Product Description

American millionaire Hiram C. Hopgood will stop at nothing to make his daughter, Helen, happy—even if it means buying her an ancient Scottish castle and shipping it back to Texas. Assembling the castle isn’t a problem for the oil tycoon . . . it’s the ghosts that worry him. Hopgood has made up his mind: the ghouls have got to go. But these spirits don’t spook so easily. Instead, they make their way to America, where they meet up with a magical severed hand and three fiendish, cross-dressing kidnappers for a Texassized adventure with a ghostly Scottish flair.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172692 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 3-7. When Hiram C. Hopgood purchases a Scottish castle, called Castle Cara, for his daughter, Helen, and has it shipped back to Texas, he has no idea that he has also acquired a coterie of ghosts that have lived in the castle for hundreds of years. But after Helen and the castle's former owner, 12-year-old orphan Alex MacBuff, who has accompanied Hopgood to America, are kidnapped, it's the resident ghosts (including Krok, a Viking warrior; Miss Spinks, a governess intent on drowning herself; Stanislaus, a toothless vampire; Flossie, a child/poltergeist; and Cyril, a hellhound) who come to the rescue. Ibbotson, the author of The Great Ghost Rescue (2002) and numerous other humorous fantasies, excels in her depiction of quirky characters, and the idea of Scottish ghosts in rural Texas adds absurdity to the convoluted, comical plot. Briticisms abound, but they should pose few problems for American readers already familiar with Harry Potter. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Eva Ibbotson lives in the north of England. Kevin Hawkes lives in Gorham, Maine.

Customer Reviews

Great story, wild characters, laugh out loud situations
Be aware that there are 3 books with the exact same story word for word. "The Haunting of Granite Falls", "The Haunting of Hiram C. Hopgood", and "The Haunting of Hiram" are all the same story by the same author. Just a different title and different cover art, same book inside. This is not the author's fault by the way, it is just that 2 publishers have the right to publish, Puffin and Macmillan, and this is what they have done. For some reason that is done with another book from this author, "Island of the Aunts" is also released as "Monster Mission". Personally, I like the artwork on the Macmillan covers better.

On to the story - This is a book about a rich Texan that buys a Scottish Castle named Carra from the last heir of an old family, an orphan boy. But he does not want any ghosts included as he is worried that they will scare the little girl that will live in the castle. The millionaire ships the whole thing stone by stone and rebuilds it in Texas. But the castle does have ghosts, very nice ones who have helped raise the boy. They include a viking, a ghost dog, and Miss Spinks. What the millionaire does not notice is that the ghosts do come with the castle. The boy flies to America to get the ghosts out and stays in the castle. When they learn they cannnot stay, they move into an old movie theatre next door, where they meet the mysterious ghost hand. Somehow, he is trying to solve the mystery of his murder many years ago. And when the little girl is kidnapped for ransom, the ghosts must join the effort to rescue her and the boy.

This book is suspenseful, but laugh-out-loud hilarious. The author creates the most charming and imaginative characters you can imagine. I strongly reccommend!

Beware! This is the book also call: " The Haunting of Hiram"
"The Haunting of Hiram" is the same book as: "The Haunting of Granite Falls"


Some of the book that Eva Ibbotson wrote in the U.K, are publish in the US with another title, like this one, and
"Moster Mission" that was publish as "The Island of the Aunts"
After that been said, every book that she had done is excellent!!
Synopsis of "The Haunting of Hiram" from Amazon.com U.K.
Twelve year old orphan, Alex MacBuff, doesn't want to sell his beloved home, Carra Castle. But it is falling to pieces and he can't afford to keep it. American millionaire, Hiram C. Hopgood, offers to buy it on condition that there are no ghosts - and Alex can't refuse. Problem is, Carra Castle is full of ghosts! There's Krok the hairy Viking warrior, mad Miss Spinks, a vampire with no teeth and a hell-hound called Cyril. Will Alex be able to stop them haunting Hiram? A barmy, brilliantly funny, supernatural adventure from the ever-popular Eva Ibbotson.

Good fun for parents too
Having discovered Ibbotson's imagination and humour in The Secret of Platform 13, our family has listened to or read aloud her other books with equal enjoyment. Car trips are a treat as we all listen to the adventures of plucky kids who form friendly alliances with ghosts, other 'imaginary' creatures, and caring grown-ups as they all combat a couple of villains.
In The Haunting of Hiram, a young boy is separated from the ghosts who raised him. The ghosts have some wild adventures (we know where JK Rowland found some inspiration) and meet an unusual new friend. They are reunited with the boy, and a girl who has become *his* new friend, just in time to help the kids escape some nasty kidnappers. I'd recommend this for ages 8 and up.