Ghost Fever

January 1, 2005
Gr 3-6 -In his signature easy style, Hayes tells the story of Frank Padilla, a man who will not admit to the existence of ghosts. When he moves into a haunted house in Arizona, he's a little spooked by the strange noises and mysteriously moved items. It is his 14-year-old daughter, Elena, who finds out what the ghost wants, but not before almost losing her own life. At just short of 90 pages for both alternating English and Spanish text, this is a quick, riveting read. Definitely a step above R. L. Stine's "Goosebumps" series (Scholastic), it is reminiscent of Alvin Schwartz's "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" (HarperCollins, 1981). The frequent black-and-white pencil drawings are undistinguished, but do extend the story, and the scary-looking cover of a skeletal girl in her "quinceañ era" dress will definitely sell the book. This is an ideal choice, whether in English or in the informed Spanish translation, for reluctant readers. It is straightforward, but swiftly plotted.

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