Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Boggart baby, 31 Dec 2005
Susan Cooper is best known for The Dark is Rising Sequence, a mix of modern fantasy, folklore and Arthurian legend. In "The Boggart" she goes into related but different territory, loosing an ancient Scottish spirit on a modern family. Often cute and very interestingly written.
The boggart has lived in a decayed Scottish castle for centuries, making harmless mischief and shapeshifting into different forms. But when the elderly caretaker dies, the castle is inherited by the Volnik family, modern Canadians who don't know about the boggart. They arrive in Scotland to check out their rather decrepit property; the boggart decides to take a nap inside a rolltop desk... right before the desk is shipped back to Toronto.
When the desk arrives, the boggart makes the most of his situation by wreaking havoc with the electricity, furniture, non-Scottish foods like pizza, and eventually with traffic. His tricks, though not malicious, can quickly spin out of control and become dangerous. But eventually he wants to go home, communicating with Emily and Jess through the computer. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to get a boggart back to Scotland -- especially when the adults believe the boggart is nonexistant, and an obnoxious parapsychologist is sniffing around.
Until relatively recently, few people knew about the mythical boggart (similar to the bogle). Cooper saves this book from being a typical story of a mythical creature wreaking havoc in the real world by using a little-known Celtic spirit; the result is that the boggart is charming and likable, almost childlike in its mischief, delight over electricity, and quickly-forgotten emotions. The best parts of the book are the ones from the boggart's point of view, such as its memory of a Scottish chieftain who died long ago.
"The Boggart" is a slightly less sparkling book than the "Dark is Rising" books, mostly because her prose is plainer and less detailed here, and Cooper spends a bit too much time focusing on its antics in modern Scotland. It only really blossoms when we head to Scotland, the sort of ancient atmospheric surroundings that Cooper seems most comfortable writing.
The boggart, the star, is likably mischievous; Cooper manages to make it inhuman at the same time. It never thinks or acts like a human. Emily and Jessup are likable characters, with distinct personalities. Supporting characters like the parents or the actors are well-fleshed out, never acting like idiots if they don't know about the boggart.
A unique mix of folklore and modern technology. This book could have been so very mediocre, but instead it's a funny, intriguing fantasy, giving a twist to old ghoulies and ghosties.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Believable tale of an ancient , magical Scottish creature, 25 Oct 2001
By A Customer
A throughly beleivable tale of an ancient, magical Scottish creature thrust into modern life (and containing a fascinating insight into the truth about Nessie, which is followed up in the sequel). My three children listened enthralled as I read this book to them on a five hour journey across the Rockies. It tells the story of the Boggart, a creature of legend, ancient as the hills and able to shape change at will. Shy and retiring, the Boggrat was trapped in a desk drawer when his last human confidante (a crusty old Scottish curmudgeon) died. He is released only when the drawer is opened, in Canada, by the old man's grandchildren, whose parents have inherited the desk. The Boggart is confused and distressed to find himself so far from home and being a mischievous spirit (in the tradition of gremlins and house pixies) he causes the children no end of trouble (and lands them in some very funny situations) until they realise that he is actually very sad and distressed to be so far from his Misty homeland. The children have to figure out a way to get him back before he really lands them in the soup...no easy task given the thousands of miles that separate Canada and Scotland. This is an emotionally involving story...my children empathised with the Boggart and with the children's predicament and sat on the edges of their seats to find out what happended in the end...but you'll have to read it for yourself!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book was very mischevious, funny and accident-prone., 10 Nov 1997
By A Customer
This is a really neat book about an invisible and mischevious character. His name is the Boggart and he gets Emily and Jessup into lots of trouble. One of my favorite parts of the book took place on Halloween. The Boggart thought that all the people dressed up were evil spirits. To scare them away he threw chairs, bookcases, and other furniture out the window. Mrs. Volnick thinks that Emily and Jessup and their friends are causing the trouble and they get punished. Meeting a spirit from the past in a fictional book made this book interesting and fun to read.I reccomend this book to all kids who like being mischevious and playing tricks on other people.
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