Young Alexander Armsworth is seeing things, strange things. There are signs of a haunting in the barn on his family's property. He's determined to get to the bottom of this, but his spunky neighbor, a girl named Blossom Culp, keeps nosing around. Then one night, the ghost of a young girl named Inez confronts Alexander with a spooky message. With the help of Blossom, Alexander will have to think fast to avoid a tragedy. Will he and Blossom be able to set things right and help a ghostly girl finally rest in peace? Check out this classic ghost story for a hauntingly good read.

The Bottom Line: This book was the basis for the 1978 made-for-television movie, Child of Glass. I remember the movie as a creepy ghost story. While the book takes place in the early 1910s, the plot of the movie was updated to the present (late 1970s) era. Still a fun read over 40 years later, enthusiastically recommended for middle grade and young adult readers. And if you enjoy Blossom's character, there are several more books featuring her.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

I feel a little sorry for Alexander Armsworth. He's the main character of The Ghost Belonged to Me, but the three sequels to this book focus on the main secondary character, Blossom Culp. Thus, this title is considered the first book in the Blossom Culp series. (It reminds me of a mystery series from the 1930s and 1940s in which Colonel Primrose was the main character of the first book, but all the rest are told from the viewpoint of his beloved, Grace Latham.) ( )

What a fun book! No one quite develops zany characters like Richard Peck. Three more in this little series, and I suspect each one of them will be a delight. ( )

This is a high 4--I'm trying so hard to reserve 5 for the Charlotte's Webs of the world, and not squander it on a book that's just really, really, really good. What great writing! The characters were so well-drawn, the family dynamic charming, and the scenes of domestic drama were every bit as thrilling--perhaps more so--than any of the paranormal sequences. It was a constant delight throughout, and I snapped up the next in the sequence immediately upon finishing it last night (thank heavens for electronic delivery!)

The mood of the non-ghost bits is very much like those charming MGM films like Meet Me in St. Louis where we can both revel in the gentility of the bygone age, while noting with delight that once the haze of nostalgia is removed, people is people is people. (The goings-on with the protagonist's sister are particularly amusing).

Very recommended.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). ( )

Alexander has a father who understands and a mother who doesn't, but mother is susceptible to the opinions of rich and interesting Mrs. Van Deeter. So all is well.
Peck has quite a way about him, creating lovely characters and playing gently with them; sly humor and pathos abounds.
We should all get together and let Aunt Elvera pour. ( )