The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

infobox Book |
name = The Ghost of Thomas Kempe
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Penelope Lively
illustrator = anthony Maitland
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
genre = Children's novel
publisher = Heinemann
release_date = 26 March 1973
english_release_date =1973
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 160 pp (first edition, hardback)
isbn = ISBN 0434948942 (first edition, hardback)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Ghost of Thomas Kempe" is a novel for children by Penelope Lively published in 1973. The novel won the Carnegie Medal in 1973.

Plot introduction

The story concerns a young boy James Harrison and his family who move to a cottage in a small Oxfordshire village called Ledsham. They are beset by a series of small domestic disasters and the family assume that James is causing them. However James discovers that he is being haunted by the ghost of a seventeenth century sorcerer.

No one however believes him until he meets Bert.Bert is a local handyman who has a sideline in exorcism. He peforms the bell,book and candle ritual in order to trap the former apothecary's ghost back into a new bottle.

This is a failure but eventually of his own volition Thomas Kempe allows himself to be trapped again ,finding himself to be a stranger in this new world.

Major themes

The story has some other themes about the life of an ex-inhabitant of the cottage in the 19th century and the history of surrounding countryside. An interest in history ,the passage of time and local change is a running theme in the work of Penelope Lively, and this can be seen in many of her other books.

Literary significance & criticism

The prose of the novel is very enjoyable with a lot of humour. It is still a popular children's novel. Fact|date=February 2007

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

In 1978, a film was made based on the novel, which aired on The ABC Weekend Special, a showcase for a variety of different films aimed at children. The film was re-broadcast many times over the years, and has had several releases on home video. The book was also read on BBC's Jackanory.

Major characters

*James, the main protagonist.
*Mrs.Harrison mother of James.
*Mr.Harrison father of James.
*Helen sister to James.
*Tim the dog
*Simon James bespectacled friend who refuses to believe in the ghost.

Other characters

*Bert the local handyman who tries to deal with the poltergeist.
*Mrs Verity, an old lady whom Thomas Kempe accuses of being a witch.
*Arnold , a Victorian boy who experienced the ghost before James.
*Aunt Fanny, Arnold's Aunt.
*Mr Hollings, James' teacher.
*The Vicar.
*Juliet, Helen's friend