Meet the Bailey School Kids; aptly named in honor of the school that they attend. However, their stories are centered around the supernatural and scientific phenomena.
*Spoilers ahead*
In this episode of the anthological series, the children are sent to Eddie's home to care for his ailing great-aunt. She is suffering a cold, after the death of her husband. Eddie has a tumultuous relationship with his great-aunt and begrudgingly brings her meals by the request of his grandmother. However, when at her house, unexplained incidents occur. Burnt food cleans itself up, potato chips can spell, and mysterious shadows appear in the attic. Is this the ghost of Eddie's great-uncle, or the delusions of an old widow?
I believe that the simple structure and language of this series would appeal greatly to a younger audience between the ages of first through third grade. However, there may be some interest from older readers that are in fourth or fifth grade. There is awareness to social emotional issues and appropriately coping with these challenges in a real-world setting. In addition to this instructional use, this book would be useful to teaching basic story elements such as characters, plot, setting, and conflict to a younger audience.
I chose this book because I keep a collection of these books on my classroom bookshelf because they have a reputation for their accessibility and high appeal to younger readers. Having struggling readers with learning disabilities in my classroom makes these an asset to my classroom library.