| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Carnegie Medal Winner.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
Penelope Lively was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1933 and brought up there. She came to England in 1945, went to school in Sussex, and read Modern History at St Ann's College, Oxford. Her many books written for children include Astercote (1970), The Whispering Knights (1971), The Ghost of Thomas Kempe (1973), which won the Carnegie Medal, and A Stitch in Time (1976), which won the Whitbread Children's Book Award. Two of her novels written for adults have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction, and she won it in 1987 with Moon Tiger. More recent novels include The Photograph (2003) and Making it Up (2005). She has also written two volumes of autobiography and many short stories. Penelope Lively contributes regularly to a number of national daily newspapers and literary and educational journals. She has written radio and television scripts and was presenter for a BBC Radio 4 programme on children's literature. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a member of PEN and a former Chairman of The Society of Authors. She was awarded an OBE in 1989 and a CBE in 2001.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fascinating story about a young boy and his ghostly friend. None of the adults around him believe that there is a ghost until he befriends a local builder who doubles up as a psychic. I think I must have read this book about a dozen times 20-odd years ago when I was a child. Brilliantly written and what we would crassly describe as a "must-read" book these days. I wanted my own poltergeist but none ever materialised unfortunately.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dr. James Harrison, FRS, MP, D.Phil, OBE, writer of The Life Cycle of a British Beetle is a pirate of the Seven Seas, first conqueror of the earth's highest peak, captain of a World-Cup-winning football team and professional hole-digger. In short, he is a normal boy. And if in his made-up adventures windows get broken, cups shatter and his arm gets stuck in a grate - well that's not really his fault, is it? No matter what his father, mother and, sigh, sister think.
After moving into an old house, James discovers that he is sharing a room with a literate poltergeist,Thomas Kempe, who resorts to banging doors and hiding glasses for attention. Of course, it is James who gets blamed and whose allowance has to pay for damages. Things take a turn for the worse for James when Kempe, a sorcerer, leaves notes all over the place offering his magicks and accusing people of witchery. Can he successfully exorcise Thomas so that he can finally eat dessert and not have to be sent to his room all the time?
Penelope Lively takes us to a time in our lives when the world was bright and wide; when every nook, cranny and hole can yield buried treasure and unfettered possibilities. Through James we remember climbing trees, running through grass, cartwheeling, and of course, telling ghost stories among friends. We also remember times when we couldn't ask adults for help because they wouldn't believe us and sadly, neither did our bestfriends.
This is the perfect reading material for children who will certainly know what it's like to be James and for adults who want to be like James again - at least for a short time.
After moving into an old house, James discovers that he is sharing a room with a literate poltergeist,Thomas Kempe, who resorts to banging doors and hiding glasses for attention. Of course, it is James who gets blamed and whose allowance has to pay for damages. Things take a turn for the worse for James when Kempe, a sorcerer, leaves notes all over the place offering his magicks and accusing people of witchery. Can he successfully exorcise Thomas so that he can finally eat dessert and not have to be sent to his room all the time?
Penelope Lively takes us to a time in our lives when the world was bright and wide; when every nook, cranny and hole can yield buried treasure and unfettered possibilities. Through James we remember climbing trees, running through grass, cartwheeling, and of course, telling ghost stories among friends. We also remember times when we couldn't ask adults for help because they wouldn't believe us and sadly, neither did our bestfriends.
This is the perfect reading material for children who will certainly know what it's like to be James and for adults who want to be like James again - at least for a short time.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fantastic story. I did not come across it during my younger years, but my class of 10 year olds have loved it. It is very well written and we have found it hard to put down.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Ghostly
When i was reading it, it was a bit boring in the beginning because there was nothing exciting for a while, but then after, it became more interesting and I couldn't stop reading
Published 10 months ago by HappyBrain
Scary but funny
Thomas Kempe is the ghost of a long dead sorcerer, who once lived in the house that James now lives in. Read more
Published 10 months ago by AJ
Fantastic value
I think that this book is mind blowing, addictive and enjoyable because it is very good book. This book is about a young boy that does not believe in ghosts and all of a sudden... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Bobble Head Readers
Arta Kurti
it was really exciting and good. The ghost was my favorite.
The ending really surprised me. I loved this book and it's one of the best books I ever read!
The ending really surprised me. I loved this book and it's one of the best books I ever read!
Published 19 months ago
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe
Read extracts of the book during Literacy. This has resulted in a few of the children asking me to purchase copies of the book for them. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2010 by M. Manderson
An imaginative read
By Pupils of 5LW
Longford Primary School
This facinating book of The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe, about a young ten year old lad,James Harrison,and is being troubled by a... Read more
Longford Primary School
This facinating book of The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe, about a young ten year old lad,James Harrison,and is being troubled by a... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by L. Weston
Ghost of Thomas Kempe - Good childrens book.
I read this as a child myself and now my daughter is reading it in school. I thoroughly enjoyed it back then and my daughter does now. Very good read for children.
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by BlueVelvet
the ghost of thomas kempe
I read this book as a child and absolutely loved it...so much infact that I bought it recently and reading it again, even after all this time none of the magic has been lost! Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2006 by Lynda M. Nolan
Thomas Kempe
Book Review on “The Ghost of Thomas Kempe”
“The Ghost of Thomas Kempe” by Penelope Lively is a children’s ghost story. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2006 by Silven
Atmospheric
I know I know, this is a childrens book... But as a thirty-something I really loved it. It's kind of old-fashioned (written in the 70s) but Penelope Lively has a great art of... Read more
Published on 17 July 2005 by S. Stevens
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
