Martin and his little brother Peter like the little hilltop cabin where they move after Dad loses his job--until they begin to hear eerie laughter in their room at night. It's the ghost of Tom Buffle, who used to live there: lonely, he's looking for companionship, but the boys, especially Peter, are too scared to oblige. Meanwhile, they've reluctantly settled for nice middle- sized Rosie instead of the huge dog they'd hoped for, and are trying to tame a sheepdog that occasionally wanders by. Turns out the sheepdog's a ghost, too, and, once matched up, both ghosts- -and the relieved boys--are happy. Wright paints the situation with a broad brush, with parents strictly from stock; but the boys' relationship is nicely drawn and their dialogue lively and believable, while Ritz's detailed, realistic full-page drawings are unusually warm and appealing. Likable and accessible: good popular fare. (Fiction. 7-10)
