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A shivery ghost story from Ireland that will surely appeal to lovers of the macabre. Young Kate Culhane finds that nothing goes well for her after her mother dies. One darkening day she accidentally steps on a newly dug grave and is caught by the ghostly figure beneath it. He commands her to carry him on her back to town, and she must obey. Rejecting two households where he senses holy water, he makes her take him inside a merchant’s house, where he forces her to make him a grisly repast: oatmeal mixed with the blood of the house’s three sons. Kate hides her portion of the meal in her kerchief, and when she is forced to carry the ghost back, she escapes sharing the grave with him, but not before learning the secret of his gold and of the restoration of the three boys. She makes the merchant promise that she can marry the oldest if she restores his sons to life. Thereupon, she feeds them the saved oatmeal and blood. All goes well, and Kate has her new husband dig up the ghost’s gold, which they share with all. Spectral figures, Gothic hues, and Rackham-esque lines are used very effectively in the watercolor pictures, which are fully as scary as the text. (source note) (Picture book/folktale. 9-12)
