13 Ghostly Tales

by Freya Littledale (Editor), Wayne Blickenstaff (illustrator)

PAPERBACK.......SHELF WEAR TO EDGES AND SPINE, BENDS ON SOME CONNERS......BOOK ITSELF IN GOOD CONDITION......WILL SHIP WITHIN 24 HOURS.......C12

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Paranormal, Childrens, Ghosts

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. I know it was written for little kids, but seriously, aren't they ment to be slightly scary? In half of the stories there wasn't even a ghost involved. Also, none of them have any description and are all poorly written. In one of them, one man shoots himself in the foot. In another, a boy stabs his coat with his knife and faints on a grave! And in another, A ghost haunts his wife after he dies, only wanting his other sock. They were all terrible, but I just could not stop reading them!

[Zachary · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had me want to read on to the second story just to prove to myself that it was good, and that was a big mistake! There are so many things that made this book bad that I couldn’t list them all, so here are a few. First, the stories are just so bland, I mean you pretty much know exactly what is going to happen after the first paragraph. For example Oh and make sure to steer clear of blank the cart driver. Just so the kid can run off and get in the exact cart he wasn’t supposed to and then be told it was a ghost. Who could have seen that coming? Oh yeah everyone. Secondly, half of the time there aren’t any ghosts, or any supernatural creature for that matter, and even if there are, just the cart driver they don’t do anything to scare anyone, they just kind of sit there, even though I thought these were supposed at least somewhat scary stories. There are so many more reasons that I could rant on about, but I’d rather stop here. See you in my next review.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.08⭐

Wait Till Martin Comes • (1959) • Maria Leach 3.25⭐
The Trunk in the Attic • (1949) • Adele DeLeeuw (variant of A Strange Surprise) 3⭐
The Railroad Ghost • (1954) • Murray T. Pringle 3⭐
The Dare • (1959) • Maria Leach 3.5⭐
The Wild Ride in the Tilt Cart • (1965) • Sorche Nic Leodhas 3.25⭐
The Ghost with One Sock • Freya Littledale 2⭐
The Most Haunted House • (1948) • Louis C. Jones 3⭐
The Witch in the Wintry Wood • (1949) • poem • Aileen Fisher 3.25⭐
The Ghost Dog of South Mountain • (1955) • Frances Carpenter 3.5⭐
The Thing at the Foot of the Bed • (1959) • Maria Leach 3.25⭐
Ghost in the Orchard • (1949) • Aileen Fisher 3⭐
The Golden Arm • (1959) • Maria Leach 3⭐
The Ghosts from the Graveyard • Sorche Nic Leodhas (variants: The Bogles from the Howff; The Battle with the Bogles 1960) 3⭐

[Gofita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread this with my son. They're still silly. But they're a fun way to introduce folklore and urban legends to him.

I got this book when I was a kid at my local book fair! And I just finished rereading it to my little 7 month old boy! The stories are silly, but fun and not at all scary, so they're great for kids. Some stories are really short like one page while others are a bit longer. Definitely worth a read if you would like to share some "spooky" stories with kids!

[Danice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This young-adult collection of short stories was a pleasure to read. The ghostly tales were sourced from a selection of published works, including the Texas Folklore Society.

[erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was younger. I managed to find it again recently. None of the stories are scary or that good but the nostalgia was there.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky stories that used to really frighten me when I was a kid. It was fun to reread as a mature adult - a couple are rather well written. Most are firmly aimed at being just a bit frightening and then letting kids off the hook.

Interesting to see clearly how plot doesn’t matter as much as style in a ghost story. The atmosphere is in the words and the spooky moods they conjure. The plot driven stories are the least interesting. Aileen Fisher ‘the ghost in the orchard’ is nicely done. Sorche Nic leodas ‘the ghosts from the graveyard’ is a good example of letting the reader hear the authors voice without explanation.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm basing this rating on my younger self when I read this. I loved it then!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

45 cents scholastic book.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories to memorize and tell around the campfire
My favorite is “The Ghost Dog of South Mountain”

[Courtney Schafer]

In no way would a kid find this scary.

[jun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know now that this genre is called explained supernatural and in hindsight, it was a great rendition of the traditional ghost story.

[Partridge Public]

Littledale, Freya PB

[Gabrielle Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like these stories in this book, so much fun to read. A must read!

[Beau Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a kid. Spooky, but age appropriate stories for 6-10 year olds. Even re-reading these stories as an adult, I still enjoyed the experience.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

most of these stories I have already read online, so a bit of a disappointment

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book I ever read, way back in Ms. Viola's first grade class!

[Terry Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was always interested in spooky things as a kid. I don't know why. These stories were great for me to read over and over again. When I was a first grader I would stay up late at night reading this book in the bathroom...