learn to have gumption, and a lonely old coin collector she largely ignores. A wicked theiving prissy cousin, and a kindly aforementioned bohemian family round it all out. Finally the bits of treasures she knows aboit through the years and the family histories she knows from her years tennanting the attic allow our contemporary kids to make connections in town and wind up rich.

Unfortunately there’s not a lot of historical color OR ghostly antics from Opalina in the course of the book. But there are delightful portraits of all the characters in the margins, even if there isn’t much effort to make them unique characters. I understand this is a helpful method of illustrating for kids universally, but there was a chance for some needed humor or color lost there. I did appreciate Bacon’s efforts to give the story resolution and structure, but it coukd have used a little creative push w the small adventures or some real humor to give the story more lift. Two hobos? :)

So I’m glad I read it and hope I can learn from where the story lacks. It’s a nice safe adventure anthology for kids.