SCHOOL SPIRITS

In 1958, Patrick is new in town, where his father is taking over the principalship of a school that looks ``like Dracula's castle.'' In the school library Patrick discovers the ghost of Barnaby (nicknamed Barney), the young son of a former principal, who mysteriously disappeared in 1920. With the help of new friend Nairen and town bully Marion, as well as some supernatural manipulation by Barnaby, Patrick finds out what happened to the ghost and settles his unquiet spirit. Barnaby's rather gruesome death and Patrick's testy relationship with his consistently obstructive father are jarringly serious elements in an otherwise lightly spooky chiller. The mystery, with a few standard red herrings and some obvious telegraphing, will appeal to fans of mild horror, and the ending hints at a sequel, if not a series. (Fiction. 8-12)