Author(s): Susan Cooper

Middle Fiction 8-12-year-olds

Accidentally transported from his remote Scottish castle to the bright, fast-moving, hi-tech city of Toronto, the highly mischievous Boggart simply can't resist the opportunity for pranks, and wreaks havoc for the Volnik family, inheritors of his distant castle home. But the Boggart doesn't mean any real harm, and when he begins to pine for the rolling Scottish mists and the sound of bagpipes, he turns to his two young friends, Emily and Jessup Volnik, for help. A delightfully funny and moving story for children.

Kathleen's review - Old magic - I love it. This is the stuff that has always been there, that's in the growing things, the earth, the habits of centuries. It's about belonging, being part of something that's older and bigger than all of us mortals. 

The boggart itself is beautifully written - so believable in its otherness - and its scenes in Canada are hilarious and fabulous and occasionally wildly alarming. The children are written just right (what Susan Cooper children aren't?) and the adults are just a tad overdone (which is an excellent amount for this age group). This book is funny at times, and heart-warming.