SOLVED. YA a boy who moved to a new area & found a friendly ghost boy. There was a mean old man who was, I think, related to the ghost. The ghost boy had some money & hid it at the base of a tree [s]

[Jim]

Years ago, maybe in the 70's, I read a book about a boy who moved to a new area & found a friendly ghost boy. There was a mean old man who was, I think, related to the ghost. The ghost boy had some money & hid it at the base of a tree & was then murdered, becoming a ghost. The solution turned out to be the left tree instead of the right tree, the money was found & the old man was happy. I think the ghost boy moved on to the afterlife then.

I remember the area was fairly rural with a river & some docks around. I think the ghost boy was whacked on the head & dumped in the river.

Any help appreciated.

[Valerie]

Was there an apple orchard involved?

[Jim]

I don't really recall an orchard, but there could have been. It's been a lot of years.

I think the old man was the ghost boy's younger brother who grew old feeling betrayed.

[Samantha]

I think this sounds like a Goosebump's/Shiver's book of some kind. Where the boy moves to a flat with his parent's were he is misunderstood and then meets a ghost.
It could be that, I don't recall the name of it, but try one of them.
Sorry, if it isn't right

[Jim]

Thanks for the try, but I think this was written years before Goosebumps was around. Probably in the 60's or very early 70's. Goosebumps, by R.L Stine, didn't get started until the early 90's, I believe. His Fear Street series started a little earlier, but still a couple of decades too late.

[Jim]

Angela! Super!!! That is definitely it. Thanks so much!