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 ALGERNON GRAEVES IS SCARY ENOUGH
written and illustrated by Peter Bollinger
Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060522682
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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It's Halloween, and Algernon Graeves is in his attic trying to think of the scariest Halloween costume ever. He pictures himself dressed as frightful creatures --- a werewolf, a mummy, a vampire --- but he doesn't think any of them are quite spooky enough. Will Algernon Graeves be able to turn himself into a scary-enough monster in time to go trick-or-treating with his friends?
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 THE BAKE SHOP GHOST
Jacqueline Ogburn
illustrated by Marjorie A. Priceman
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0618445579
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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Cora Lee Merriweather baked the best pies and cakes for miles --- fluffy meringue pies, flaky strudels, layer cakes, sheet cakes, and cakes with frosting finer than Irish lace. But now Cora Lee haunts the shop she used to own. When new bakers arrive to take over her empty bake shop, Cora Lee scares away each and every one of them. Then Annie Washington comes to town...
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 THE BLUE GHOST: A Stepping Stones Mystery
Marion Dane Bauer
Random House
ISBN: 0375931791
Ages 9-12
96 pages
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While staying with her grandmother in an old house in the middle of the woods, Elizabeth is awakened one night by the sound of a voice calling out her name. She opens her eyes to discover...a blue ghost in her room! What could the spirit possibly want from her?
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 THE BONES OF FRED McFEE
Eve Bunting
illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
Voyager Books/Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN: 0152054235
Ages 5-8
32 pages
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In this rhythmic story, an unsuspecting brother and sister bring a toy skeleton home from the harvest fair. They name it Fred McFee and hang it from a sycamore tree. Soon, eerie things start happening. And then on Halloween night, Fred vanishes!
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 THE BUMPY LITTLE PUMPKIN
Margery Cuyler
illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0439528356
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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All summer, Little Nell has tended the garden with Big Mama, Big Sarah and Big Lizzie, and finally the pumpkins are ready for Halloween. Her sisters choose smooth, round pumpkins to carve, while Little Nell likes a bumpy little one best. Sarah and Lizzie think it's ugly, but Little Nell disagrees. With help from her animal friends, she scoops and carves it into a wonderful jack-o'-lantern!
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 THE GHOST'S GRAVE
Peg Kehret
Dutton Children's Books
ISBN: 0525461620
Ages 8-14
192 pages
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What Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric great-aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him --- only then will he be at peace. Josh agrees to do the grisly deed, but when he digs in the old cemetery, he finds a box of cash with Willie's leg bones. Who buried all those dollar bills there, and why? How far will that person go to get the money back?
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 GOLDEN & GREY (An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost)
Louise Arnold
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689874731
Ages 8-12
272 pages
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Grey Arthur is a ghost who hasn't found his place in the world. Tom Golden is a boy who doesn't fit in at school. When Tom and Grey mutter the same three words, "Life isn't fair," at exactly the same moment, a connection is made between them. Suddenly Grey knows what he has to do: He must become Tom's Invisible Friend. It seems like such a brilliant idea at the time, but then everything changes when an accident gives Tom the ability to see Grey and the rest of the ghost world. Now everyone wants a piece of Tom!
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 THE GRUESOME GUIDE TO WORLD MONSTERS
Judy Sierra
illustrated by Henrik Drescher
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 076361727X
Ages 6-up
64 pages
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Do you know why you should have baby teeth handy when visiting the Midwest? Or why you should bring a cucumber with you when swimming in Japan? How good are you at solving Russian riddles? From Boston to Beijing, from Moscow to Mali, any place you visit has its own terrifying tales of very real creatures. Complete with handy "gruesomeness ratings," this guide offers all the important facts on some sixty-three folkloric monsters and how (if possible!) to survive an encounter with them.
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 A PIPKIN OF PEPPER
Helen Cooper
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN: 0374359539
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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Duck, Cat and Squirrel, the three animal friends from PUMPKIN SOUP, have run out of salt, a key ingredient in their special recipe. Duck insists on joining Cat and Squirrel on a shopping trip to the city. It's his first visit and he's a little scared, but he forgets everything when he sees a pepper store. What if they bought a pipkin of pepper to add to their soup? When he turns around to tell Cat and Squirrel about his great idea, he realizes they're gone!
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 SYLVIA JEAN, DRAMA QUEEN
Lisa Campbell Ernst
Dutton
ISBN: 0525469621
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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Wildly costumed for every occasion, Sylvia Jean is famous for always having the perfect outfit. So when a town-wide costume contest is announced, everyone assumes Sylvia Jean will be victorious. But Sylvia Jean panics, wondering how she will ever top her previous performances. After much thought and consideration, she once again comes up with an ingenious way to amaze the crowd --- and it's not what everybody thinks.
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 THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A BAT!
Lucille Colandro
illustrated by Jared D. Lee
Cartwheel Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439737664
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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Has this old lady ever refused to swallow anything? This time around, a bat, an owl, a cat, a ghost, a goblin, some bones, and a wizard are all on the menu! This Halloween-themed twist on the classic "little old lady" books will entertain all youngsters who dare to read it.
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 THIRTEEN O'CLOCK
James Stimson
Chronicle Books
ISBN: 0811848396
Ages 3-7
40 pages
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This is the story of a very normal girl on an almost normal night in a fairly normal house --- normal, that is, except for a not-so-normal clock whose numbers count not twelve but a spooky thirteen. This extraordinary book by illustrator James Stimson is about the antics of a perky prankster in pajamas.
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 WHISPER IN THE DARK
Joseph Bruchac
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060580879
Ages 10-up
192 pages
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Maddy has always loved scary stories, especially the spooky legends of her Native American ancestors. But that was before she heard about the "Whisperer in the Dark," the most frightening legend of all. When she receives a strange phone call and finds a mysterious message left on her door, the tale becomes a bit too real...
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--- Compiled and written by Marisa Emralino
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WHAT? YOU WANT MORE SPOOKY TALES? CHECK OUT THESE: 2004 Roundup, 2003 Roundup, Spooky Books and More Spooky Books.
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