Ghost Stories To Capture The Imagination.
Spooky stories are thrilling, scary, but always safe – because the child knows that if they put the book down, they can just walk away. Wish life was like that!
Spooky stories are great at hooking kids into reading. Here are three books I recommend:
The Ghosts of Tarawera by Sue Copsey.
Quick name drop: Sue was my editor for Prankster. Sue’s writing a three-part series of spooky tales (this is the second in the series) so if your class enjoys this book, then don’t worry, there’s more! The Ghosts of Tarawera is a Storylines Notable Book, and is available from bookstores or directly from Sue, at her website: Suecopsey.com Sue also has a whole lot of spooky jokes on this website.
Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee
A well-known classic, Under the Mountain, is exciting to read aloud. There’s also a movie (which I didn’t like, but some people did), and Penguin have study notes available online here.
The House on the Hill by Kyle Mewburn, Illustrations by Sarah Davis
The House on the Hill is Kyle’s homage to Edgar Allen Poe and is written in rhyming stanzas, a little like The Raven. A natural performer, Kyle has a youtube channel which is great fun. Scholastic have produced some helpful teacher notes here.
Here’s a link to Kyle’s youtube Storytime Channel
Hope you enjoy.