To continue our monthly series of book lists for youth, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following titles.
October, 2008 - Ghost Stories
Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly by Judith Mathews. When Nathaniel’s Gramma kisses him goodnight and closes the bedroom door, he thinks he hears a ghost. Gramma brings first the cat, then the dog, then the pig, and even the cow to keep him company, but Nathaniel is still afraid. Grades P-2. Cassette book RC 41843.
Spooky and the Ghost Cat by Natalie Savage Carlson. Hallowe’en night, when black cats have special powers, Spooky rescues the ghost of a white cat from the witch to whom he once belonged. Grades P-2. Print/Braille book BR 7113. Cassette book RC 26231.
Christina’s Ghost by Betty Ren Wright. Christina is stuck house-sitting with her contrary uncle in an old Victorian mansion. A sighting of the ghost of a young boy sends the pair on the trail of a 30-year-old mystery. Grades 2-4. Braille book BR 6735. Cassette book RC 43270.
Ivy and Bean and the Ghost Who Had to Go by Annie Barrows. Ivy and Bean need to find a way to get rid of the ghost haunting the school bathroom because the children need to be able to use it! Grades 2-4. Cassette book RC 64635.
Don’t Give Up the Ghost: The Delacorte Book of Original Ghost Stories edited by David Gale. Well-known American children’s book authors offer original ghost stories ranging from the humorous to the horrific. Grade 3 and older readers. Cassette book RC 39032.
The Ghost on Saturday Night by Sid Fleischman. When a stranger gives Opie two tickets to a ghost-raising, he never guesses that he’ll have front-row seats to a bank robbery! Grades 3-6. Braille book BR 8553. Cassette book RC 8743.
Harvey Angell and the Ghost Child by Diana Hendry. Harvey and Henry set out with a bag full of spectre-catching paraphernalia to chase down the moaning, groaning ghost of Sibbald House. Grades 3-6. Large Print book LP 16146.
The Thing at the Foot of the Bed, and Other Scary Tales by Maria Leach. Funny stories, shivery stories, witch stories, and games about ghosts and other apparitions. Grades 3-6. Cassette book RC 11575.
Favor for a Ghost by Matt Christopher. Lennie thinks he’s going crazy when the ghost of a boy he never liked, killed in an accident a year ago, appears and asks Lennie to do him a favor. Grades 4-7. Braille book BR 5947. Cassette book RC 22574.
The Ghost at Dawn’s House by Ann M. Martin. Dawn is spooked by numerous unexplained happenings at her house, but all her friends are too busy with their babysitting jobs to help her find the ghost, if there is one. #9 Babysitters Club series. Grades 4-7. Cassette book RC 28533. Large Print book LP 12582.
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively. A series of odd mishaps reveals that James Harrison has unwillingly become an apprentice to the ghost of a 17th-century sorcerer. Grades 4-7. Cassette book RC 43165. Large Print book LP 8155.
Ghost Train by Paul Yee. By the time young Choon-yi reaches America to meet her father, he has been killed working on the railway. Her father’s spirit directs her to create a painting of a train to serve a special purpose. Grades 4-7. Cassette book RC 46049. Large Print book LP 13527.
The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret. Forced to stay with his elderly Aunt Ethel for the summer, Josh is haunted by the friendly ghost of a local miner who wants his bones moved. Digging in the cemetery reveals a more recent crime. Sasquatch nominee 2008. Grades 4-7. Cassette book CBA 7973.
The Ghost Squad Breaks Through by E. W. Hildick. After a young ghost discovers a way to communicate with a live person, a team of four ghosts band together to solve and prevent crimes. Grade 5 and older readers. Cassette book RC 22410.
Acquainted with the Night by Sollace Hotze. Caleb stays with his cousin Molly’s family to recover from a wound received in Vietnam. The two are drawn to each other and also to the ghost of a young girl who lived a century earlier. Grades 6-9. Large Print book LP 10196.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. After 15-year-old Liz Hall is killed, she finds herself first on a ship, and then in a place called "Elsewhere", where spirits age in reverse. Cassette book RC 61391.
Everlost by Neal Shusterman. After an auto accident, the souls of young Nick and Allie become stuck in Everlost. Other young souls try to warn them of dangers, and convince them that they're stuck forever, but Nick and Allie are determined to discover the truth. Grades 6 and older readers. Braille book BR 17117. Large Print book LP 23238.
Great Ghost Stories edited by Barry Moser. Thirteen classic spooky tales by such authors as H.G. Wells, Madeleine L'Engle, Bram Stoker, Arthur Conan Doyle, and H.P. Lovecraft. Grade 6 and older readers. Cassette book RC 50072.
True Ghost Stories edited by Terry Dreary. Nine ghostly tales including "The Restless Mummy", "The Flying Dutchman", "The Phantom Boots", "The Spirit Stones", "The Miller of Chest-le-Street", "George’s Dream", "The Lives and Deaths of Jane", "Diary of a Haunting", and "The Cock Lane Ghost". Grade 6 and older readers. Large Print book LP 151033.
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. WTBBL doesn’t have this title yet, but we can’t help recommending this ghost story. Unable to move on after her death, for 130 years, Helen’s spirit has been attached to a series of living humans with no real connection. Suddenly she meets a teenage boy who can see her, but, as it turns out, only because he is inhabited by James, another spirit. The two fall in love and work to solve the mysteries of their own lives and those of their teenage hosts. For high school and older readers. This is available as a commercial audio book on CD. Request it at your community library.
Link to previous Recommended Reads.