The Fresh Grave And Other Ghostly Stories

In this collection of short humorous ghost stories, Hand and his 'fraidy-cat sidekick, Clifford, venture forth to explore the deserted barns, ramshackle hotels, creaking gristmills, and overgrown cemeteries around the mythical small town of Myrtleville, somewhere in rural Indiana. The delightful espacades gleefully combine regional history, humor, and ghosts galore. For readers 8 and up.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7. Teenagers Hank Cantrell and his friend Cliff meet a ghostly cast of characters in this collection of stories set in a small Midwestern town. The motifs of the 10 tales are familiar?being buried alive, sacred Indian burial grounds, inability to give up a child, etc. Bial tells these stories in a straightforward manner and often with a touch of humor. In each selection, Hank becomes aware of cultural and moral values surrounding the ghosts and periods of history. Cliff, on the other hand, provides the comic relief while defending his cowardly attitude. The dialogue is a strength of this book and moves the plots forward; description is used to embellish the scenes and the two elements combine well for silent reading. The amount of conversation, however, does make reading aloud a bit more difficult. A worthy purchase for those who have read Alvin Schwartz's and Daniel Cohen's books and are ready to move on to something else.?Molly S. Kinney, Carnegie Library of PittsburghCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Raymond Bial is a noted author of numerous highly-praised books for children, including the award-winning Amish Home. Other recent books include A Handful of Dirt and Where Lincoln Walked. He lives in Urbana, Illinois.

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