The ghost of Nicholas Greebe

K-Gr 3 The ghost of Nicholas Greebe vows to haunt his farm until he finds his missing bone. Dug up by a dog and accidentally transported to Boston, the femur ends up on a whaler and falls into the hands of a bored sailor, who carves a scrimshaw design on it. The whaler hits an iceberg and sinks, but the bone is retrieved in a fishing net and traded for goods. It remains in a trading post for about 100 years, when a sailor buys it for a satchel handle and returns home to New England and to Nicholas Greebe's farm. Another little dog gnaws off the handle and buries it right where it belongs, to the ghost's delight. Johnston tells a rousing good tale in the tradition of American writers such as Hawthorne; this one has great read-aloud potential with its impeccable pacing and infectious refrain. The author successfully evokes the mood of an old-fashioned ghost story, which will engage older readers without seriously frightening younger ones. Schindler's textured pen-and-ink artwork captures the tone of the tale, and the layout integrates text and illustration beautifully. This low-key chiller will produce shivers and smiles from the pre-"Goosebumps" (Scholastic) crowd. Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA Copyright 1998 School Library Journal Reviews

In Colonial Massachusetts, the ghost of a recently-buried farmer haunts his widow's house after a dog takes one of his bones on a long journey

Nicholas Greebe comes back to haunt a quiet New England farmhouse after a little dog accidentally unearths one of his bones, and, through a series of spooky happenings and endless wailings, Greebe makes his ghostly existence known, until all his bones are back together again.