Georgie and the Robbers

Georgie the Ghost #4

by Robert Bright

Georgie is the gentle little ghost who lives in the Whittaker house. Every night he creaks the stairs and squeaks the parlor door to remind Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker that its time to go to bed and to sleep. But Georgie never scared anybody; he was much too shy for that. But when robbers come to steal all the lovely antiques in the house, its up to Georgie to frighten them away.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Halloween, Ghosts, Classics, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1963

About the author

Robert Bright was born on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1902 and passed away in San Francisco in 1988. He spent his childhood in Europe and completed his education at Phillips Academy, Andover, and Princeton University.

His vocations included those of newspaper reporter in Baltimore and Paris, art and music critic in Sante Fe, New Mexico, teacher in Boston, and novelist. Believing that "the imaginative child in the imaginative man is fortunately never far away," Mr. Bright has delighted in writing his numerous books for children. Many of these star Georgie, the friendly little ghost who first appeared in 1944 and has been charming young readers on both sides of the Atlantic ever since.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgie - the gentle little New England ghost whose story was chronicled, over the course of almost forty years (from 1944-1983), in thirteen picture-books - returns in this, his fourth adventure, facing off against two burglars intent on denuding the Whittaker house (and especially, Georgie's home in the attic!) of all its valuable antiques. Can Georgie and friends - Herman the cat, Miss Oliver the owl, and the harmless cow who lives next door - stop the robbers in time...?

Although I enjoyed this installment in the Georgie series - the black and white illustrations were as cute as ever, in their old-fashioned way, and the story itself will surely appeal to younger readers looking for ghostly fare without the scares - I did find Bright's narrative set-up, in which he describes Georgie in all his non-frightening glory, and discusses the value of antiques, a little too labored. The rather didactic feeling of the opening text of Georgie and the Robbers just didn't work very well for me, as an introduction to the story. Still, the tale itself was amusing, making this another solidly engaging entry in the series, so young fans of the "gentle ghost" will undoubtedly still appreciate it.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorites as a child.

[Teri-K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The other in the series that I especially loved as a little girl and my kids loved it, too. Now I'm sharing it with my grandsons and they both loved it. Georgie is a sweet, shy ghost and how he and his friends foil a robbery makes a great story for young kids.

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author Robert Bright would not ring a bell but as soon as I saw this book's cover, coming to me from outstanding children's books my parents stored, familiarity rang right away. I even recognized a pivotal scene of “Georgie And The Robbers”! A little friendly ghost stands atop a billowing sheet, to make himself look larger and bolder. He aggressively shoos away a threat to the animals and family with whom they lived, while that couple was out, in town. I love stirring a memory, of a book cover and of a page I have not seen in thirty years. How rewarding!

This was published in 1963 and I had no inkling that this is fourth in a series, that started in 1944. It is in recent years that I am filling in stories that belong with bargain novels I bought. I would enjoy reading the rest of Georgie's stories. The idea that a friendly spirit has the attic of a house and is known to the household pets and other animals, with whom he accomplishes deeds, is creative and empowering. The night environments, challenging situations, and villains are downright unsettling, certainly for me, as a tot. Our animal protagonists have cheerful faces, thus it is a safe suspense, that generates excitement about how this story will come out. Robbers attempting to steal from a kindly farm family was disturbing. I loved seeing Herman their cat, Miss Oliver, an owl, and the cow, with a rabbit looking on, work together to scare the heck out of these bandits.

Robert is the illustrator too, with his own spooky sketch style that is unforgettable. It is fun that everything: cops, robbers, vehicles, furniture, and the Whittakers are drawn with an old-time look, which makes sense from an author born in 1902.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure if my copy of Georgie and the Robbers came from my childhood bookshelf or my step-mother’s classroom library. But, wherever its origin, I’m glad I got to revisit this sweet story starring a small, shy ghost and its animal friends. The story’s moral of working together to accomplish a task is subtle while the story itself is 100% fun. During the Halloween season, this is a perfect “scary read” for the younger readers: it features a ghost without much, if any, “scare.”

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgie, the shy gentle ghost, lives in the Whittaker house. But when robbers show up to steal all their antiques, Georgie, Herman and Miss Olive must devise a way to stop them.

I loved the Georgie books when I was growing up.

[Steve Schwandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was first read to me before I had a full grasp of complete sentences, grammer and structure. I thought it was a "big kid" book due to its
's long sentences, paragraphs and black and white illustrations.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

ADORABLE!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I found it in a box of random kids books mom has sitting near the dining room table.) Super cute story & absolutely adorable illustrations.

[Grumpy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book, remember Georgie from my childhood school days

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgie the ghost helps save the Whittakers home from robbers while they are out. A cute ghost story.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featuring a ghost who’s sweeter than he is spooky, this vintage picture book continues Georgie’s adventures as the little spirit who happily haunts the Whittaker’s attic, a cheerful place cluttered with charming “old things you just couldn’t bear to part with.” Published in 1963, you may have to dig to find this little gem. But it’s worth the trouble for the young at heart.

More recommendations from me at www.jenniferfrostwrites.com

[Peter D. Sieruta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Monica Edinger responded to a blog I wrote about Halloween stories, recommending this picture book series about a ghost. I immediately read all eight "Georgie" books in my library and found him a fun character (which came first -- Georgie or Casper?) though the individual narratives were uneven in both storyline and writing. It's interesting to watch how the rather messy original illustrations -- all in blue! -- evolve to add other colors as the books progress over the years.

[Emmy Ryan]

this is a cute story about a ghost catching robbers. the pictures were drawn nicely but I wished they had more color. they were just blue and white.

[Debbie Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgie is a small ghost, and has never really scared anyone, until he must think of a way to scare the robbers before they get away with antiques stolen from the Whittaker house.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book from my childhood!