The Fresh Grave: And Other Ghostly Stories [Hardcover]

Raymond Bial (Author), Anna Bial (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1997 | Age Level: 10 and up

These original ghost stories, linked by the characters of Hank and Clifford, reflect a common heritage of rural America--a land dotted with small farmhouses, old gristmills, run-down barns, and, of course, cemeteries. In "The Fresh Grave" Hank and Clifford foil grave robbers, meet a ghostly Civil War widow, encounter a long-gone religious sect, and tiptoe through a deserted hotel.

Editorial Reviews

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 Pittsburgh
Copyright 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. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 147 pages
• Publisher: Midwest Traditions; 1 edition (October 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883953235
• ISBN-13: 978-1883953232
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,738,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Raymond Bial (pronounced Beal) is the author and photo-illustrator of more than one hundred critically-acclaimed books for children and adults, including Amish Home, Frontier Home, The Underground Railroad, Where Lincoln Walked, One-Room School, Ghost Towns of the American West, Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side, Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River, The Super Soybean, and many others. A skilled photographer, he works with ease in both color and in black and white. Working with both film cameras and digital equipment, he is best known for his versatility in portraiture, landscapes, and still lifes, and his sensitivity toward the people, places, and objects portrayed in his images.
The subjects of Raymond's books range from farm life to American social and cultural history. Appealing to young and old alike, his books are ideal choices for parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians to share with children. His most recent photo-essays are Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty, and Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River, published by Houghton-Mifflin, and The Super Soybean, published by Albert Whitman. He has also written three popular collections of mystery fiction for children: The Fresh Grave and Other Ghostly Stories, The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek, and most recently Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior, published by Bluehorse Books. His books have received numerous awards from the American Library Association, National Council of Teachers of English, Children's Book Council, and many other organizations. He lives with his wife, Linda, and children, Sarah and Luke, in Urbana, Illinois. His daughter Anna, who illustrated two of Raymond's books, is a fashion designer in New York City.