Spooky California: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore [Paperback]

S. E. Schlosser (Author), Paul G. Hoffman (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0762738448 | ISBN-13: 978-0762738441 | Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | Edition: 1st

California's folklore is kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Scholosser, and in artist Paul Hoffman's evocative illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready for thirty creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences from times past. Set in remote mining towns in the Sierra Nevadas, on the rugged coast of the Monterey Peninsula, and in the long-ago environs of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento, the stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.

California folklore traditions are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Schlosser and in artist Paul Hoffman's evocative illustrations. You'll meet ghosts and witches, hear things go bump in the night, and feel an icy wind on the back of your neck on a warm summer evening. Whether read around the campfire on a dark and stormy night or in the backseat of the family van on the way to grandma's, this is a collection to treasure.

About the Author

S. E. Schlosser has been telling stories since she was a child, when games of "let's pretend" quickly built themselves into full-length stories. A graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature and Rutgers University, she also created and maintains the Web site AmericanFolklore.net, where she shares a wealth of stories from all fifty states, some dating back to the origins of America. She is also the author of Globe Pequot's Spooky New England, Spooky New York, Spooky South, and Spooky Southwest.

Paul G. Hoffman trained in painting and printmaking, with his first extensive illustration work on assignment in Egypt, drawing ancient wall reliefs for the University of Chicago. His work graces books of many genres--children's titles, textbooks, short story collections, natural history volumes, and numerous cookbooks. For the Spooky series he employed a scratchboard technique and an active imagination.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 1st edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762738448
• ISBN-13: 978-0762738441
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,017,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Spooky!, October 19, 2005

By 

B. Dawson (New York) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Spooky California: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore (Paperback)

Another great read from S.E. Schlosser. There is quite a mix of stories in this collection. My favorite was a scary ghost story called "Vengeance" (from San Francisco), in which a Japanese woman named Ishi is murdered by her husband and her ghost returns to torment him.

There is also a really funny story about Bigfoot, a sad and haunting tale about a little girl from San Diego called "The Bells", and a spine-chilling story that takes place in the Sierra Nevada called "The Corpse Walker" (I'd tell you about it, but I don't want to spoil the story for potential readers.)

Oh -- I almost forgot to mention Jake and his camels! Jake is a miner who buys three ornery camels named Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego to help him work his claim. The camels take an unholy delight in tormenting everyone around them, especially Jake, who has a blind spot regarding them and thinks they are wonderful. Then Jake discovers a wealthy new vein of gold and is murdered before he can stake his new claim.

A great book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stories, but most are re-tells of the same old California Hauntings!, September 24, 2007

By 

Rachel Dean "Rachel Dean- nightbookworm" (Poway, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spooky California: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore (Paperback)

Not too many that are original. Many are re-told popular stories that are told in so many books. WOrth a read, if you don't already own lots of Cal. haunting books (which I do) but not worth it if you already have anextensive collection.

4.0 out of 5 stars Spooky california, October 28, 2008

By 

Wendy (California, United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Spooky California: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Other Local Lore (Paperback)

I bought this book and the Spooky campfire tales when we took the kids camping up the California coast. The stories are pretty tame but when read to the kids around a camp fire in the woods they're perfect. Just enough to get the imagination going without causing nightmares!