Ghostly Haunts

by Michael Morpurgo (Editor), Joan Aiken, Alick Rowe

These ghost stories are set in National Trust properties and are specially commissioned to celebrate the Trust's centenary. The contributing authors include Ted Hughes, Berlie Doherty, Dick King-Smith and Joan Aiken.

Genres: Fiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having found this British book in a used book store, I can't help but wonder how it came to US soil... This anthology consists of ghost stories that are entirely fictional, but the setting of each story is a real place. This book was put out by the National Trust, a--as I understand it--non-profit organization in Britain that buys land and old manors to preserve them and keep a bit of British history intact. It was fascinating to read. All the stories have a very old feel to them, as if they were written in the early 1900's rather than 1994. This might mean the stories are cliche and mild, not really creepy, but rather whimsical. I was charmed by the feeling that came over me while reading them.

[Christine (KizzieReads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the stories were bland and had nothing to do with being spooky. A few were really good. Not enough to make me enjoy the book.