The Ghost Comes Calling by Betty Ren Wright

This novel is full of suspense and a great read for upper primary students. Author, Wright, revitalizes the story of the mean ghost who cannot rest. Chad Weldon likes the shabby log cabin his dad has bought on the lake. Then his bossy friend Jeannie informs him that the shack is haunted by the old man who built it. Apparently he died with a bitter grudge against the whole town, and he doesn't want anyone in his house. Slowly, in time-honoured fashion, the ghost gets closer and closer. First Chad feels him lurking in the woods, then he hears the eerie howl of the ghost's dog. Later, a grey scowling face appears at the window and a claw-like hand. Finally, Chad finds the confidence to go beyond Jeannie and put right the wrong done to the old man long before. The contrast between the safe and cosy domestic world and the ghostly disorder intensifies the pleasure of the story. Wright picks up our fear of the rustle in the bushes, the strange shadows on the porch and the spooky atmosphere inside and outside the house.