Just as Beverly Cleary did with Ramona (who appeared in Henry Huggins), Richard Peck makes Blossom Culp, a supporting character in The Ghost Belonged to Me, the heroine of its sequel. It's a wise choice, too; Blossom stole many scenes in the earlier novel, and her funny, matter-of-fact narration enables GHOSTS I HAVE BEEN to include scarier moments without losing its lightheartedness. It's a rare book that could include a ghost who hangs herself and then serves tea, but this novel pulls it off.

Blossom's unique voice frequently sets this skillful balance. Wryly observant of early twentieth-century manners, fiercely independent but secretly eager to belong, Blossom tells her story as she lives her life, with common sense and humor. Neither a knife-throwing ghost nor the sudden fame that follows her Titanic vision fazes Blossom.

The episodic plot filled with endearing supporting characters is similar to novels written a hundred years ago. The language is old-fashioned, too ("Whether you be born with the Gift or attain it is often debated"), and is an excellent stepping-stone for kids ready to jump into classic literature. One fourteen-year-old who read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn not long after reading GHOSTS I HAVE BEEN said Huck reminded her a lot of Blossom.

Kids won't want to miss Blossom's first adventure, The Ghost Belonged to Me. For more supernatural fun that blends humor and fantasy, try Half Magic, by Edward Eager.