Halloween is creeping in, and we're going to up
THE BOOK OF FRIGHTS FOR SPOOKY NIGHTS
by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe
Illustrated by Eva Sanchez Gomez
Wide Eyed Editions
Middle Grade Horror
64 pages
ages 7 to 9
Open The Book of Frights for Spooky Nights—if you dare—and encounter the world's most haunted places in the journal of a long-lost Ghost Hunter.
Ghosts and ghouls, crypts and cryptids await you in The Book of Frights for Spooky Nights, the illustrated notes of a long-gone Ghost Hunter—a guru from beyond the grave who explored the world's scariest places.
As you flick through the Ghost Hunter's chilling firsthand narrative, you'll experience running from the headsman's axe in the Tower of London, seeking out the seasick spirits aboard the Queen Mary in California, and escaping the pharaoh's wrath in the Valley of the Kings, with this frighteningly factual compendium of spooky sites from around the globe. For each haunted locale, you'll first read the research of the ghost hunter, learning all about the real history and beliefs behind the creepy goings-on. Then, you're put in the middle of the action as you read their account of visiting each place in an attempt to finally complete the Book of Frights, and end its curse for good... From treading the storied cemeteries of Edinburgh to dodging the Headless Horseman in Connecticut, these are adventures you wouldn't want to go on alone!
As well as the featured locations, scattered throughout the book are many more secrets and facts to uncover in the bitesize tales of the Ghost Hunter's travels to farflung places, grouping together spooky castles, eerie countryside, forests of fear, and even whole islands said to be haunted.
With hauntingly beautiful illustrations and a thrilling fact-or-fiction, book-within-a-book narrative, The Book of Frights for Spooky Nights is best read by the flickering light of a campfire, or a flashlight way past bedtime...
MY TIDBITS
Chills, thrills, and myths mix with nonfiction goodness to create a read, which showcases the many fears around the world.
The first pages lure in with a short, creepy tale. The book is coming for you in a haunting way, and it carries a note from a ghost hunter, who explains this book is cursed. After setting this chilling tone, the pages dive into the various myths, which have served as ghost stories for generations. These are broken down into locations such as opera halls, mansions, castles, and more. Each one holds about four pages of various tales surrounding each location. These are presented in a few short sentences each in small paragraphs, which are placed in various locations on each page. Each one gets a short title (to keep things organized), and each one is accompanied by a small illustration to make sure the creepy atmosphere sits. It forms an informative and enticing read. At the end, the cursed book visits again to wrap everything up.
There's a delightful mix between creepy vibes and presentation of the various myths and legends. These aren't ghost stories, but rather, each one gives a quick summary of the myth...just enough to make it clear and attention grabbing. The illustrations carry darker tones and stick to the haunting atmosphere nicely, which dribbling in just enough visual information to make things understandable when needed. The text is great for the age group and keeps even more reluctant readers in mind thanks to the briefness of each myth. I wasn't a huge fan of the italics font. While it sticks nicely with the atmosphere, it doesn't make reading much more difficult for anyone who isn't strong on the word end. Still, these are written with care and keep the interest in the pages.
Not only is this great for fans of spooky myths and legends, but it would work nicely in classrooms and school libraries as an introduction to a theme or project.
And here they are...
Leisa Stewart-Sharpe is an author of children's non-fiction and picture books. Born in Bundaberg, Australia, Leisa grew up fascinated by wild places and even wilder animals. As an adult, Leisa brings that fascination to a wide array of children's books, taking in everything from chocolate to buried treasure and sharks to environmental activism. Her works include the companion books to the BBC's Blue Planet II, The Green Planet and Frozen Planet II, as well as Happy Stories for Animal Lovers (Ivy Kids, 2023) and The Comeback Creatures (Wide Eyed Editions, 2024). Leisa lives in England with her family.
Eva Sánchez Gómez was born in Puigcerdà, Spain. She graduated with her Fine Arts degree from University of Barcelona and focused on illustration in “Escola Francesca Bonnemaison” of “La Diputació de Barcelona”. Her tender, grumpy, melancholic, funny, or ironic characters accompanied her all along this learning process. Since then, she has illustrated more than thirty novels and picture books for publishers from different countries. Three of her published books as illustrator have been part of the prestigious White Ravens list in 2020 and 2021.
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