The Boggart cover art

The Boggart

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Boggart

By: Susan Cooper
Narrated by: David Rintoul
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 Centuries old and thousands of miles from home.

When Emily and Jess Volnik's family inherits a remote, crumbling Scottish castle, they also inherit the Boggart--an invisible, mischievous spirit who's been playing tricks on residents of Castle Keep for generations. Then the Boggart is trapped in a rolltop desk and inadvertently shipped to the Volniks' home in Toronto, where nothing will ever be the same--for the Volniks or the Boggart.

In a world that doesn't believe in magic, the Boggart's pranks wreak havoc. And even the newfound joys of peanut butter and pizza and fudge sauce eventually wear thin for the Boggart. He wants to go home--but his only hope lies in a risky and daring blend of modern technology and ancient magic. Fiction Ghosts Growing Up Growing Up & Facts of Life Humorous Fiction Literature & Fiction Scary Stories Science Fiction & Fantasy Scary Fantasy Comedy Mystery Magic

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Over Sea, Under Stone cover art
The Boggart and the Monster cover art
Time Travel Diaries: Adventure in Athens cover art
The Stones of Green Knowe cover art
Brother Cadfael cover art
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete BBC Collection cover art
The Salt-Stained Book cover art
The Sand Dog cover art
Harrison Squared cover art
Storm Catchers cover art
Monster Mission cover art
Dark Summer cover art
The Shapeshifter: Finding the Fox cover art
The Last of the High Kings cover art
The 1,000-Year-Old Boy cover art
Famous Five: Five On A Treasure Island cover art
All stars
Most relevant
I have a very personal attachment to this book. My Mum got it out of the library for me when I was small and it became a favorite. But in subsequent years I couldn't find it when I went looking. It's now more than 10 years since I listened to it last and I had forgotten about it until a Redditor posted a question asking about our White Whale audiobooks. I remembered The Boggart and, because audible exists now, it wasn't at all difficult to find. I'm so glad I did. It is entirely as good as I remembered if anything even better because I can appreciate more of the subtly and folklore behind it.

Synopsis
The Boggart is a spirit of mischief. A shape changer, who flits around playing tricks. He lives in Castle Keep with the MacDevon, a Castle in remote Scotland. But when MacDevon dies the Castle is inherited by the Volnik family. They travel from their home in Toronto to see the Castle but decide they cannot keep it. But the two children Emily and Jessup are allowed to choose a piece of furniture each to take home. Emily takes an old roll-top desk, but does not realize that the Boggart lies asleep and invisible inside. How will the Boggart react when he wakes up, not in the highlands of Scotland, but the bustling modern world of Canada?

This is a children's book, but a children's book that can be appreciated by all ages. The characters are not complicated and the plot is short and sweet, but there is so much personality and it is told so well it is hard not to smile.

I adore stories that work old legends into new stories (I may have been influenced by this book), and The Boggart is an excellent example of this. Susan Cooper knows her folklore and is an excellent storyteller.

Narration
Talking of Storytellers David Rintoul is superb. He uses accent and tone to highlight the juxtaposition between old myth and modern life. He also has a really easy voice to listen to.

Recommendation
If you like fairytales, myths, and legends, especially of the Celtic variety, then this is a gem.

Am I biased? Yes. Should you read it anyway? I think so.

Folklore in modern life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Lovely story with a brilliant narration. Wonderfully nostalgic as I loved this book as a child and still adore it now.

Wonderful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
loved this book. I never came across this as a child, so I can't claim nostalgia but anyway, really enjoyed the excellent reader and story. Engaging, charming and at times moving.

a delight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is early teenage fiction I suppose but in my nearly old age I loved it. We are transported into an unbelievable realm which becomes entirely believable. There is a sense of respect for myth and history and old traditions. The narrator is good (sensible have the default as the Scottish accent given the story) with just a few wobbles on other accents (eg Welsh) but overall a fine performance.

Delightful story and narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.