Comfort reading: The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope Lively

A mischievous boy hero and an equally amusing ghoul. Not without its bittersweet edge, this is also very soothing storytelling

Interesting 'studies' … a young boy with a worm. Photograph: Blend Images / Alamy/Alamy

The back of my copy of The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe suggests it is suitable for readers aged nine and over. That easily includes me, although now and again I wonder if I might prefer it if it didn't. Viewed from my increasingly distant standpoint, under nine seems a wonderfully simple thing to be. No bills, no debt, and few thoughts that the future might not go on for ever. Nothing much to worry about at all except long division and the odd spelling test, and in summer, even less of that. A comfortable time, in other words. So I'm glad of a book that can take me back there as skilfully and enjoyably as does this little book Penelope Lively wrote back in 1973.

The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe is a glorious reminder of the fun of being a boy. It centres on James – a fun, clumsy, Just William kind of character who delights in just scruffing around with his almost-talkative dog Timmy. He makes a mess in the kitchen, digs tunnels in the garden and conducts "studies" on interesting insects. It is all delightful, and it all happens under golden sunshine, in a peaceful village, in a lovingly described cottage. Lively evokes bliss for her young hero – and just as brilliantly disrupts it
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