thechristined

A ghost named Humphrey and his family need to find a new place to live after the manor they’ve haunted for centuries is being modernized. While looking for an acceptable place, they meet up with schoolboy Rick Henderson who decides what the ghosts of England need is a sanctuary, and he is going to do all he can to get them one. Along the way, Rick finds out more than just ghosts exist – there are vampire bats, werewolves, and witches, too.

The Great Ghost starts off simple: “Humphrey the Horrible was a ghost.” Except, Humphrey isn’t horrible – in name or otherwise. From there, the story is very straightforward, yet full of humor and wit. And even a little bit of history! All the characters – especially the ghosts – are great, but I think Rick really stole the spotlight a lot of the time. My favorite moments were the ones in which he was taking care of Baby Rose (which I won’t say any more about because of the risk of spoiling it). I also loved Humphrey, he really grew throughout the story, more so than most of the others, but since the synopsis is really all about him, so it’s not too surprising.

I’m not sure there is anything I can say that hundreds haven’t said before, because Eva Ibbotson is an amazing writer. She has such a great humor and imagination, both of which are evident in The Great Ghost Rescue. Each new ghost she introduced, from Humphrey to the Hag to the Mad Monk, had something special and memorable about them.

You can read the rest of the review at my blog: http://readerlymusings.com/2013/10/31/book-review-the-great-ghost-rescue-by-eva-ibbotson/