The Ghost’s Grave, by Peg Kehret

(hb; 2005)

From the inside flap:

“What Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting for years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him – only then will he be at peace.

“Josh agrees to do the grisly deed, but when he digs in the old cemetery, he finds more than Willie’s leg bones. Who buried the box of cash in the grave, and why? How far will that person go to get the money back?”

Review:

Straightforward, charming children’s book aimed at tweens (children between the ages of eight and twelve).

Wilbur (“Willie”) Martin requests that twelve-year old Josh McDowell dig up his errant leg bone, and Josh’s life takes on some strange – later dangerous – situations, including: foiling a gun-wielding thief, and getting to know his Aunt Ethel, who shoots at bats, and who believes that her sister Florence has been reincarnated as a screaming peacock.

This is a light, interesting read, with a few non-preachy life lessons and subtle shades of morbidity thrown into the mix.

Glad I read it.