The Beasts Of Clawstone Castle is a 2005 book by Eva Ibbotson.
When their parents go to America to take up a lucrative job that would their money problems, Madlyn and Rollo are sent to the Scottish border to live with Great-Uncle George and Great-Aunt Emily in Clawstone Castle, home of the Wilde White Cattle of Clawstone Park. However, George and Emily are also facing problems; Trembellow Towers, a rival castle, attracts a lot of tourist traffic, and the upkeep of the herd has become too much for them. Thus, Madlyn and Rollo step in and take over for them, auditioning a cast of ghosts to add some thrills to the tours of Clawstone Castle.
Despite initial success, the cattle get stolen, and the ghosts and the children find themselves facing a great mystery and very sinister enemies.
Examples:
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Madlyn is the very soul of kindness, so of course she has to help every miserable person that she sees. Deconstructed when she has a little breakdown due to the pressure.
- Dem Bones: Mr. Smith, a taxi driver turned ghostly skeleton.
- Faint in Shock: Major Hardbottom faints when he first meets the disembodied feet.
- Friendly Ghost: The ghosts hired by Madlyn and Rollo, who befriend the children.
- Friend to All Living Things: Rollo adores any and every kind of animal - he even adopted a giant lizard from the zoo - which puts him in a perfect position to appreciate the cows.
- Passing the Torch: George is very happy when Rollo decides to help him to watch over the cows.
- Saw a Woman in Half: Sawn-In-Half Sunita, the ghost of a woman killed in a circus act that went terribly wrong.
- Wight in a Wedding Dress: Brenda the Bloodstained Bride, murdered on her wedding day.
