HOLIDAY [HALLOWEEN] E YOLEN

Evoking Clement Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, this story begins: "'Twas the night before Ghost Eve, and high in the sky, the moon was an unblinking, solid white eye." The mice are fast asleep, dreaming-- not of sugarplums, but of the lovely costumes they will wear to the Ghost Eve ball. When the mean creepy crawlies come and destroy the masks and dresses, the distraught mice want revenge. However, when one of the crawlies is sorry and wants to be friends, one courageous mouse shows the others the importance of forgiveness and friendship. Then the brave mouse and the small crawlie dance beneath the Ghost Moon. This charming story will appeal to children of all ages.

-Susan

This is a great introduction to scary tales for children. It has a bit of suspense, without too much fright for the pre-K crowd. Great rhyming and spooky illustrations will keep young listeners on the edge of their seats!

-Dawn

by Mary Downing Hahn
J FICTION HAHN

Twelve-year-old Florence is thrilled when she is rescued from her dreary London orphanage and sent to live with her great-uncle Thomas at Crutchfield Hall in the English countryside. But it isn't long before she discovers that the stately home is haunted by the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who was killed in a tragic accident. A sinister aunt, an invalid boy, a cheerful maid and a spirit that refuses to rest in peace-- all the trappings of a Victorian gothic thriller are present in Hahn's latest ghost story for middle graders.

-Kathy

Malcolm David hears something strange one night-- OOOOOOOOs and EEEEEEEs. He knows there must be ghosts around, and goes to investigate. He meets a trio of ghosts, Lamont, Byron, and Jessica, and asks them why they make such scary sounds. It turns out that the source of the sounds is their stomachs-- they're just hungry! The trouble is, what do ghosts eat? I love the palette in this book's whimsical illustrations-- mostly blue and white at the beginning, then turning colorful as the ghosts are nourished by their food. This picture book is a little longer than most (hence its inclusion with our Picture Books for Older Readers), but it's certainly not a scary ghost story. Plus, it has a happy ending!

-Vicky

The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe
by Tony Johnston, illustrated by S.D. Schindler
E JOHNS

Nicholas Greebe returns to haunt the farm where his bones were laid to rest because a little dog has taken one of them. The ghost searches and searches for the bone, which is taking quite a journey as the dog who took it gets aboard a sailing ship. One hundred years pass and an odd twist of fate returns the bone to the farm and at last Nicholas Greebe can rest peacefully.

-Mariana

Gossamer

by Lois Lowry
J FICTION LOWRY

The ephemeral dream-givers are all around us, affecting our nighttime lives, just as the evil sinisteeds try to send us our worst nightmares. This simple and moving story introduces us to the world of the dream-givers, and to the Littlest One, a dream-giver-in-training, whose work will help create the bond between Jon, an angry foster child, and the lonely older widow who cares for him.

-Miriam

The Bake Shop Ghost

by Jacqueline K. Ogburn, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
E OGBUR

Cora Lee Merriweather used to own the bake shop that she now haunts. She used to make the best cakes in town and now scares every new owner away, until Annie Washington arrives. This is a touching story of unlocking a lonely heart and working together to make everyone happy, even a ghost!

-Barbara