The Five Jars

M R James (1862 – 1936) was a writer and British medieval scholar. His well-known classic ghost stories have a Victorian Christmas theme. Although James is best known for his ghost stories, he produced many excellent scholarly works. He is also credited with cataloging libraries at Oxford and Cambridge. It is possible that the author is the central character in this ghost story written for children, but thrilling enough for adult readers. The 5 jars contain magic ointments that give the narrator special powers. Evil creatures try and stop him from using these powers. The creatures are able to assume normal and friendly appearances. As the narrator uses one jar per night he is able to interact more with animals. The cat’s thoughts are quite fun to read. The introduction suggests that this book was not as popular as James’s other ghost stories because it was too scary for children in that time. Today’s kids will have no problem with this.