The Ghost of Thomas Kempe Quotes

“Penelope Lively takes us to a time in our lives when the world was bright and wide; when every nook, cranny and hole can yield buried treasure and unfettered ...

“When James and his family move to an ancient cottage in Oxfordshire, odd things start happening. ”

“Doors crash open, and strange signs appear, written in an archaic hand. James finds that the ghost is the spirit of Thomas Kempe.”

“The Harrison family have recently arrived in the village of Ledsham, to live in a traditional stone cottage called ‘East End Cottage’. They are having some renovations done, to open up one of the children’s bedrooms.”

″ James, whose bedroom it is, is a naturally scruffy, clumsy, roguish sort of character. Much of the book’s humour comes from James’s exploits.”

“He has a dog, Tim, a stray who just arrived at the cottage, one day shortly after the Harrison family moved in.”

“The dog is looking pathetic and homeless, had been fed, and within days had installed himself firmly within the house, establishing his rights and ingratiating himself with Mrs Harrison who he was quick to identify as the source of food.”

“James makes a mess in the kitchen, digs tunnels in the garden and conducts “studies” on interesting insects, all with Tim’s “help”. ”

“Their combined exploits always seem to end in James getting into trouble, and feeling either indignant or resigned about it.”

“James’s life is really just the same as of any happy-go-lucky child of that time, who has a stable home life. It’s not quite as if the sun is always shining in story-land, but there is definitely that feeling about it. ”