Lively evokes bliss for her young hero – and just as brilliantly disrupts it.
It is all delightful, and it all happens under golden sunshine, in a peaceful village, in a lovingly described cottage. He makes a mess in the kitchen, digs tunnels in the garden and conducts "studies" on interesting insects. It centres on James – a fun, clumsy, Just William kind of character who delights in just scruffing around with his almost-talkative dog Timmy. The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe is a glorious reminder of the fun of being a boy. So I'm glad of a book that can take me back there as skilfully and enjoyably as does this little book Penelope Lively wrote back in 1973. Nothing much to worry about at all except long division and the odd spelling test, and in summer, even less of that. No bills, no debt, and few thoughts that the future might not go on for ever. Viewed from my increasingly distant standpoint, under nine seems a wonderfully simple thing to be.
That easily includes me, although now and again I wonder if I might prefer it if it didn't. The back of my copy of The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe suggests it is suitable for readers aged nine and over.
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