Ghost Town: Seven Ghostly Stories [Hardcover]

Joan Lowery Nixon (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Stagecoach robberies. Shoot-outs. Striking it rich. Throughout the Wild West small towns were formed, thriving with men and women from the East and gold from the mines. Notorious outlaws, desperadoes, and gunslingers rustled up trouble in town after town. When the gold disappeared, the outlaws, as well as the local folks, abandoned their towns. Or did they?

There are still sounds, not just the paint peeling from the deserted storefronts, or the tumbleweeds whispering as they somersault down the empty streets. There are voices, whispering stories--are they real or imagined? Stories like the one about the Lost Mine in Maiden, Texas, or the Bad Man from Bodie, California, who's still searching for his lost finger. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7-Each of these seven mildly spooky stories takes place in a real ghost town. Forced to visit Tombstone, AZ, with his family, a boy encounters a ghost who tells him the real story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. A girl in Shakespeare, NM, helps a forlorn spirit rest in peace. Another girl is nearly lured away by a handsome ghost, until she sees his true skeletal features. Each tale is followed by a couple of pages of factual narrative about these towns, which include resources for more information. Nixon also mixes historical facts into the stories themselves, at times using parent lectures to their unenthusiastic kids to convey background material. The young protagonists are not particularly memorable, but the story premises are varied enough to make an entertaining collection. The heroes either learn a valuable lesson from their ghostly experiences or interact with the spirits to help them in some way. Only the last story, "Trade-off," has more palpable results, as a ghost takes the place of a spoiled child and doesn't look back. Though the tales are generally too tame to truly thrill readers, the ghost-town settings give the book a unifying and intriguing element that may draw readers looking for "scary, but not too scary" stories.
Steven Engelfried, Deschutes County Library, Bend, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Combining history and mystery, this somewhat uneven collection, set in real American ghost towns, recalls classic campfire tales. In "Payback," eighth-grader Alan finds protection from school bullies in a Cerberus-like ghost dog. "The Magic Eye" has 14-year-old Ashley discovering that a romantic young man isn't what he seems. In "Trade-Off," a disgruntled human boy provides unexpected opportunity for a 13-year-old ghost to come back to life. Town facts, travel directions, and resources follow stories, and an afterword offers practical advice for exploring ghost towns. The simple yet descriptive prose and modern protagonists entertain, but the repeated lesson about appreciating history makes the stories predictable. Even so, there's a ready audience for this. Give it to Nixon fans and readers who like spooky stories or books about Wild West days. It may spark interest in a fascinating, if often violent aspect of history. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 149 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385326815
• ISBN-13: 978-0385326810
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,787,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A chilling collection of western ghost stories., September 3, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost Town: Seven Ghostly Stories (Hardcover)

Each of the seven stories in this book has as its setting a different western ghost town and is about a kid's encounter with a ghost or ghosts in that town. The seven towns are Tombstone, Arizona; Shakespeare, New Mexico; Maiden, Montana; Virginia City, Nevada; Grafton, Utah; Bodie, California; and Fort Griffin, Texas. My two favorites in the collection were Buried (set in Shakespeare) and The Magic Eye (set in Grafton), which certainly taught the lesson to be careful what you wish for! I would reccomend this collection to kids who enjoy reading ghost stories or who are interested in ghost towns.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ghost stories based on seven real ghost towns in Western America, August 31, 2009

By 

D. Burton (Lafayette , Boulder County, Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Town: Seven Ghostly Stories (Hardcover)

I think this book is a good way to introduce readers to ghost towns of Western America. I know it got me wanting to visit places like Virginia City, Nevada, Bodie, California and Tombstone, Arizona. I like that Nixon chose seven different towns from seven different states. The only one of the seven I've visited is Grafton, Utah because I grew up in Southern Utah.

Each story is based on some history and after the story Nixon gives more background on the ghost town featured, directions and contacts for more information. The author lets readers know which ghost towns are public and which are privately owned, which towns have been restored etc.In the back of the book Nixon gives her advice or "helpful hints" for visiting ghost towns.

As I began reading this book, I really had my doubts whether it was worth my time - the beginning stories seemed rather cheesy. Some of the shorter stories didn't work well because there was barely enough length to introduce the characters and setting before the story was ending. Other elements in the stories didn't fit such as a ghost dog needing help because some bullies were gonna throw stones at it. I thought the stories seemed to get better as the book went along. My top 3 favorite ghost stories of the seven presented in Ghost Town are: 1) "Trade - Off" - Fort Griffin, Texas 2) "Bad Man From Bodie" - Bodie, California and 3) "The Intruders" - Maiden, Montana.

My favorite passage is from my favorite story of the book, "Trade-Off". This is the only story in the book that tells the story from the perspective of ghosts themselves:

"Keep your eyes open for the right opportunity for a trade-off," Sergeant Holter had answered. "Luck means being prepared when the right opportunity comes along."
Josh had been puzzled. "What's a trade-off?" he asked.
"It's an even trade between you and someone living. You trade your situation for his."
"You mean I'd become him, and he'd cross over to this side and become me?"
"Only if he asks to make the change."
.... "Trade-offs don't take place often, but they do happen. You look for someone who's discontented, someone whose body you wouldn't mind inhabiting, and be ready for the trade. No problem. You just have to keep looking for that opportunity and make the most of it."

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice, entertaining read, October 26, 2008

By 

K. Smith (La Canada, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ghost Town: Seven Ghostly Stories (Hardcover)

The kids' dialogues echo my own kid's whining, so I chuckled during most of the stories. Each story has a nice lesson. The stories are nice, for the most part. A couple are mildly creepy. I like the history in each story as well.