Grizzly Pete and the Ghosts

Irene Punt is a published author and elementary-school teacher in
Calgary, Alberta.

A gang of ghosts—with the exception of one of their members,
Spook—wants to make the mining town of Paydirt their own. The only
thing standing between them and their goal is the unflappable miner
Grizzly Pete, who dreams of finding gold. Spook, the ghost who would
rather play in the mines than scare the miners, has been given the
formidable task of getting rid of Grizzly Pete.

Spook uses his scariest antics but to no avail. Then the tables are
turned on him and the other ghosts when Grizzly Pete threatens to
“tin” them. The ghosts, believing Grizzly Pete will find gold and
people will flock to the town, banish Spook and give up on Paydirt. Off
on his own, Spook sees his reflection in a pond and realizes that the
ghost Grizzly Pete told him he caught in his tobacco tin was his own
reflection. Armed with that knowledge and an idea of his own, Spook
returns to the miners’ cabin and offers his help.

When Grizzly Pete starts to dream of finding gold, Spook joins him and
leads him not only through the mines, but also through solid rock. When
Grizzly Pete wakes up to the realization that there is no gold in the
mine, he decides to move on—but not without his new partner, the one
and only Spook.

John Beder’s illustrations perfectly capture the fun tone of this
ghostly tale. Recommended.