The Other Side: A Teen's Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal

by Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns, Dave Schrader

It used to be you needed a crystal, a psychic, or a Oijia board to make contact with the spirit world. So who would think science would make it possible for just about anyone to experience a ghostly connection? Cameras, recorders, computers, magnetic field readers and other scientific means are now the tools of the trade. But there’s so much available, how does the average teen weed through it all to create the best possible ghost hunting team? Here to help sort it all out are three of today’s leading investigators of the field.

Together, Patrick Burns, Dave Schrader, and Marley Gibson have more than ten years of experience. They’ve put together this guide to impart their knowledge and wisdom on to the next generation of ghost hunters.

What’s included:
How to set up a ghost hunting team
The equipment needed and how to use it
Where to look for spirits
Safety, safety, and more safety

Ghost hunting is equal parts science and belief. Patrick, Dave, and Marley are here to help with science part.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Ghosts

93 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Marley Gibson is the author of the hit young adult paranormal fiction series, "Ghost Huntress," from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Graphia line, as well as "Radiate," which is a fictionalized version of the cancer she went through as a teenage cheerleader.

Gibson was featured on the premiere episode of The Biography Channel’s "My Ghost Story," as well as being interviewed by CNN.com for a Halloween feature on ghost hunting in 2008. She appeared on the Travel Channel's "Paranormal Challenge," as we as an episode of "Ghost Adventures."

Her publishing credits include "Ghost Huntress: The Awakening," "Ghost Huntress: The Guidance," and "Ghost Huntress: The Reason," "Ghost Huntress: The Counseling," "Ghost Huntress: The Journey," and soon to come, a Christmas novella, "Ghost Huntress: The Tidings."

She has also co-authored a teen ghost hunting how-to guide entitled “The Other Side: A Teen’s Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal" with her husband, Patrick Burns, from TruTV's "Haunting Evidence," and Travel Channel's "Paranormal Challenge," and "Ghost Adventures."

Gibson is also the co-author of the wildly successful "Christmas Miracles," and it's sequel, "The Spirit of Christmas," published by St. Martin’s Press and co-written with New York Times bestselling author, Cecil Murphey.

Gibson holds a Bachelors of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Advertising and a double minor in Political Science and Speech Communications from The University of Alabama. She has worked on several political campaigns, as a United States Congressional intern, and has been a marketing events manager in the medical, higher education, financial, and technology sectors, but is now happy being a full-time author, creating stories and characters for fans to love.

An avid SCUBA diver, closet gourmet chef, and electronic music lover, Marley and her husband, Patrick, live in the Florida Keys with their two rescue kitties, Madison and Boo, in an RV they lovely call, Midge.

She can be found online at www.marleygibson.com and www.radiatebook.com on Facebook at MarleyGibson Author and on Twitter @MarleyGison

Reviews

[Deborah Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does your teen have an interest in the paranormal? Do you? If your teen and/or you want to pursue this interest into actual in-the-field investigations - this book is a much needed guide. Frankly - one must be careful in seeking out the paranormal - whether ghost, poltergeist, and other phenomena. Dave Schrader and Marley Gibson provide a good guide to get you started - discussing the best way to start and what equipment you may or may not want to invest in.

Dave Schrader has years of experience with the paranormal which you can benefit from in supporting your teen's interest and/or your own - - he lectures widely, has been on network ghost hunting shows and is been the host, along with Tim Dennis, of the popular, Beyond The Darkness. Since the death of the true founder of late night paranormal/conspiracy radio - Art Bell in the spring of 2018 - Dave has been the great new host of Midnight In The Desert -

[Cierrasanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to, history, hunting’s
The other side by Marley, Patrick, and Dave was as inspirational as video games.
Not a series but is a true story and the authors wrote this to teach people about the paranormal and how to make it a job. Give you tips on investigation and tools you use. I remember when they was explain how to make you explain the room on every thing you hear but if you cant explain then it a spirit. Chapter ten was about demonology it teaches if the spirit was really evil and what you should do if you encounter one. The three authors have studied and experience this. This reminds me when I had experience paranormal like when I went in my room and saw women in my room. Like when Dave saw a ghost in his house lying in a bed.
I read it from the begging to the end and it was like I was beginning on a paranormal hunt. They did well on giving tips on how to investigation in a haunted house/place. Useful, informative, movating, inspirational this is how I described it People who is into paranormal or like to learn about ghost hunters or paranormal life. Me thinking about the after I want to do paranormal. Also how spirits/ghost feel or how they act. Do you want to learn how to be the best paranormal investigator or learn what they really do? Then get The Other Side by Dave, Marley, and Gibson right now. This three famous investigator will teach you and help you out or tell you how there life is. If there are many sprits in the house or place then it will open a portal that might be bad and make the place more haunted. So stop what you’re doing now and go get The Other Side now. You suppose to know how to be safe learning about ghost and investigation.

