The Ghost from Beneath the Sea - Softcover

Grade 4-6-- The ghosts of Parnell House ( Who Knew There'd Be Ghosts? HarperCollins, 1988) are in trouble again. Horace, who was beheaded during the American Revolution, and Essie, who drowned in a riverboat accident in the 1800s, live in an old house, now turned museum. Ellsworth Parnell has arrived to take up residence in his old family homestead. He was drowned in the sinking of the Titanic , but not before he lost the deed to Parnell House in a card game. Now, unfortunately, the descendant of the man who won that deed has come to claim his inheritance and turn the property into an amusement park. Hiram Flexx is fat and sneaky, but he is not afraid of ghosts and he does seem to have a legal claim to the land. These ghosts are not spooky or scary, but rather benevolent and eccentric. Everyone, including the mayor and the legal establishment, accepts them as real. The rest of the adults are nice but not nearly as clever as the children. While there's not a lot to the plot, it does move along briskly. Clear descriptions of poker hands plus an abundance of clues should lead readers to the solution well before it is actually revealed. Fun, but not especially challenging fare. --Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.