The Haunting of Hiram

Eva Ibbotson (author)

Macmillan Children's Books, UK: 1993; 151pp

ISBN: 9780333445105

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: change, friendship

Although written a few years before Dial A Ghost this delightful narrative from Eva Ibbotsen has some similar elements to the earlier work. Once again it is about a group of friendly ghosts who are evicted from their beloved home and are therefore obliged to make their own way in the world.

The laird of the Scottish castle where they have lived for hundreds of years is an eleven year old boy whom they practically raised.

 Alex McBuff doesn't want to sell Castle Carra but being a sensible, intelligent lad, realises that there is simply no way he can find or make the money to do what needs to be done to keep his lands and castle in good condition. Instead he finds a rich American who is very keen to buy the castle - on the proviso that there are no ghosts. Alex promises that by the time the American moves in, there will be no ghosts - and then has to find a way to explain to his friends why they must leave. Determined to do his best for them, he makes arrangements for them to live with a relative in another part of the country.

What Hiram C. Hopgood, American billionaire, doesn't tell Alex when he buys Carra Castle, however, is that he isn't able to move to Scotland because of the demands of his business. Instead, he pulls the ancient place apart and ships it back to his home in America, where he arranges for it to be rebuilt, restored and refurnished. Being a kind, good-hearted man, he asks Alex to the grand opening ball. What neither of them knows is that the five Scottish ghosts have travelled with the castle. This turns out to be a good thing, however, when the billionaire's only daughter is kidnapped, and they are the only ones who have any chance of finding her.

Quite wonderfully whimsical, with delightfully eccentric characters - particularly the ghosts - and a strong subtext of adapting to change and learning to look on the bright, this is an entertaining novel for children. Well suited to reading aloud, Ibbotsen has once again created a tale full of madcap happenings, sinister bad guys who get their come-uppance, and intelligent humans of all ages who are really very sensible about such unusual things as ghosts. Eva Ibbotsen says that her own offspring showed her that children like to read about ghosts, witches and wizards ‘because they are just like people but madder and more interesting'.

Recommended for younger Harry Potter fans.

Same Author: Which Witch; Not Just A Witch; Dial A Ghost; The Secret of Platform Thirteen