[Teen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is great for providing fairly concisse information about ghost hunting, although the format and the delivery are somewhat lacking. Big blocks of text are the main thing that we see and the book lacks images that either catch the reader's eye or are descriptive of the information in the text. This is not a book for people that just want to flip through and digest a few quick facts about ghost hunting and the paranormal. The writing felt a little patronizing at times ("so... what exactly are ghosts? We've all probably cut eyeholes out of sheet and worn it around on Halloween..."), but in general, does not talk down to its intended audience. This would be a good place to start if you were seriously thinking of getting started working or beginning a hobby as a paranormal investigator, giving a lot of information about the ins and outs of this line of work.

One of the main things lacking here is that this book is not set up for browsing or finding specific chnks of information. There is no index, large blocks of text, and irrelevant images, all of which make it difficult for the casual browser to take away any paranormal-hunting morsels. The glossary is helpful but sparse.

I would use this book in a display highlighting fiction dealing with this topic.

[Christi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Ghost hunters Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns, and Dave Schrader take the reader through the basics of ghost hunting and the paranormal. This book is a step by step informative guide to the believer and the skeptic. Each chapter explains a different aspect of ghost hunting including tools of the trade, preparation, practicalities and terminology. The authors provide many explanations for ghost activity including those that debunk paranormal theories. Black and white photographs are included to give detail to certain topics.

Review: Overall, this book is very interesting and full of information. The authors do a very good job of providing multiple explanations for certain activity that can take place during an investigation. However, the text is very dense and somewhat small for a non-fiction book geared toward teens.The text itself is friendly, but the format and amount per page is overwhelming. The paper is not of the glossy kind which could make the book more substantial. Also, it is all in black and white with no color to really draw the reader in. Glossy paper with some color illustrations and some color photos would make the book even better. The most intriguing aspect is the cover.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Other Side is a teen nonfiction book that guides you through what it takes to become a ghost hunter and all that is involved. There are three authors in this book, one of which is Marley Gibson - the author of the Ghost Huntress series. In the book, it is discussed how to set up a team for ghost hunting, what equipment is involved and how to use it, as well as where to look for spirits.

I loved that this book really told you how it was. Ghost hunting is NOT going to make you famous. It's hard work and little play. You have to be responsible or you'll get in trouble with the ghost hunting community and even the law. There's a lot about safety in the book, including a bit of different protections to use while ghost hunting.

I learned a lot about what is involved in ghost hunting and how it could be quite a time and energy consuming hobby - not one that is all fun and games. For anyone interested in the subject, this would be a great book to read, especially around Halloween.

[Sarah Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the information a teen needs to go looking for ghosts in a safe and respectful (to the living) manner is contained in this practical volume. All three authors are ghost hunting hobbyists who have each been featured in TV or radio. A brief history of ghost seeking points out the ways the human mind can be tricked. The rest of the book focuses how to search for ghosts in a methodological way, collecting data that can contribute to existing knowledge of ghosts while avoiding being sucked into false assumptions. The authors do not set up teens with false hopes of fantastic results but describe the often boring reality and hard work this hobby requires. Pictures and illustrations are included but the layout and organization (a glossary and sample interview but no index) of this black and white paperback is definitely lacking. Regardless, this represents a solid contribution to a subject of high interest for teen readers. Recommended for ages 13 to 19.

[Rad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, if I get to do my slang lecture, I am totally using this book. This book can teach us all a valuable lesson - if you are writing non-fiction and a teenager checks out your book, the teenager is ALREADY INTERESTED IN YOUR TOPIC. That means that you DON'T HAVE TO USE TRENDY SLANG TO TRY AND REEL THEM IN. In fact, it probably WON'T HELP YOU PROVE YOUR POINT AT ALL and will make you sound OLDER THAN FORTY.

Okay, that's my rant. I love capitals!

[Katie K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I am a HUGE believer in the paranormal and ghosts. I thought it was a huge help for hunting. I have went and done investigations before but we barely know what to do. I think this book was very organized and had all their facts and tips all together. It really helped that the authors were ghost hunters also so you could get a point of view from people who do this on a regular basis. I think that teens will love this book, as long as their a believer.:)

[Aleasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. More technical than mental which is more what I was looking for. But a great history and a great beginners guide. If I ever decide to try ghost hunting, this will be my 1st reference point.

[Patricia Lynne]

No stars since this is a DNF and I only got about 31 pages in. It wasn't a badly written book or anything. No, my main reason for putting it down was it was obviously targeted at a younger crowd so I felt a lack of connection. (Weird given how I can devour a YA novel, but I guess genre might have something to do with it.)

Funny story about this book. I met one of the authors at MI ParaCon and he told me how when they were writing the book, Twilight was huge so the publisher wanted to cash in on the fad, hence why it's a teen's guide to ghost hunting. He actually seemed a little embarrassed to have caved to that demand.

I can say what little I read was good info for someone wanting to get into ghost hunting, so if you can get past the voice sounding like a parent trying to sound cool to their teenagers, you can learn a lot.