The Wilkinson family is your average family living in London during World War 2. A dentist and his wife happily in love with each other, a slightly dotty grandma, a young teen lamenting the girl who turned him down, and a nervous aunt named Trixie. Oh, and their pet budgie. Then the bombs fall, and now they are ghosts. And that was that.Cue their lives trying to find a new home to haunt, and their adoption of another animal-loving ghost child named Adopta. Introduce Dial-a-Ghost, a charity run by two sisters who place homeless ghosts with families that want them. Now add two diabolical guardians to an orphaned child who order two terrifying ghosts named the Shriekers to frighten him to death, only to get the kind Wilkinsons. You get a story that is a lot more than the sum of its parts.The blurb on the back of the book calls it "A delicious ghost story," but I wouldn't call it that. It's suprisingly serious and yet joyful at the same time. The evil characters are really evil, in a sense you don't get often in kid's books. Grotesque as well; the Shriekers are some of the most horrid ghosts in kid's fiction. There's a sadness to the book too, especially with Trixie. (view spoiler)[ You see, when the rest of the family became ghosts, they "woke up" to find out she wasn't there with them. So they keep calling for her, telling her how much they miss her and want her back with them. (hide spoiler)]
I was reading an interview with Eva Ibbotson in which she explained why she liked to write about ghosts and other gruesome or magical creatures. Because she herself was scared by the idea of the supernatural, she wanted to demystify those fears for children. Thus, in her novels, ghosts may be bad -- but only in the bad or unkind way that humans are. (Rest assured there is no TRUE evil, but just lots of greed and selfishness.) The idea behind this novel is that there is an agency which employs ghosts and sends them out to human clients. A greedy uncle wants to hire some frightening, miserable ghosts to scare his young ward -- but his plan backfires, and instead, a kind and homely family of ghosts come to keep the young boy company. There are various plot complications, but the reader can be assured that nasty people (and ghosts!) will receive their just desserts, while nice orphan boys will triumph in the end. This could all get a bit treacly, but Ibbotson's humour always cuts the sugar.
What do You think about Dial-a-Ghost (2003)?
I'm one of those adults who believe that one is never too old to pick up a children's book and enjoy a good story, an imaginative tale or an old favorite. Dial-A-Ghost was cute, witty and entertaining. There was just enough grossness to keep a young person interested without giving them nightmares. I came away wishing I had the delightful ghost family, the Wilkinsons, hanging out in my home. "If I'm honest I have to tell you I still read fairytales and I like them best of all." -- Audrey HepburnNote: This was a book that I received from a member at Bookcrossing.com
—Deb
As you might have guessed from the title, this wasn't a life-changing read. But it was a fun read-aloud. I thought it was a little gruesome (perhaps overly so) in some parts, but that might just have been because I always read it while eating lunch. The kids loved it, though, so I've chosen to see the gruesomeness as Roald-Dahl-esque, which it is. It's funny, though because this is just the kind of book I would have loved at my daughter's age (8 years). A year older, and I was reading vampire stories and Edgar Allan Poe. A year after that I'd started in on Stephen King's books. And now I've not read a scary book since I went on a Shirley Jackson kick nine years ago. That's a lie, actually. In 2010 and 2011, I read two scary books, Let the Right One In and Horror Stories and Other Horror Stories. But it sounds better to say I've not read a scary book since 2004. I haven't watched any scary movies, though. Of that, I'm fairly certain. I think being a parent is so scary, it's made being scared for fun less...fun.Dial-a-Ghost isn't scary, though, so it's irrelevant to this review how I feel about scary stories nowadays.
—Charity
It's hardly a work of art, but it has a certain charm and sense of fun. It's hard to tell if the ghosts are thought-out or not, but either way they're fairly consistent and the story is purely for fun, not really for philosophy or deep thought.Also, the end of the Shriekers is a little... convenient. But other than that, I actually really like the ending. It's very fitting for the story.So while most of the book is all fun and ghostly adventures, I must say that the Shriekers are pretty darn terrifying. Or at least, definitely grotesque. And when Oliver's deep in depression? Honestly, that's one of the most tragic things ever."And for a child to think like that is not good at all."
—Dexter
