The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe is a book where a poor little boy gets bullied by a ghost. At first, the bullying is just a handfull of bossy messages. But soon the ghosts gets anxious and begins breaking things. Eventually, he starts to wreck the town! The boy is punished for all this. Mrs. Verity, the old widow who lives down the street, was called a witch by the ghost! One night he even burned her house. The boy asks Bert Ellison to help him trap the ghost. Ellison tries 2 traps, but both fail. Eventually, Ellison shows the boy a vault under the church where they find the ghost’s tomb, marked,

Here lyeth ye body of Thomas Kempe Apothecary he departed this life ye last day of October, October 31 Ao 1629 in the 63 year of his Age.

Thomas Kempe sweeps in and…  …goes out like a candle.

I like this book. It’s not really scary. Some moments are even sad. Good for all ages and a mystery!