The shape-shifting Scottish spirit who sprang to vivid, mischievous life in The Boggart (1993) is back times two in a new adventure. The Volniks, Jessup and Emily, have returned to Scotland to visit Castle Keep, Mr. Maconochie (its new owner), their friend Tommy Cameron, and, of course, the castle's longtime resident, the Boggart. On a visit to Loch Ness, where scientist Harold Pindle is leading an expedition to crack the mystery of the lake's most famous resident, Mr. Maconochie and the children discover that the Boggart has stowed away in their camping gear and has made contact with a long-lost cousin, who just happens to be the very creature Pindle is out to find. This isn't quite as funny or suspenseful as the first book, perhaps because the Boggart is no longer a mystery to the Volniks. But the plot has plenty of sparkling complications, and there are some fresh, funny faces to round out the cast of well-drawn old friends. The clever premise and great characters will leave kids clamoring for more. (Reviewed March 1, 1997)

That mischievous, irresponsible, shape-changing, largely invisible imp, the boggart, who caused so much havoc in Cooper's 'The Boggart', has turned up again, and this time he gets involved with his long-forgotten cousin, the Loch Ness Monster. The wayward antics of the boggart, the intriguing Loch Ness Monster, and the children's efforts to help Nessie return to his boggart form make a lively and suspenseful tale.