''The Ghost of Thomas Kempe'' is a low fantasy novel for children by Penelope Lively, first published by Heinemann in 1973 with illustrations by Anthony Maitland. Set in present-day

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, it features a boy and his modern family who are new in their English village, and seem beset by a

poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...

. Soon the boy makes acquaintance with the eponymous Thomas Kempe, ghost of a 17th-century resident sorcerer who intends to stay. Lively won the annual Carnegie Medal from the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowle ...

, recognising the year's best children's book by a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

. Penelope Lively also won the 1987

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

, recognising ''Moon Tiger'' as the year's best novel. She is the only author to win both of the most prestigious British book awards, which have covered books for children from 1937 and novels for adults from 1968. Nationality conditions have varied.

Characters

;Major characters * James, the main character * Mrs Harrison, James's mother * Mr Harrison, James's father * Helen, James's sister * Tim the dog * Thomas Kempe, the poltergeist who troubles James ;Minor characters * Simon, James's friend * Bert, the local handyman who tries to deal with the poltergeist * Mrs Verity, an old lady whom Thomas Kempe accuses of being a witch * Arnold, a Victorian boy who experienced the ghost before James * Aunt Fanny, Arnold's aunt * Mr Hollings, James's teacher * The vicar * Julia, Helen's friend

Themes

An interest in history, the passage of time and local change is a running theme in the work of Penelope Lively and can be seen in many of her books. Beside Mr Kempe from the 17th century, this story involves both a 20th-century resident of the cottage and the history of the surrounding countryside.

Adaptations

In 1978, a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

was made based on the novel, which aired on the '' ABC Weekend Special'', a showcase for a variety of different films aimed at children. The film was re-broadcast many times over the years, and has had several releases on home video, and is currently hosted on YouTube. The book was also read on BBC's ''

Jackanory ''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fairy-t ...

''. In 1977, a radio play version was aired over a number of weeks on Australia's ABC radio. In 1978 the book was adapted as a radio play by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.

Notes

References

External links

* —immediately, 1973 US edition *
Comfort reading: The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope Lively

1979 US TV Movie (YouTube)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost of Thomas Kempe, The 1973 British novels 1973 children's books British children's novels Ghost novels Carnegie Medal in Literature winning works Novels by Penelope Lively Novels set in Oxfordshire Heinemann (publisher) books British novels adapted into films ABC Weekend Special