Crandalls' Castle


Book Description

Two girls suspect an abandoned mansion is haunted—but will anyone believe them before it’s too late? “[A] well-written, shivery ghost story” (Booklist). Beware! At first, Charli is excited about the Crandall family’s newest endeavor—fixing up the town’s old mansion and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. She even volunteers to help. Then strange things begin to happen. Charli hears someone singing—but no one is there. She sees the shadow of a rocking cradle—but there is no cradle. And then she hears a baby crying, and crying. . . . Something terrible happened in the old house many years ago. And it may happen again, unless Charli can figure out how to stop the past from repeating itself.




Crandalls' Castle


Book Description

Charli's impulsive uncle, Will Crandall, decides to buy the town's abandoned, possibly haunted castle and fix it up as a bed-and-breakfast, but twelve-year-old Charli and Sophia, a clairvoyant orphan who has come to stay with the Crandall family, know his plan is somehow dangerous. Reprint.




The Castle Mystery


Book Description

The Boxcar Children help restore a historic castle! But when the Aldens see mysterious lights, hear strange music, and see spooky faces in windows, they wonder if the old castle is haunted. Can the Aldens uncover the mystery behind the odd events?




Princess for a Week


Book Description

“Boys and girls alike will appreciate the mix of classic and contemporary elements in this creepy, suspenseful middle-grade mystery” (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books). Roddy Hall overhears his mother saying “Princess” is coming to visit. He’s excited—he’s always wanted a dog. But then he finds out that—ick—Princess is a girl and—yuck—she’ll be staying for a whole week. One night, Princess, Roddy, and his best friend, Jacob, notice a mysterious car pull up to an abandoned house. Could it be a burglar? Or worse yet, a ghost? Princess is determined to find out, and against his better judgment, Roddy goes along with her. They sneak out of the house to investigate—but will they be ready for what they might find? Princess for a Week is a Society for School Librarians International Honor Book.




A Ghost in the Window


Book Description

A girl’s scary dream may come true in this “fast moving” story starring “a likable and believable heroine” (School Library Journal). Meg’s nightmare about a thin, gray-haired man who beckons her to follow him through a dark doorway will no doubt come true. That’s the way it is with all of her “real” dreams, the ones that her grandmother calls “a secret window into the future.” Meg suspects that her dream is about sixteen-year-old Caleb Larsen’s father, who died in a car crash after allegedly stealing $50,000 from a local bank. Could Mr. Larsen be trying to reach Caleb and his mother through Meg’s dreams? Is he trying to reveal the truth about what happened? As Meg’s nightmare begins to come true, she learns to cope with her own past as well as Caleb’s, and to see the present in a different, more positive light.




The Ghost of Popcorn Hill


Book Description

As two brothers try to reunite the lonely ghosts of a farmer and a sheepdog, “readers will be cheering them on every step of the way” (Publishers Weekly). In this short-chapter winner of the IRA Children’s Choices, Peter and Martin enjoy living atop Popcorn Hill, except for two things: They long for a big dog and their cabin is haunted by a lonely ghost. They do get a frisky mutt named Rosie, but she’s not as big or as appealing as the stray sheepdog that has been roaming around outside. When the boys learn the sheepdog is a ghost, however, they devise a plan for bringing the two ghosts together. In the process, they learn to appreciate their real pet, Rosie.




The Ghost of Ernie P.


Book Description

What do you do when you’re being bullied—by a ghost? Find out in this story that “nicely blends the comic and the sinister” (Booklist). Three months ago, when Ernie P. Barber came to Treverton from Los Angeles, he’d been like a missile aimed at trouble. And Ernie had chosen Jeff to be his best friend, whether he liked it or not. “You’re my buddy, old buddy,” Ernie would always say, “. . . and I’m going to cut you in on my T.S.P.” But when Ernie dies as a result of a freak accident, Jeff’s troubles are only beginning. The ghost of Ernie P. starts to haunt Jeff. At first, Jeff thinks he’s going crazy. But when the letters T.S.P. (Ernie’s code for Top Secret Plan) and some newspaper clippings keep mysteriously appearing, Jeff is convinced that Ernie’s ghost wants him to carry out the T.S.P. alone—whatever it might be. Not until Jeff faces terrible danger and stands up to the ghost of Ernie P. does the mystery of the T.S.P. unravel.




Ghosts Beneath Our Feet


Book Description

Something chilling lurks underground, and two step-siblings must unite to uncover the truth in this “engrossing mystery” (Booklist). Katie knows that something eerie is happening in the old, deserted town where she, her stepbrother, and her newly widowed mother are spending the summer taking care of Uncle Frank. Sometimes, when Katie puts her ear to the ground in Uncle Frank’s backyard, she hears a groaning noise that sounds almost human. But when a crippled ghost-girl appears to her out of the gloom in an abandoned mine, Katie is at once terrified and puzzled. Could the girl’s chilling appearance have something to do with a tragic mining accident thirty years before? In a fiery climax, Katie and her rebellious stepbrother learn the truth about the past and discover things about each other that strengthen their fragile relationship.




The Ghost Witch


Book Description

Jenny’s new house has an unwanted ghost: “Readers will enjoy the imaginative pranks of the specter and the resourceful way [Jenny] solves her problem” (School Library Journal). Jenny knows she should be excited about the beautiful old house that her mother has inherited from Miss Nagle. She’ll finally have her own bedroom, and the place even comes with Rufus the cat, a ready-made pet. But when Jenny visits the house, she’s scared out of her wits. Giant snakes, elephants, and all kinds of terrifying creatures lurk around every corner. With a little help from Rufus, Jenny discovers who’s behind these spooky happenings. It’s the ghost of Miss Nagle’s grandmother, the once-famous witch of Willowby Lane. The ghost witch loves to scare people, and she thinks Jenny and her friends will be perfect targets. Jenny decides to meet the ghost witch face-to-face in this scary, yet delightful short-chapter book.




The Secret Window


Book Description

Meg’s dreams seem to predict the future—but can she make a better future for herself? “Filled with sensitivity and warmth” (Children’s Book Review Service). “It was crazy to have dreams that came true. If you talked about them, it’d upset the people you loved and make them angry. Meg had learned something bad about herself, an ugly secret.” And so she decided to keep the dreams to herself, writing them down in a special notebook. Sometimes her dreams were pleasant, but other times they were disturbing—especially the one about the cave with the blue light. When Meg’s worst dreams begin to come true, she’s convinced they bring bad luck. Why else would her father move out to “find himself” or her best friend desert her for a rowdy crowd of older kids? Meg’s grandmother and a wonderful new neighbor finally help her realize that her “secret window” into the future can bring good luck, if understood properly.