5. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe, By Penelope Lively

£6.99, Egmont

Penelope Lively’s ghost, a 17th-century apothecarie whose spirit is disturbed by a modern family, is less terrifying and more curmudgeonly, but this children’s book still has the odd alarming, and poignant, moment. The main (living) character, a boy called James, is particularly charming. A great year-round read.