Grizzly Pete and the Ghosts

Paydirt is a ghost town. Well, nearly a ghost town. Five ghosts and one man live in Paydirt. One of the ghosts, Spook, is unique: he doesn't like to scare people, preferring to play in the old mine shafts. But when the other ghosts gang up on him, Spook must prove himself by trying to scare away the last old man in Paydirt -- Grizzly Pete, the prospector. Spook's first attempt to frighten Grizzly Pete fails. Curious about the prospector, Spook waits until Grizzly Pete is fast asleep and then sneaks into his dreams. There he witnesses the prospector's fondest wish -- to discover gold deep in the mine. The next day Spook follows Grizzly Pete into the mine and attempts again to scare him off. Grizzly Pete is tired of being bothered by ghosts and decides to frighten Spook instead. Grizzly Pete tells Spook, "I'm going to tin you." Spook doesn't believe that a ghost can be kept in a tin, but when Grizzly Pete lets him peek into the shiny tin, Spook spots a wide-eyed ghost staring out at him. Frightened, Spook speeds out of the mine. When Spook tells the other ghosts what has happened, they don't believe him and all rush off to Grizzly Pete's cabin to scare him. But Grizzly Pete stops them cold when he shows mean old Snark the ghost in the tin. Grizzly Pete smiles to himself as the ghosts race down the mountain and away from him and his tin. Resting by a lake, Spook sees a ghost in the water. When he tries to speak to him, Spook realizes that the new ghost is really his reflection. He then understands how Grizzly Pete has tricked him and the other ghosts!

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Intent on their plan to turn post-gold-rush Paydirt into a ghost town, five specters "rattled at the storekeeper, shrieked at the bartender, and howled at the barber to scare them away." Spook, however, would rather play than scare. As punishment, he is ordered to scare off the one prospector left, Grizzly Pete. Certain that gold remains in them thar hills, the crafty fellow refuses to be frightened off, turning the tables and spooking the ghosts with tricks of his own. Discovering the deception, Spook decides to help Pete instead of haunt him, and the two become partners. Although comical and original, this book is occasionally bizarre as Spook "slipped into the dream and traveled with [Pete]-" through the mines. Beder's watercolors are appealing, capturing facial expressions with clear, sure lines. Each ghost is drawn with distinct detail, looking like a faded version of a caricature of someone from the mid-1800s. Pete is the stereotypical miner, complete with long johns, suspenders, pipe, and an appropriately grizzled appearance. The text is set on a white background to the left or right of the art, resulting in an attractive layout. An entertaining addition for collections needing not-too-scary ghost stories.Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Janet Amsden grew up in British Columbia and spent many summers traveling to mining areas, listening to her geologist father tell stories of prospecting. She taught school for many years near several ghost towns in B.C. and now lives in Vancouver with her family. John Beder has illustrated two children's books, Mama Likes to Mambo and After Mole and Shrew All Year Through. He is a commercial illustrator as well as a teacher of illustration at the post-secondary level.

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