I wish I'd kept all those books from back then as most of these books are out of print, or hard to find - but I'm sure you can locate a copy at your public library. Check them out and tell me that you don't see how these adorable little "Halloween" creatures are not the same as ones in books today.
The Georgie books by Robert Bright which he wrote beginning in 1944.
These are the most adorable ghost books. There is a series of titles but these are the ones I remember (and own) and am most fond of.
Georgie is a gentle ghost, and also quite shy. He lives in the attic of the Whittacker family in New England.
Georgie
(published in 1944)
Georgie is a sweet ghost that lives in the Whittacker family attic. He thoughtfully creaks the steps and the door each evening and other ghostly duties. Everything changes though when Mr. Whittacker fixes the step and the door and Georgie think he needs to find a new purpose. It is adorable!
Georgie's Halloween
(published in 1958)
Sweet little Georgie follows his family to the town costume contest. Halloween is a night that he can be out and not be noticed as out of the ordinary. He is too shy to enter the costume contest, however once home in his attic his friend the owl and the cat give him an award for the best costume.
Georgie and the Robbers
(published in 1963)
Gus the Friendly Ghost
by Jane Thayer
(published in 1962)
Another friendly little ghost. He lives in the summer home of the Scott family. When they leave the house for the winter he gets quite lonely and befriends a mouse (a bad idea in my book). They have a lovely winter together but things go wrong when the Scott family returns the next summer.
I could digress and say this book could have an alternate title such as
Why You Shouldn't Make Friends with Rodents or something like that but Gus was a Friendly Ghost will do.
Another great series is by Patricia Coombs who wrote the Dorrie books.
Sweet little Dorrie has a hard time keeping her hat straight and her socks up. She lives with her mother, Big Witch, and her cat, Grink.
Dorrie's Magic
(published in 1962)
Dorrie tries to use magic to clean her room and the results are not at all what she expected!
Dorrie and the Blue Witch
(published in 1964)
While Dorrie is home alone having a tea party with Grink, her cat, the bad Blue Witch comes to her house and Dorrie manages to capture her and win a prize.
Dorrie and the Goblin
(published in 1962)
Dorrie has to babysit a young goblin and finds out how hard babysitting the young can be.
What the Witch Left
by Ruth Chew
I loved this story and it made such an indelible imprint on my mind that I had to try to pick readers brains to remember the title. Once I did I quickly re-bought a copy and reread it!
The story is of two children who find a locked cabinet with mysterious objects that seem ordinary but quickly find out they are not.
One of the items is a pair of old red, rubber boots. These are the fabled Seven-League boots and this item alone made me want to have a pair of these for myself!
Another Ruth Chew book is
The Wednesday Witch
She rides a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom and stops at a house and accidentally leaves her cat, Cinders, behind.
Ruth Chew's books have since been republished but I prefer the more simple, less comic style of old.
The Little Leftover Witch
by Florence Laughlin
Felina is a little witch whose broom breaks and she gets stuck in a tree outside of the Doon family house. She has to wait until the following Halloween when she can fly through the sky again and so the family takes her in. It's a sweet little story.
Also republished but the cover above is better (to me) than the new one.
Boo! Happy Reading!
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