THE BATTLEFIELD GHOST

A mild ghost story, intent on imparting history painlessly, from Cuyler (From Here to There, p. 531, etc.). John, his sister, Lisa, and their parents move into a 100-year-old house, rumored to be haunted, near Princeton, New Jersey. John’s parents don’t believe in ghosts, but John begins to experience odd things, e.g. when he plays the piano, he feels invisible hands over his. When John and Lisa see a carrot moving though the air in the barn, they know they have a ghost on the property, and decide to help it. John learns that the ghost is a Hessian soldier who was killed in the Battle of Princeton, and who materializes at midnight on the anniversary of the battle. John and Lisa stay awake to meet him, and he’s a friendly apparition, searching for his ghost horse trapped on the battlefield. John and Lisa witness the spectral battle in progress and rescue the horse; the reuniting of horse and rider means the ghosts finally can rest. The actions of the characters unfold mechanically, for it’s the history lesson that drives this tale; nevertheless, this entertaining story may have readers seeking out their own local histories for possible ghost tales. (b&w illustrations) (Fiction. 8-10)