Peterson, Megan Cooley. Haunted Objects From Around the World. Capstone Publishers  2017  32p   $27.99  ISBN 978-1-5157-3859-6      elem  Nonfiction  VG         

Upper-elementary students who are interested in ghost stories and learning about hauntings will appreciate this new title in the “It’s Haunted” series.  Written in an easy-to-comprehend format, students are introduced to several haunted objects from around the world.  Students who read the stories behind the haunted objects can determine for themselves whether they believe something is haunted or not.  Stories include Robert the Doll, a vintage Nintendo Entertainment System, a Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle, King Tut’s tomb contents, a painting of the Anguished Man, Anna Baker’s wedding gown, a mirror at the Myrtles Plantation, a haunted Dybbuk (or Dibbuk) Box cabinet, and Thomas Busby’s stoop chair.  Each story provides insight and photographs for students to determine whether they think it’s fact or fiction.

The author includes colorful photographs, interesting facts, intermixed vocabulary terms, a glossary of terms, a list of recommended books, a special code to use on FactHound, and an index.

For schools who participate in Accelerated Reader, an existing test is available for students to take (AR Quiz # 186793).     

Haunted Objects is part of the new It’s Haunted series. As of this review, four titles have been published in the series.  Each title explores some of the most haunted places and things around the world.

Summary: “Explores haunted objects, including cursed boxes and demon-possessed dolls, that can be found around the world.”     

Ghosts, Poltergeists, Parapsychology                        --Charleen Forba-MacCain

Telgemeier, Raina. Fantasmas.

Telgemeier, Raina.  Fantasmas. Scholastic/Graphix     2017  240p  $10.99      ISBN 978-1-338-13368-4    elem/ms  Graphic novel  VG-BN           

Catrina and her family move to Bahia de la Luna in Northern California in the hope that the move will improve the health of her sister Maya, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Saddened to leave her friends and sunshine behind (as the sun only shines in their new town approximately 85 days out of the year), Catrina becomes terrifyingly aware of the ghosts that live in the town.  Maya is intrigued by the apparitions and even constructs an Ofrenda for her Grandma.

This Spanish-language edition of Raina Telgemeier’s Ghosts will captivate and delight young Spanish-speaking readers. The story is exciting and informative as it discusses the disease of cystic fibrosis, as well as various Hispanic traditions and customs.

In addition to the great story, there are great illustrations that enhance the text. Colorful drawings portray the emotions of the characters and add detail to the writing.

Summary: Catrina and her family move to Bahía de la Luna in Northern California to improve her sister Maya’s health.  Maya has cystic fibrosis.  The two sisters discover the ghosts in the town, especially when they celebrate the Day of the Dead. (Spanish).
                 

Ghosts-Fiction                                                    --Virginia McGarvey

Yelchin, Eugene. The Haunting of Falcon House.

Yelchin, Eugene.  The Haunting of Falcon House.  Henry Holt/Macmillan  2016      310p    $15.99  ISBN 978-0-8050-9845-7     elem/ms  Fantasy  VG-BN

In this tale-within-a-tale, Lev, a young Russian nobleman of the early 20th century, aged about twelve, is sent to live with his eccentric aunt in St. Petersburg, where he encounters the ghost of a servant boy who served his grandfather. Only by breaking a curse put on the ghostly serf can Lev resolve the story’s mystery, finish a drawing he had started with his mother, and release the ghost from its misery. The story brings to mind some classics of Russian literature, such as the stories of Gogol and Tolstoy, with its descriptions of Tsarist Russian life and its wry humor. The characters are interesting and quaint, the sentences old-fashioned and eloquent, and the plot twisted and fanciful. The author sprinkles his own wonderful drawings throughout, giving them the look of old documents that have been slightly damaged by age. In the back, there are footnotes pertaining to Russian history which will be helpful to the young readers who get into the novel. The novel, like Yelchin’s previous work, will appeal to readers who are intellectually open to immersing themselves in Russian culture.  Recommended for upper-elementary and middle-school students who are into multicultural stories and fantasy.

Summary: A young nobleman in Tsarist Russia is sent to live with his aunt in an old gothic mansion, where he encounters ghosts and learns about his family’s secrets from the past.                      

Ghosts-Fiction, Russia-Fiction                                                                                  --Carol Kennedy

Bow, Erin. Sorrow’s Knot.

Bow, Erin.  Sorrow’s Knot.  Scholastic/Arthur Levine  2013  342p  $17.99      ISBN 978-0-545-16666-9    hs  Fantasy  E-BN     

Otter must find a way to stop the White Hands or become one herself.    Three friends, a Storyteller, a Hunter, and a Binder, live in a village that is surrounded by ghosts.  An ordinary Binder can deal with most ghosts, but White Hands devour the spirits of the living, and it takes a Binder with legendary skills to successfully contain a White Hand.  When the village is confronted by a White Hand that had once been a Binder, the three friends must journey to the dawn of legends to seek a solution.

Erin Bow has created an eerie, atmospheric novel in the style of a Native American folk tale.  In the process, her superb world-building provides a rich backdrop to the exploration of profound questions about sacrifice, freedom, love, life, grief, and death.  Each character is fully rounded and developed, providing glimpses of humanity that readers will recognize in themselves and others.

Delicate and spine-chilling, this book will keep readers up late at night, haunting them long after they’ve turned the final page.

Summary: Otter must find a way to stop the White Hands or become one herself.

Ghosts-Fiction, Horror-Fiction                              --Hilary Welliver

Spencer, Octavia. The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit.

Spencer, Octavia.  The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit. (Randi Rhodes Ninja Detective)    Simon & Schuster  2013  224p  ISBN 978-1-4424-7681-3   ms/jr  E-BN

Mystery/Detective

Randi Rhodes’ father is a famous writer.  His books are about a teenage detective who solves many mysteries.  What her father does not know is that Randi has read all of his books and has solved quite a few cases herself. However, that was in Brooklyn where they used to live.  Now, with the move to Sleepy Deer Creek, she is not so sure she can still be a detective, until the day the time capsule goes missing.  Randi mobilizes immediately.  The town has two days to find the time capsule before the bank forecloses on all the town businesses.  This time capsule was supposed to bring a lot of tourists, and that would save the town.  Randi realizes that she must do her homework first to discover who would benefit from the theft of the time capsule.  While quietly and slyly doing the investigation, she discovers two friends whose parents have a lot to lose if the mystery is not solved.  This group of young kids pulls their strength together to figure out a way to save their town.

This novel is a very good, fast and entertaining read.  The character are very likable and full of energy and humor.  The story has all the right elements for a mystery.  I hope we see more of this trio.              

Summary: Moving to a new place is always hard, but if that place holds memories of your mom it is even worse!  How can Randi make Sleepy Deer Creek her home?   

Detective stories, Ghosts-Fiction                           --Magna Diaz