Tag Archives: ghost story

Graveyard Shakes

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There are two stories that come together in a single tale in Graveyard Shakes. The first story is about two sisters. Victoria and her younger sister, Katia, are sent from the farm to a boarding school on scholarship. Victoria wants to fit in and Katia loves to stand out, which doesn’t help Victoria. The second story is about a mad scientist (Nikoa), his nearly dead son (Modie) and ghosts, including Little Ghost. Every thirteen years, Nikola must take the spirit of a living child and give it to his son so that his son might “live”. Most of the ghosts in the graveyard (and secret laboratory) help with the process, except Little Ghost who is really rather scared of this ghostly stuff.

The two stories converge during a snowstorm, when Nikola sends his ghostly helpers to find a child and Katia runs away from Victoria, who must find her before she is used a life giving essence for Modie. With some help from Little Ghost and Modie, who both sacrifice themselves, the sisters escape from Nikola and end his evil plans. The story wraps up nicely, with the sisters accepting each other as they are, Nikola accepting his son’s death and vowing to be a better person, Little Ghost finally at peace and Modie (now a ghost) enjoying his new ‘family’ – Victoria and Katia.

The artwork is bold and the story is fast-paced. Young readers won’t be as disturbed as their adult counterparts by Nikola’s obsession with his child’s immortality and willingness to sacrifice living children. And, the sisters’ eventual acceptance of their uniqueness and unity after the initial discord is heartwarming. Additional selection.

The Spirit of Cattail County

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Sparrow has experienced the greatest loss of her life when her mother dies and leaves her in the care of her aunt, a seemingly hard-hearted woman intent on taking Sparrow away from everything she knows and loves. Sparrow is has never had friends…well, human friends…in her small southern town. Her best friend is Boy, a ghost that has always been with her. Sparrow can see spirits and she hopes that Boy can help her mama’s spirit come back, so that Sparrow will always have her nearby.

Sparrow had an unusual upbringing. She and her mama lived in the Dalton family home on the edge of the swamp. She never knew her father and she was really somewhat of a loner. Townspeople felt that there was something strange about this girl who looked nothing like the Daltons of generations past. So, most of her time was spent at home near the swamp, with her loving mama and Boy, along with the wispy spirits that only Sparrow could see.

In her quest to vanquish some of the abject sorrow and grief over her loss, Sparrow enlists the help of some of the other outcast kids in town, two Cast siblings from a family that has never been quite good enough for the rest of the townsfolk. Together with the Casto kids and a new friend from New York, Elena the Medium, Sparrow hopes to help the Boy with whatever problem is holding him back here in Beulah, Florida so that he can help her mama come back as a spirit. Along the way, she and her new friends hope to discover if the Casto kids’ uncle is Sparrow’s father and stop Sparrow’s aunt from selling the beloved Dalton family home.

Fans of mysteries, stories of loss, or slightly scary stories will enjoy this middle-grade novel. The characters are engaging and the setting is rich in detail (one almost feels the damp heat of the Florida swamp while reading!). The ending has a nice twist and the love and acceptance will warm the heart. Recommended

The Ghost of Graylock

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Neil and Bree are sent to stay with their Aunt in upstate New York.  Neil wants to be a ghost hunter so he is excited with the transition to his Aunt’s house. Within walking distance of their new home is an abandoned psychiatric hospital.  The hospital closed more than a decade ago after three mysterious drownings and the  suicide of an accused night nurse. But when the two kids, along with their two new friends, break into the building they encounter mysterious events that cannot be explained. In the days after their visit to the abandoned hospital, Neil and Bree are plagued by horrific visions and nightly visits from a ghost.

As time goes on, they begin to realize that the ghost is one of the drowning victims who wants to bring her murderer to justice. The further the four get to uncovering clues, the more apparent it becomes that Nurse Janet has been unjustly accused and the real murderer is intent on making sure that the truth is never brought to light. Short chapters with cliff-hanger endings and several twists and turns in the plot will ensure that the pages turn quickly.