[1] The book centers on 10-year-old tomboy Christina who, to her displeasure, has to spend her summer with her grumpy uncle after her grandmother becomes ill. Uncle Ralph is house sitting for a friend in an old, spooky, and isolated lake-side Victorian mansion.

There she sees, for the first time, a little boy in a blue sailor suit, who disappears before Christina can talk to him.

On a trip to the nearby city, Christina looks for old newspapers to see if she can find any information about the house.

Once again she sees the boy, but this time his expression is of terror, pointing at the comic book Christina is reading.

Upon further investigating, Christina concludes the ghost of the little boy is finally at peace now that the mystery surrounding his untimely death has been solved.