Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Tartan Magic
In most places, a graveyard is just a place full of tombstones and bones and wilting flowers. But in Scotland, where magic is everywhere, graveyards are something more, something worse. . . . On a midnight visit to the town cemetery, Peter and Jennifer get drawn into a deadly drama three hundred years past, a tale of two star-crossed lovers whose ghosts are furious about the betrayals that neither can forgive.
In Jane Yolen's The Bagpiper's Ghost, book three in the Tartan Magic series, a trip to a Scottish cemetery entangles American twins Jennifer and Peter in the afterlife feud of former lovers. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grades 4-7--This story, set soon after the events of The Pictish Child (Harcourt, 1999), finds Peter and Jennifer embroiled in another magical mess on their Scottish vacation. When the twins visit a graveyard hoping to see the ghost of Mary MacFadden, Peter is possessed by the unhappy spirit of her twin brother, Andrew. Jennifer and her Gran, a white witch, know that they have only one day to get the spirit to leave Peter's body or it will take him over forever. In life, Andrew plotted to keep Mary from marrying Ewan McGregor, and Mary pined away to her grave. The theme of Andrew's ghost needing forgiveness is echoed in the relationship between Peter and Jennifer, who have had a fractious relationship since they turned 13. The three ghosts; Peter, Jennifer, and Gran; and a magical horse and dog have a showdown in the graveyard, where of course everything is put right and the spirits of Ewan and Mary are together at last. The story is slight and the characters are two-dimensional. Granted, the action takes place within about 24 hours, but that leaves little time for the author to develop characters and setting. The Scottish dialect is wonderfully authentic, but could be difficult for most children. The glossary is helpful, but it doesn't include a phonetic pronunciation guide. Fans of this type of story will probably enjoy Mollie Hunter's novels or Susan Cooper's The Boggart (McElderry, 1993) more. Cheri Estes, Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills, MI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."
My daughter loved this book she went through it pretty fast not one day but a couple. Good book though, she enjoyed rereading it. If your kid is into scary books buy this book.
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This wonderful story is one of three (so far) chronicling the adventures of three American children on vacation in Scotland, visiting their grandmother. They have come to realize that Scotland is filled with the magic of centuries, and the magic lives in 13-year-old Jennifer. However, when her twin, Peter goes off to look for magic, the twins soon find themselves embroiled in a new adventure! Sometimes malevolence lasts, especially that between a brother and sister.
This is a great story, harkening back so clearly to ancient folk stories. I especially liked the traditional idea of women as possessors of ancient wisdom and power, beyond men and their science, powerful and yet healing in nature. This is a great book that I recommend to everyone with children, especially girls.
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This is the third book in Jane Yolen's Tartan Magic trilogy, and picks up soon after the events in The Pictish Child. In this book, Jennifer and Peter, two American children on vacation in Scotland, head off to visit a local graveyard. Peter is rather jealous of Jennifer's newfound magical ability, and wants to find some magic himself. However, when they meet three ghosts, Peter gets more than he bargained for! Now Jennifer is in a race against time to get Peter un-possessed, and put some poor souls to rest.
My thirteen-year-old daughter first introduced me to these books, and I must say that I enjoy them as much as she does. Jane Yolen does an excellent job of bring Scotland to life for the American reader (please remember that there is a Scottish glossary at the back!). In general, the author does not spend too much time on character development (outside of the children and their grandmother, the characters are very two-dimensional), but for many young readers, this will not prove a problem.
So, let me just say that my daughter and I both enjoyed this book, and we highly recommend it to you!
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