Ghosts of the Alamo and Other Hauntings of the South

April 1, 2014

Gr 3 Up-This series focuses less on sorting fact from fiction, and more on emphasizing what ghost story fans will love: tales of creepy hauntings. Grouped by region, each book offers a look at several haunted locations; a map in the back of each puts those locations in perspective. There are battlefields (Gettysburg, the Alamo) and sites of infamous murders (Lizzy Borden's house); prisons (Alcatraz) and mental hospitals; and stories of plantations where the slaves were mistreated, tortured, or murdered. The series offers a ranking system of scare factor, but the number is never explained, and some of the places ranked in the middle have much eerier stories than their high or low counterparts. Subject-specific words associated with ghost hunting-orbs, spirits, paranormal-are included and defined in the text and in a glossary at the end. The high-interest content and eye-catching, touched-up images will keep young, confident independent readers hooked, and the tales are intriguing enough that even older readers may find them useful, if brief, resources. The series is not too creepy for the timid but eerie enough that ghost-lovers will want to read the whole set.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
These books explore paranormal occurrences at locales in the American South and East. Brief, entertaining vignettes recount apparitions, mysterious sounds, and unexplained happenings experienced by individuals at such diverse locations as the Lizzie Borden House in Massachusetts, The White House, and Tennessee's Bell Witch Cave. Illustrations, photos, and faux-fog graphics make up the text's distracting backgrounds. Regional maps are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)