Haunted Histories

July 2, 2012
What’s more fun than learning history through ghost stories? “Ghostorian” Virgil Dante (depicted in pen-and-ink illustrations as a young, brooding, Poe-like figure) introduces readers to locations that ghosts typically frequent, including castles, dungeons, jails, workhouses, and famous graveyards. Within the context of hauntings, Everett discusses topics like the Japanese class system of the 17th century and the grim legacy of England’s Newgate prison. Readers will come for the ghosts (including the terrifying Okiku, a 14-year-old servant girl who purportedly lurks in the bottom of a well at Japan’s Himeji Castle), but should pick up some edifying facts along the way. Ages 9–12.

May 1, 2012
History is more haunted than readers may think. Disney might have some believing that castles are clean, pink and full of unicorn tapestries. But Virgil Dante, youngest Master Ghostorian in London, is here to disabuse readers of that notion, ostensibly with the help of his raven, Thor, and a passel of ghosts. They tour history with the assistance of a cursed pocket watch and look in on castles, dungeons, palaces and graveyards. Here and there, they learn a thing or two from a "real" ghost from the locale and time period they are visiting. More often, Virgil just lectures in a colloquial narrative voice or offers maps, lists and diagrams of horrible places and things in world history. The usual suspects get the eye: The Tower of London and the Bastille figure prominently, but there are also lesser-known nests of nastiness like Himeji Castle in Japan and Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Everett and Scott-Waters have put together an instructive, amusing-enough gross-and-horrible history title. However, it feels a bit scattered, and the ghosts are few and far between. Abundant black-and-white illustrations are grisly and spooky enough to hold interest. Reluctant historians may find Virgil's "ghostory" appealing. (timeline, maps, resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

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July 1, 2012

Gr 4-7-Virgil Dante, Ghostarian (a historian who finds ghosts in creepy places and lets them tell their stories), his cursed pocket watch, and his faithful raven travel to some of the world's most haunted and eerie locales. The chapter on castles reveals secrets on how to attack and defend one while discussing some of their intriguing history and famous rulers. The section on dungeons and jails provides readers with a rogues' gallery and famous prisons throughout the world. Readers will find the "Crime & Punishment" chart enlightening. For example, telling bad jokes resulted in having one's tongue burned with a hot poker and then pulled out. A section on children in prison and their workhouse activities is also included. "Palaces" provides information on Henry VIII and Hampton Court, including a recipe for fancy roasted peacock. "Graveyards" gives an intriguing family history in stone-from heraldic symbols and their secret codes to the importance of monuments. Famous authors such as William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens sporadically offer relevant quotes. Black-and-white cartoon drawings appear on almost every page with the occasional joke between characters to lighten the mood. Sure to lure reluctant readers.-Krista Welz, North Bergen Public Library, NJ

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