Ann Brophy

To Catch a Ghost Ann Brophy

A weekend retreat on an isolated island, a strange old man, Wilson, who lives there, a haunted lighthouse and an accident that happened sixty years before blend together in "To Catch A Ghost". This is a story of possession, not evil but good, and the eleven-year-old girl who solves the mystery with the help of her seven-year-old twin brothers and her self-absorbed older sister. Lucy, the protagonist, is obsessed with writing, and she enters colorful remarks and nagging questions into her ever-present pocket notebook. She also volunteers to take care of her lively brothers for the weekend so her mother and father can have a vacation. George is obsessed with ghosts and vampires, and Adam becomes possessed by an island ghost who is held hostage in the lighthouse. Both Lucy's family and Wilson's past family become entwined as a result of that long ago accident. The setting is vivid and eerie, and the characters are real and amusing. The story is upbeat as the mystery unravels in a logical and positive way. There is a hint of young romance along with compassion and a developed respect for old age. All in all, this book is a good read for the middle-graders, both boys and girls, with a strong, chilling and satisfying climax.