Mumsnet Talk

My son (year 7) needs to read a ghost novel and I can't find anything suitable (either too babyish or too scary). Any suggestions? Thanks

What about 'When Marnie Was There', would that be suitable?

I have just warned a 6 year old off this, but a year 7 boy should be OK - has he tried Chris Priestly's Tales From the Black Ship? (a title in his 'Tales Of Terror' series). It is satisfyingly ghostly, but forms a series of short linked stories, so the scares can be bite sized. And there is a deliciously terryifying twist at the end.....

The Haunting by Margaret Mahy? I love her.

Does it have to be ghost or can it be anything scary?

I used to love "Room 13" when I was a child. It's a vampire one.

The skulduggery pleasant books are not ghost-y but supernatural and very good any reason a ghost book is wanted or is it a hobby?

Try The Ghost of Thomas Kempe no idea what age it suits, but I read it before I was a teenager I think.

thanks for the suggestions everyone, they are very useful. He is studying ghost stories in English, but he doesn't like books that involve nightmares or scary stories that are "realistic". The suggested books are just the ticket.

Eva Ibbotson's Dial a Ghost is worth looking out for, ds loved it.

There is a relatively new series of books by Darren Someoneorother (sorry, can't remember the surname!) called Frightfully Friendly Ghosties. They live in a house and can't understand why the humans who also live there scream when they see them! The boks are funny, rather than scary, and aimed at your son's age range.

Ghosts (is it Antonia Fraser?) it was filmed as The Amazing Mr Blunden.
Ihave one called Baldur's Bones too, I forget who by, but that would be good for a 7 yr old I think - not too scary but exciting and with a nice ending with the ghost at rest after a long long time. He's a friendly ghost to the two young protagonists and they help him with a quest type thing so he can be at peace.
Charlotte Sometimes? (been a long long time since I read that one so I can't remember details though)
I second room 13 - I love Robert Swindells, the only one of his I don't reread is Stone Cold and I think that's because it was a school reading book and the dissections afterwards ruined it
There's a Neil Gaiman one called The Graveyard Book where a young boy runs away (his mother is killed but it's not OTT or gory or anything) and the ghosts at the Graveyard take him in and 'parent him' as he grows up. It's a nice story and again, has a happy ending.

I was just going to recommend The Grave yard Book some of the illustrations are a bit scary but the story is great.