Dorrie and the Screebit Ghost (Dorrie the Little Witch #15)
by Patricia Coombs
Date: 1979
Publisher: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: Open Library
Dorrie's mother goes out to take part in a séance, accidentally leaving behind her instructions on how to summon spirits. Dorrie finds the spell and tries it out, unwittingly bringing a playful but mischievous ghost into the house.
(synopsis from Goodreads)
This is another cute Dorrie title that I may or may not have read as a child. In this story, the Big Witch (Dorrie's mother) goes out with her witch friends to have a séance. After she leaves, Dorrie finds written instructions for what she thinks is a dance... but they're actually the means to summon a ghost. She accidentally ends up with Screebit, a childlike spectre who always wants to play. Unfortunately, that includes snatching a ring from the Big Witch's windowsill, a ring which is supposed to keep the wrong kind of ghosts away from the séance. It's up to Dorrie to get the ring back and make it back home... all before her mother realizes what she's been up to.
The story has quite a bit of excitement. But the star for me is Dorrie. She's not written as a stupid child. In fact, she's quite clever, and ends up solving the problems thrown in her path rather casually. It's almost taken for granted that she'll be able to figure out a solution. While this could seem overly convenient if done badly, it works well here, and Dorrie comes across as a smart little girl.
The illustrations are fine, although I'm not crazy about the ghost. Maybe it's just because I read a digitized copy of an aged hardcover, but I found the ghost difficult to see at times (although, maybe that was intentional).
I'm quite enjoying these old books... and wondering why they're not still in print. They're a lot of fun!
Quotable moment:
Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Overall: 3.83 out of 5
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