The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe is a low fantasy novel for children by Penelope Lively, first published by Heinemann in 1973 with illustrations by Anthony Maitland. Set in present-day Oxfordshire, it features a boy and his modern family who are new in their English village, and seem beset by a poltergeist. Soon the boy makes acquaintance with the eponymous Thomas Kempe, ghost of a 17th-century resident sorcerer who intends to stay.

Lively won the annual

• Simon, James's friend
• Bert, the local handyman who tries to deal with the poltergeist
• Mrs Verity, an old lady whom Thomas Kempe accuses of being a
  witch
• Arnold, a Victorian boy who experienced the ghost before James
• Aunt Fanny, Arnold's aunt
• Mr Hollings, James's teacher
• The vicar
• Julia, Helen's friend

Themes

An interest in history, the passage of time and local change is a running theme in the work of Penelope Lively and can be seen in many of her books. Beside Mr Kempe from the 17th century, this story involves both a 20th-century resident of the cottage and the history of the surrounding countryside.

Adaptations

In 1978, a film was made based on the novel, which aired on the ABC Weekend Special, a showcase for a variety of different films aimed at children. The film was re-broadcast many times over the years, and has had several releases on home video, and is currently hosted on YouTube. The book was also read on BBC's Jackanory. In 1977, a radio play version was aired over a number of weeks on Australia's ABC radio. In 1978 the book was adapted as a radio play by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.

Notes

References

External links

• The Ghost of Thomas Kempe in libraries (WorldCat catalog) —immediately, 1973 US edition
• Penelope Lively at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Comfort reading: The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope Lively
• 1979 US TV Movie (YouTube)