9 year old Branden is afraid of ghosts. When his babysitter doesn't show up one afternoon things get a little scary for him. Then Ms Meriweather shows up and the afternoon takes a turn for the weird. Ultimately Branden learns that not everything that goes bump is a ghost. And most things have a logical explanation. But, yes. There is a ghost in the story. Great book for 8 to 12 years old.