Giggling Ghosts!

In a busy town, when it’s quiet after dark, there is a house full of ghosts who are ready to scare! Sneaking and spinning, gliding and booooing are all great fun, but their favourite thing to do is giggle.

Perfect for sharing, ‘Giggling Ghosts’ offers a fun, interactive story time. Bouncy rhyming text encourages children to join in with the little ghosts as they have a great time stretching, tiptoeing, jiggling and wiggling, encouraging everyone to be active and interpret the ghosts movements in their own way.

Although obviously full of ghosts, this is not really a spooky story making it just right for sharing with younger children at Hallowe’en time. The illustrations are lovely, showing ‘cute’ little ghosts surrounded by sparkling dust as they glide around and even the pictures showing them peeking round gravestones are not frightening! Children are sure to quickly identify their own favourite amongst the ghosts and follow its adventure from picture to picture as each seems to have its own personality. They might enjoy thinking up names for each one!

Sweet, gentle and fun, this lovely book would make a wonderful story time and could easily be used to inspire lots of craft activities!

Giggling Ghosts!

Fiz Osborne, illustrated by Tim Budgen

Simon and Schuster ISBN: 978-1398535084

Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings

Posing the question, ‘Do ghosts really exit?, ‘Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings’ contains six gripping mysteries to investigate. Challenging the reader to consider the evidence and come to their own conclusions, this book is every bit as engaging as ‘Tales of Scary Beasts’ by the same author/ illustrator team, both excellent for promoting non-fiction’s role in reading for pleasure.

Each mystery is presented in an engaging and accessible manner, with key vocabulary clearly explained to support the reader’s comprehension. Eye witness quotes are included and the dates of events are clearly indicated as the evidence in each case is gathered. This is followed by a ‘Let’s Investigate’ section which gathers the key points together to support the reader in coming to their own conclusion.

The range of mysteries included ensures that there is something here to pique the curiosity of everyone. ‘Palace Phantoms’ investigates strange happenings at Hampton Court Palace. Other mysteries are included such as ghosts at the Tower of London, the Scheffler Palace in Stockholm and Himeji Castle in Japan as well as creepy rumours at Houska Castle in the Czech Republic. Historic details surrounding these events are given, with maps and plans to clarify and support understanding. ‘Demon Dogs’ investigates the many folklore stories which include strange dogs- Black Shuck is the focus story here, but other stories from the UK and around the world are included.

Perfect for the Hallowe’en season, ‘Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings’ is sure to entice readers and inspire them to investigate these stories - and any others which they might encounter!

Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings

Susan Martineau, illustrated by Vicky Barker

b small publishing ISBN: 978-1916851207

You can read my review of ‘Tales of Scary Beasts’ here.

Lockett and Wilde’s Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries: The Ghosts of the Manor

Matilda Lockett has what some might consider an unusual life. Whilst her aunt performs as Signora Valentina, a professional spirit medium, Matilda plays the part of Poor Dead Edna, convincing audiences of her aunt’s abilities. However, when her aunt is asked to visit Beauchamp Manor and rid it of the ghost which is haunting it, Matilda discovers that she really can see ghosts and soon becomes friends with Edgar Wilde, a ghost boy. Working together, they are able to solve the very real mystery of what is actually happening at the manor.

With Lucy Strange writing excellent stories and Pam Smy creating the most fabulous pictures, ‘The Ghosts at the Manor’ was sure to be a book which I would enjoy- and I loved it! The story offers an engaging mystery with a slightly spooky twist and lots of friendship, making it a wonderful read. Matilda and Edgar are lovely characters, who show what teamwork can do and whose partnership is sure to offer plenty more satisfying adventures to come. There are twists and secrets, ghosts and jewels, fakes and fortunes in this story, but at it’s heart is Matilda’s warm relationship with her aunt and ‘Uncle’ Barnabus and her new found friendship with Edgar.

The joy of the story is perfectly captured by Pam Smy’s lovely illustrations. These black and white images with touches of blue add a slightly eerie atmosphere, perfectly in keeping with the gently spooky nature of the story. Children are going to love reading about Matilda and Edgar and will clamour for more!

Lockett and Wilde’s Dreadfully Haunting Mysteries: The Ghosts at the Manor

Lucy Strange and Pam Smy

Walker ISBN: 978-1529516005