Product Description

In a tumbledown castle in the Western Highlands of Scotland lives the Boggart. He is invisible -- an ancient mischievous spirit, solitary and sly, born of a magic as old as the rocks and the waves. He has lived in Castle Keep for centuries, playing tricks on the owners. But the last Scottish owner has died and left the castle to his great-nephew Robert Volnik of Toronto, Canada. The Volnik family -- including Emily and her nine-year-old computer genius brother Jessup -- visit Castle Keep, and when they return to Toronto, they unwittingly take the Boggart with them. The astonishments, delight, and horrors that invade their lives with the arrival of the Boggart fill this swiftly moving story. The collision of modern techology and the Old Magic brings perils nobody could have imagined -- and, in the end, an amazing and touching solution to the problem of the Boggart who has found himself on the wrong side of the ocean. Sometimes extremely funny, sometimes wildly scary,and always totally absorbing, this remarkable story -- brilliantly imagined and beautifully written -- marks the return of the Newbery Award winner Susan Cooper to the field of novels for young readers. An outstanding achievement, The Boggart will work its special magic on all who read it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15925 in eBooks
• Published on: 2004-01-07
• Released on: 2004-01-07
• Format: Kindle Book
• Number of items: 1

From Publishers Weekly
The Boggart, a Scottish spirit delighting in practical jokes, is "one of the Old Things of the world" and belongs "to the cold separate heart of the Wild Magic." When the Volniks, a Canadian family, inherit the castle where the Boggart has lived for centuries, the shape-shifting mischief maker is accidentally transported to Toronto, where he discovers greater opportunities for trickery than he has ever imagined. Much gentle slapstick ensues when the ancient being visits Mrs. Volnik's antique shop and the theater run by Mr. Volnik. It falls to the Volnik children, Emily and Jessup, to befriend the prankster and send him home. Although far more lightheartedly, this boisterous romp draws upon the same powerful pre-Christian magic at the heart of Cooper's well-known Dark Is Rising sequence. Aside from all that is amusing and spooky, this tale offers a firmly grounded and utterly non-didactic introduction to some of the differences between the Old World and the New. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-- The Volnik family inherits a rundown old castle on an island off Scotland and visits their new property. After returning home, 12-year-old Emily and 10-year-old Jessup notice strange things happening. Their detective work eventually discloses the cause--a mischievous boggart has accidentally become trapped in a piece of furniture the family shipped home to Canada. Unfortunately, no adults believe them. The children claim innocence on Halloween night as pieces of furniture fly through the air and a bucket of water soaks their mother. Eventually, the boggart's pranks begin to cause serious problems; he becomes intrigued with the power of electricity, and causes a traffic accident that lands Emily in the hospital. Finally, he learns to communicate with the children by computer, causing the message-- "I want to go to my own country"--to appear in Gaelic on Jessup's screen. When he gets trapped in a black hole in a computer space-adventure game, the youngsters devise a daring, risky, and ultimately successful plan to help the boggart return home. The novel is fleshed out with numerous, vividly realized secondary characters, including various actors at the Chervil Playhouse, where Mr. Volnik is artistic director, as well as the novel's true villain, Dr. Stigmore, a psychiatrist and a parapsychology scholar who insists that Emily is a troubled adolescent in need of hospitalization. The intelligently thought-out clash between the ancient folkloric creature and modern science guarantees a wide audience. A lively story, compelling from first page to last, and a good bet for a read-aloud. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
pointered review, Kirkus "A comfortably old-fashioned story . . . splendidly comical." -- Review

Customer Reviews

A mischievous read . . .
I am already a huge fan of Susan Cooper and I thoroughly enjoyed the Boggart. I loved all the mischief that the Boggart gets into, and how as a reader you come to appreciate his cunning. Knowing every ones' point of view makes already funny situations hilarious. Susan Cooper's characterization has a way of making the reader care about her characters which is one of the things I like about her as an author. This book is worth reading and I recommend it to anyone who prides themselves on being a prankster or just like reading about fantastic mischievous creatures.

the weird topic
When I first got this book I was a big fan of Spiderwick. I first learned about boggarts in Spiderwick. I thought this book would tell the boggarts point of view. But it didn't. It was a completely different kind of boggart. It was not what I expected, and it wasn't even that good. This boggart simply plays more and more tricks on people. In Spiderwick the boggarts are angry and dangerous. In this book the boggart lives in a castle. He plays tons of tricks on people that live in this castle. Then later in the book he is in Canada and some kids bring him back through the computer to his castle in Scottland. This book does have a ton of funny parts. In fact, the whole book is like a funny part itself. My favorite character is Jessup because he has a funny name and he is pretty normal which is cool. The thing I don't like about this book is too many of boggart's tricks are not funny. For example, messing with a computer can cause frustration, but is not funny. My least favorite character is the boggart itself because he mainly plays too many tricks that are stupid. Get this book if you like to laugh at stuff people do to make other people look bad.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
When 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?

Taking 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 Boggart--an Old World creature whom he feels needs looking after since the MacDevon's death.

Inadvertently locked inside a Victorian desk shipped to Canada, the Boggart breaks out on the other side of the Atlantic to find 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 spin in total chaos. Fortunately 10-year-old Jessup has his Gang of Five computer geeks for cyber support.

By 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 should this be accomplished? Can an old world being adapt his ageless tricks in the new world? As he acquires electronic skills is he becoming more or less "human" in his emotions as he matures? T his book is a delightful fantasy for kids of all ages.