Bernie and the Bessledorf Ghost

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

From School Library Journal Grade 4-6 --As readers of two previous Bessledorf books will know, the zany Magruder family lives in the Bessledorf Hotel, where Mr. Magruder is manager. When a ghost begins to make appearances at the foot of his sister's bed, young Bernie Magruder sets out to discover the reasons for the haunting. His clever investigations reveal the ghost's identity, but no one can figure out what it wants or why it has suddenly appeared, and it is unable to talk. When Bernie finally puzzles it all out, the ghost is safely laid to rest. There's no need to have read the previous adventures to appreciate this one. The ghost is appropriately spooky, but the story is liberally laced with humor; the plot flows along nicely, with enough suspense to keep the pages turning. Especially entertaining is Officer Feeney, the policeman whose beat includes the strange goings on at the Bessledorf. Readers will like Bernie, whose deductive reasoning and perseverance finally pay off, and th