The Great Ghost Rescue

by Eva Ibbotson

Book Overview

The ghosts of Britain need a sanctuary. Castles with central heating, bogs drained for motorways, dismal forests cleared for car parks-there are few places left for a respectable ghost to haunt. Humphrey the Horrible (actually his name is simply Humphrey-he added "the Horrible" to help himself become horrible) is a small, mostly unsuccessful ghost in a family of ghastly ghouls. His mother worries. But Humphrey has enough pluck to befriend a smart,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525467696
• ISBN13: 9780525467694
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 8

Customer Reviews

Eva Ibbostons wild Ghost adventure

Eva Ibbostons "The great ghost rescue"is a great book.Its filled with gruesome ghosts and humor that only makes the book better. It has strong details and great characters.It is a book that is hard to put down.Eva Ibbotsons great humor and strong characters last through the entire story.Wich leads me to believe that Eva Ibbostons"The great ghost rescue" deserves 5 stars.

The great ghost rescue

The Great Ghost Rescue is a very good book. The main character is Humphrey the Horrible. Humphrey is a ghost. Humphrey is a bit of a disappointment to his mother and father. He doesn't moan or wail, his ectoplasm is pinkish, and he can't even disappear properly. Humphrey's mother is a hag, and Humphrey's father is a Scottish ghost with a sword sticking out of his chest. Humphrey's brother is a screaming scull, and his sister constantly moans because she can't reach her bowl of water to clean off her bloodstains. Yes, Humphrey's parents are worried about him.One day Aunt Hortensia came to live with the family. She has been forced out of the place she was haunting, and decided to come live in the old castle that Humphrey's family haunts. She brought with her stories of lots of ghosts being forced out of their old haunts or of being forced to haunt places like butcher shops (oh horror!). The family was staunch in their belief that whatever happened out in the rest of the world, they would be safe here.However the unthinkable happened. Developers came to their castle and started to turn it into an amusement place. The family leaves, seeking a new place. They spend the night in a boardinghouse. At the boardinghouse they meet a boy named Rick. Rick is already mad at the injustices people are doing to animals, and is shocked to see that ghosts share the threat of extinction. He wants to help the ghosts and decides that they need to create a Ghost Sanctuary. This is the story of Rick going to the Prime Minister and asking for a ghost sanctuary. It is also, more importantly, about how Humphrey realizes that he doesn't have to be Horrible, he is fine the way he is.The story is written in that creative style that always characterizes Ibbotson's work. It is a wonderful book and I really enjoyed it.Loggie-log-log-log

Funny and Creepy

Being close to halloween I chose this book to read for enjoyment as well as a way to fulfill an assignment for a class I am taking. The book jacket told of a young English boy's journey as he tries to help some creepy and strange spirits find a new home after being evicted from their castle where they have spent the last 500 years. Along the way other ghosts, vampire bats and spooks help the young man on his way to Parliament to plead with the government to help the homeless spirits. The unusual array of characters really adds to the story. I think the story has enough humor and "grossness" to keep young readers entertained. Humphrey the Horrible and his ghost family are an interesting bunch. His father, the Gliding Kilt, his mother,the Hag, his sister, Weeping Winifred, and his brother George, the Screaming Skull together make up the leaders of a band of residence challenged ghouls. Besides being entertaining the story also has some serious yet subtle messages in it. Most of the ghosts are being misplaced because their old homes and haunts are being destroyed by progress. Old castles are being turned into hotels, haunted houses are being torn down to make subdivisions, and old barns are even being turned into bowling alleys. "Hard to haunt with all those bright lights and bowling balls making all that rachet!" says one ghost. This one underlying plot may make readers think about and form opinions about how progress affects our world. I would recommend this book for young readers. While not being very scary at all it is entertaining and there may even be a few lessons to be learned.

Fun and intelligent!

This is the first book of Ibbotson's that I've read and I enjoyed it. It makes you laugh, makes you think, and makes you care. I think it's a great book for children mainly because it makes them think while having fun. There's enough 'gross'ness to say 'ughhhh!' and laugh, giggle and shows how we can DO something about the world around us if we really cared and tried to contribute positively to it.It's a well-written book.

This is a great book!

This book is one of the last Ibbotson's I read, but i loved it just the same. Parts of it may not be as wonderful as Which Witch? or Not Just A Witch, but it is a great book I would highly recommend it for relaxing fantasy literature. I also find it better in different ways than the other books. The characters seem more