I'M NOT FRIGHTENED OF GHOSTS

by Juliet & Charles Snape Shape ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1987

A journey through a haunted house is shown as reassuring for a young girl and frustrating for a ghost in this routine picture book by two British collaborators new to American audiences. Lizzie, dared by her friends Robert and Sam, enters the local haunted house to prove she's not scared. As she moves from room to room, she's accompanied by an eager young spirit to whom she remains cheerfully oblivious, though he can slam doors, cause drafts, move pictures, rustle curtains and create bumps and thumps with the best of them. In the end, as she marches outside, there is sort of a frustrated sigh followed by a furious series of crashes as the three leave, which inspires the credulous Sam and Robert to take to their heels. Lizzie decides it's just a coming rainstorm. This is a funny idea marred by blatantly obvious execution. The ghost is depicted in cartoon-like fashion, a mismatch with the realistic illustrations. Lizzie seems dense rather than plucky, which may have been the intent, but the humor is too clumsy to make the idea work. It doesn't help that the illustrator is better at scenery than people. A mediocre effort.

Pub Date: March 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Prentice-Hall/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S