The Battlefield Ghost

Published originally by Scholastic Press in 1999, The Battlefield Ghost tells the story of a fourth-grade boy and his sister who move into an old house haunted by a Hessian soldier from the Revolutionary War.

From Publishers Weekly

This patriotic mystery, inspired by legends surrounding the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, stars a brother and sister who move into a historic haunted house near the battlefield. Some initial phantasmal encounters effectively build suspense as an unseen presence strokes John's fingers while he plays the piano, shoves the boy and his sister into a horse stall and even feeds the horse carrots. The siblings discover that the amiable ghost is a Hessian mercenary who fought for the British and whose horse died with him in combat, and by the close of the novel, they reunite the man and his steed. Cuyler (Invisible in the Third Grade) construes the mystery primarily to convey, successfully, the historical events; all other plotting (e.g., John's family erecting a Christmas tree, a visit from the grandparents) feels superfluous. Howard's black-and-white illustrations occasionally seem at odds with the mood of the text but, at their best, deliver a spine-tingling effect, especially in the opening views of the children settling into their eerie home and the portrait of the ghost himself. A comprehensive concluding note fills in historical details of the decisive battle, and readers are rewarded with a final vivid, ghostly reenactment on the battlefield. Ages 7-10. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Grade 3-4-Fourth-grader John and his older sister Lisa have been frightened several times by invisible hands pushing them around the barn of their 300-year-old house, and the siblings get even more nervous when they think that the hands belong to the ghost of a Hessian soldier killed on their property. But John becomes less fearful when he realizes that the phantom is only trying to tell them something-not to hurt them. Cuyler builds suspense early in this tale set in contemporary New Jersey, and includes many details about the Battle of Princeton and the role of German mercenaries in the Revolutionary War. The children sound like history teachers at the end, but the lapse in diction won't prevent young readers from enjoying this liberally illustrated, not-too-scary ghost story.Beth Wright, Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, VT Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A mild ghost story, intent on imparting history painlessly, from Cuyler (From Here to There, p. 531, etc.). John, his sister, Lisa, and their parents move into a 100-year-old house, rumored to be haunted, near Princeton, New Jersey. John's parents don't believe in ghosts, but John begins to experience odd things, e.g. when he plays the piano, he feels invisible hands over his. When John and Lisa see a carrot moving though the air in the barn, they know they have a ghost on the property, and decide to help it. John learns that the ghost is a Hessian soldier who was killed in the Battle of Princeton, and who materializes at midnight on the anniversary of the battle. John and Lisa stay awake to meet him, and he's a friendly apparition, searching for his ghost horse trapped on the battlefield. John and Lisa witness the spectral battle in progress and rescue the horse; the reuniting of horse and rider means the ghosts finally can rest. The actions of the characters unfold mechanically, for it's the history lesson that drives this tale; nevertheless, this entertaining story may have readers seeking out their own local histories for possible ghost tales. (b&w illustrations) (Fiction. 8-10) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About the Author

MARGERY CUYLER is the author of many children's books, including the first Little Nell story, The Biggest, Best Snowman; Please Say Please!: Penguin's Guide to Manners; and 100th Day Worries. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Reviews

News