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Ghost Fever/ Mal De Fantasma
In his classic bilingual style, Joe tells the story of a haunted house in a poor little town in Arizona. Even when the landlord offers free rent, nobody moves in because they know a ghost lives there. That is, until Elena's father rents it. He doesn't believe in ghosts. Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the ways of ghosts. She helps her solve the mystery of the "ghost on the roof" while Elena learns a very important lesson about life.
Library Binding
First published January 1, 2004
15 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Joe Hayes
58 books29 followersDesignated New Mexico Eminent Scholar by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Learning (1979).
Joe was the youngest of five children. His father loved to tell stories. The family moved to Arizona where Joe learned to speak Spanish which became an integral part of his storytelling and writing.
In 1979, he began to devote himself full time to sharing stories. He focuses on elementary school audiences although his work appeals to a wide range of ages.
In 2001, he traveled to Cuba participate in a translation workshop sponsored by Writers of the Americas.
For children and adults alike, Joe's storytelling sessions outside the tepee at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe are a summer tradition that has continued for over 25 years.
Other facts:
*Youngest of five children
*Graduated from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
*Taught at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona and also in Los Alamos, NM.
*Employed in mineral exploration work, working all over the western U.S. as well as in Mexico and Spain.
*Delivered the Commencement address at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at U.C.L.A.
*Currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Joe was the youngest of five children. His father loved to tell stories. The family moved to Arizona where Joe learned to speak Spanish which became an integral part of his storytelling and writing.
In 1979, he began to devote himself full time to sharing stories. He focuses on elementary school audiences although his work appeals to a wide range of ages.
In 2001, he traveled to Cuba participate in a translation workshop sponsored by Writers of the Americas.
For children and adults alike, Joe's storytelling sessions outside the tepee at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe are a summer tradition that has continued for over 25 years.
Other facts:
*Youngest of five children
*Graduated from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
*Taught at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona and also in Los Alamos, NM.
*Employed in mineral exploration work, working all over the western U.S. as well as in Mexico and Spain.
*Delivered the Commencement address at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at U.C.L.A.
*Currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 7, 2020
I ordered this middle grades ghost story the first week of October for the “Arizona” portion of our Kids Read America project.
We were hoping to read it for el día de los Muertos, but it arrived a week late. (This is how pandemic projects go, people!).
This is a short novel, written in English and Spanish, by storyteller and author, Joe Hayes, who's a gringo who grew up “in southern Arizona, 50 miles from the Mexican border.” (I'm a gringa who grew up with Cubans and Colombians in Miami, so I can relate to this type of language acquisition).
The black and white illustrations by artist Mona Pennypacker are fantastic and the story borders on creepy but it didn't keep my 12-year-old from being able to sleep, though I do want to contribute that it would have bothered my 10-year-old, who opted not to read it.
In short: ¡Qué libro tan divertido!
We were hoping to read it for el día de los Muertos, but it arrived a week late. (This is how pandemic projects go, people!).
This is a short novel, written in English and Spanish, by storyteller and author, Joe Hayes, who's a gringo who grew up “in southern Arizona, 50 miles from the Mexican border.” (I'm a gringa who grew up with Cubans and Colombians in Miami, so I can relate to this type of language acquisition).
The black and white illustrations by artist Mona Pennypacker are fantastic and the story borders on creepy but it didn't keep my 12-year-old from being able to sleep, though I do want to contribute that it would have bothered my 10-year-old, who opted not to read it.
In short: ¡Qué libro tan divertido!
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December 28, 2024Read this to practice Spanish! The bilingual printing was done well in that the page prints corresponded well; the Spanish and English texts were always printed on the correct page, and I appreciated that both languages were on the same spread each time. I can't comment on accuracy at this time. One day.
October 9, 2022
This book scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. I'm reading it for the first time in close to 15 years and it's not as scary.
April 16, 2015
The book I read is Ghost Fever/Mal de fantasma by Joe Hayes. I liked this book because it was in English as well as Spanish. For me it is a good book because the theme is easy to picture it and be brought put in your imagination.
The book takes place in Duston,Arizona At the beginning it says that the family just moved in and they need a place to stay in. There was a guy in the store who had a store but also had houses to rent. At the begging nobody wanted to live there because they said the house was hunted by a girl ghost. The guy that rented the house said that who ever lived there would have 6 months of free rent.
There was a family that just had moved into the town. Mr.Frank and his two daughters Beatriz and Elena. Elena was the oldest of the two. Mr. frank saw the poster about the house that he could live there for free 6 months. He thought it would be good because they just moved in and they didn't have any money.
At the begging of the 6 month he only takes his older daughter Elena. That night the ghost appeared and only Elena saw it. Elena sacred remembered the words her grandmother told her to say to the ghost. The ghost was dressed in a white quiensañera dress. She was about to turn 15 when she died. The ghost told her that she wanted her to go out and in the back yard there was a box. Inside the box there was money that she stole from her parents. The ghost told her to get the money and open a bank account. The banks account would be in the name of the last baby girl that the priest had baptizes.
Mrs.Frank didn't believe his daughter ,but still went and dig out the box. When he opened it only ashes appear. He put it back and moved on later that night Elena got very sick. Her grandmother picked up Elena sick and took her where the box was and she started to dig. When her grandmother opened the box the money was there. Elena was surprise her grandmother explained to her that the money didn't appeared when her father dig it out because he wanted the money. The next day Elena did what the ghost wanted and she was feeling better.
This book is a very good book because it captures attention. If you wanted to find out what happen later to Elena when she did what the ghost wanted you should read the book! You will be surprised.
