This was fabulously written. Susan had me crying along with the boggart in the first chapter...that was 13 pages. The visuals she painted of the boggart's memories and emotions were so very strong that my heart was touched immediately. So why did I only give it 4 stars? Sadly, for something that some authors do not anticipate...what was commonplace in 1993 (or late 1980s since I know it took time to get this story published) is so far out of date now that the target age readers may have no idea what she is talking about. Example: Emily goes to a record store and the sales person finds her a tape. I received my first CD player in 1991, so this part really could have been avoided since CDs are still readily available. Jessup's part in dating the story line was unavoidable since his hobby is computers and at the time many still had monochromatic monitors and stored everything on either 5 1/4 or 3 1/2 inch discs.Back to the good stuff. I love how the author introduced us to the Boggart and his style of old magic. [Note to Harry Potter fans: This boggart is not the kind that takes this shape of what you fear most in order to feed off your fear. This boggart is more like a combination of house elf (he stays with one family) and invisible Peeves (likes to play jokes to have fun not to hurt) and is really quite likable.] She also gave us a look at a being related to samhain (Halloween). Sadly, his good intentions land Emily and Jessup in hot water.Part of the story takes place in a remote part of the Scottish Highlands. Castle Keep sits alone on an island in the middle of a loch. The residents must use a boat to get to the mainland for supplies. The boggart lives in the castle. Emily's family inherits the castle and when they go to investigate they meet the boggart, but do not really get to know him until they find out he has tagged along with them back to Canada. The majority of the story takes place in Toronto.The boggart wakes and starts playing his jokes on the family. As Emily and Jessup learn about him, they really get to like him, but he is very out of place in the land filled with technology.The part that disturbed me the most was that Emily's mother thought that her polite, well behaved teen daughter was harboring bitter thoughts about her parents and those thoughts were manifesting in acts of telekinesis, so she contacts a super creepy para-psychologist. This was horrible...to think that a mom would come to that conclusion without actually talking to her children first. This mom was weird. She yelled a lot, she didn't listen or try to understand, and she wasn't there. In fact, like many YA parents, these parents weren't really there for their children, but were focused on their jobs. Thankfully, this portion of the story was not very big. Dr. Stigmore reminded me a lot of the "child catcher" in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. *shudders* Maggie, Emily & Jessup's mother, did soften at the end. She focused more on her children at that point rather than jumping to conclusions and she apologized for some of the nasty things she said about one of Jessup's friends as well.To balance that are those that do believe what Emily and Jessup are saying. Those characters include Tommy (Emily fancies him), Willie, and Cai. The three are instrumental in educating Emily and Jessup on boggart history and behavior.The story was very emotional and exciting from page one to the very end. I enjoyed every moment (even the creepy ones) so much so, I might search this book out to add it to my collection.Happy reading!
ttHOME IS WHERE THE HEART IStWhen the Volnik family of Toronto inherits a decrepit castle on a Scottish isle, their lives are changed in many inexplicable ways. Maggie, the mother, is a distant descendant of the MacDevons, whose chieftain died after a century of living on the rocky islet—alone save for an old dog and an ancient, invisible companion. But can this immortal trickster adapt to the new residents of the castle, while honoring the rules of Old Magic? tTaking a break from Dad’s theatre and Mom’s antique business the family travels to Scotland to decide the fate of their new Keep in person. The kids immediately are charmed by the castle and some of its furniture, but local lad, Tommy Cameron, is wary of New Worlders who know nothing about the Baggart--an Old World creature whom he feels needs looking after since the MacDevon’s death.tInadvertently locked inside a Victorian desk shipped to Canada, the Boggart breaks out on the other side of the Atlantic to a household where only the kitten suspects his mischievous presence. As strange things start happening in the house—for which the kids are instantly blamed—-the adults become increasingly concerned; one paranormal investigator targets poor Emily (12) as the unwitting instigator of poltergeist phenomenon. Halloween proves disastrous for Maggie, but the unleashed Boggart hitches a ride to the Theatre, where he takes control of the lighting board. When the family is stalked by reporters from a Psych TV channel, the lives of all four Volniks are in total chaos. Fortunately 10-yar-old Jessup has Gang of Five computer geeks for cyber support.tBy curious irony it is the high technology of the dawning computer age which comes to their rescue, though Gaelic-speaking troupe members help explain the fantastic situation to the kids. It becomes increasingly clear that the Boggart wants to return to his own country, but how may this be accomplished? Can an old world being learn new tricks in the new world? As he acquires electronic skills is he becoming more “human” in his emotions as he ages? Delightful fantasy for kids of all ages. (Oct. 8, 2010. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
What do You think about The Boggart (2005)?
With the completion of this book, I am officially half way through the stack of books I must read for Battle of the Books, a mere ten days away. Five more to go!I looooved Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series. I read it numerous times when I was younger. I didn't realize she had been such a prolific author. The Boggart, while nowhere near as wonderful as Dark is Rising, is OK. It's a quick, easy read that gets into issues of home and family when a Canadian family go to check out their inheritance -- a haunted castle in Scotland -- the resident boggart hitches a ride back to Canada in a piece of furniture and begins playing tricks on the family.It's a fun read for younger kids, although the references to computers makes it very dated.
—Erica
This was actually my second time through Susan Cooper's The Boggart, with the first being a read-aloud with my fourth grade class. I found this copy at a resale shop, and couldn't resist buying it since I have found memories of my fourth-grade teacher, and vaguely remember that I always liked her taste. Although The Boggart isn't the greatest piece of literature, and definitely not as timeless as Susan Cooper's award-winning Dark is Rising series, it was definitely a fun read and creative. It's copyrighted 1993, and seems a little dated because it talks about computers as whoooo computers, strange mysterious things, which is juxtaposed with the strange mysterious Old Magic Boggart, a mischief-loving creature from Scotland who somehow ends up in Toronto. The Boggart creates all sorts of problems, sometimes dangerous, in pursuing his love for practical jokes, but eventually becomes homesick for Scotland, and then two children must find a way to send him home.
—Jennifer
I believe that I would actually give this book two and a half stars. Susan Cooper's writing in The Boggart comes sort of in alternating spurts of action and quiet reflection, humor and genuinely touching moments that go for maybe forty pages or so before smoothly changing to another tact. The method works well for this story, I think. The tale of the Boggart stands out as different from most other kid lit offerings while retaining the premier powers of Susan Cooper's almost gothic style. Watch for some seemingly ordinary characters who reflect short moments of deeply personal pain that will cause the reader to understand the character, and even their own selves, better. Above all, in my mind The Boggart is a book with a storyline that had incredible potential to be awesome. The end product is a good book that will latch onto most readers, I think, and make them glad to have read it. "But once in a great while he remembered that he had felt pain, a terrible ache in his heart, and he swore he would never let himself feel love for a human again." —The Boggart, P. 8
—Josiah
