Spooky & Spookier: Four American Ghost Stories

Gr 2–4—This is a collection of four ghost stories embedded within American history. Through simple text and challenging vocabulary, readers learn about a ghost horse, a skeleton that will not stay buried, a haunted painting, and a dead sea captain searching for his lost hook. The stories contain the perfect amount of scary for young elementary readers—not to be confused with the highly challenged "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz. The selections imply ghostly apparitions and question the appearance of said ghosts with thoughtful probing. The sentences are short and simple with vocabulary that is meant to be challenging but decodable. The painted illustrations add much to the stories as they show the ethereal goings-on in a colorful palette that prevents readers from being too frightened. Moreover, the illustrations are accompanied by photographs and captions of the inspiration for each of the ghost stories. These factual representations allow readers to combine fiction with nonfiction to earn a greater understanding.