The book takes place in Duston,Arizona At the beginning it says that the family just moved in and they need a place to stay in. There was a guy in the store who had a store but also had houses to rent. At the begging nobody wanted to live there because they said the house was hunted by a girl ghost. The guy that rented the house said that who ever lived there would have 6 months of free rent.
There was a family that just had moved into the town. Mr.Frank and his two daughters Beatriz and Elena. Elena was the oldest of the two. Mr. frank saw the poster about the house that he could live there for free 6 months. He thought it would be good because they just moved in and they didn't have any money.
At the begging of the 6 month he only takes his older daughter Elena. That night the ghost appeared and only Elena saw it. Elena sacred remembered the words her grandmother told her to say to the ghost. The ghost was dressed in a white quiensañera dress. She was about to turn 15 when she died. The ghost told her that she wanted her to go out and in the back yard there was a box. Inside the box there was money that she stole from her parents. The ghost told her to get the money and open a bank account. The banks account would be in the name of the last baby girl that the priest had baptizes.
Mrs.Frank didn't believe his daughter ,but still went and dig out the box. When he opened it only ashes appear. He put it back and moved on later that night Elena got very sick. Her grandmother picked up Elena sick and took her where the box was and she started to dig. When her grandmother opened the box the money was there. Elena was surprise her grandmother explained to her that the money didn't appeared when her father dig it out because he wanted the money. The next day Elena did what the ghost wanted and she was feeling better.
This book is a very good book because it captures attention. If you wanted to find out what happen later to Elena when she did what the ghost wanted you should read the book! You will be surprised.
February 5, 2016
If you are looking for a short and spooky book this is what I recommend. It's written in both English and Spanish. The events are well lined up and very detailed. What's neat about this book is that you're able to imagine exactly what's happening. The book is interesting and only took my 2 days to read it.
October 22, 2022
For years, I've had this book in my collection, but for some reason never got around to reading it. Why? I have no idea, but man am I glad I decided to check it out.
(Do you believe in ghosts?
Well, Elena Padilla’s father didn’t, and that’s a shame, because his disbelief ends up making Elena a very sick girl. In his classic bilingual style, Joe Hayes tells the story of Elena’s ghost fever. The story starts in an old rundown house in a dusty little town in Arizona. Nobody in their right mind will rent that house because…well, a ghost haunts it. The landlord can’t even rent it out for free! That is, not until foolish old Frank Padilla comes along thinking he can save some money.
Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the mysterious ways of ghosts. With her grandmother’s help and advice, Elena solves the mystery of the ghost girl, recuperates from her ghost fever and, in the process, learns a valuable lesson about life.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
One thing that I found really cool was that the chapters were in both English and Spanish. I'll admit. I haven't seen this in any other novel I've read and, although I don't believe this was the author's intention, I think it's a pretty engaging way to learn or even just brush up on Spanish.
I found the narrator to be rather interesting. They're not given a name or even a gender, but the reader still gets a good idea as to who they are as a person.
The ending was great. So it's revealed that It was a bit of a surprise and it was so tragic and ironic, that it made me say, out loud, "Oh damn. That's gotta hurt!"
There's one thing that doesn't make sense to me. So in chapter nine,
Overall, Ghost Fever was a short and very entertaining read.
Overall Grade: A
(Do you believe in ghosts?
Well, Elena Padilla’s father didn’t, and that’s a shame, because his disbelief ends up making Elena a very sick girl. In his classic bilingual style, Joe Hayes tells the story of Elena’s ghost fever. The story starts in an old rundown house in a dusty little town in Arizona. Nobody in their right mind will rent that house because…well, a ghost haunts it. The landlord can’t even rent it out for free! That is, not until foolish old Frank Padilla comes along thinking he can save some money.
Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the mysterious ways of ghosts. With her grandmother’s help and advice, Elena solves the mystery of the ghost girl, recuperates from her ghost fever and, in the process, learns a valuable lesson about life.) ~ Blurb from Goodreads
One thing that I found really cool was that the chapters were in both English and Spanish. I'll admit. I haven't seen this in any other novel I've read and, although I don't believe this was the author's intention, I think it's a pretty engaging way to learn or even just brush up on Spanish.
I found the narrator to be rather interesting. They're not given a name or even a gender, but the reader still gets a good idea as to who they are as a person.
The ending was great. So it's revealed that It was a bit of a surprise and it was so tragic and ironic, that it made me say, out loud, "Oh damn. That's gotta hurt!"
There's one thing that doesn't make sense to me. So in chapter nine,
Overall, Ghost Fever was a short and very entertaining read.
Overall Grade: A
February 5, 2023
I recently ordered this book mainly for nostalgia purposes. This was my favorite book to read when I was a kid I’ve read it multiple times in my life and still as a 24 year old woman I love jt. It’s a sad story but also very good.
October 31, 2018
Nice little ghost story just in time for e
July 2, 2021
This was my favorite book as a child. I remember reading it in 3rd grade for the Texas Bluebonnets Nominations list and even 15 years later I can still recall it all vividly.
February 25, 2022
I love a dual language book! I always encourage my students to read in English and check for new words in Spanish.
May 12, 2022
This book isn’t scary I’m disappointed…
September 8, 2024
This is a book for kids, presumably kids learning Spanish. I got it because the cover made me LOL. It’s a nice little ghost story… fer kids!
October 7, 2016
This is to me, a classic paranormal story. A house has been haunted and its inhabitants are a bit scared. In this case, the ghostly presence of a girl, speaks to the living and makes her understand why she died.
I have watched many a paranormal show where the ghost have been pushed out of a house without trying to find out why the are in limbo to begin with. I enjoyed that the daughter, Elena, in this book, not only helped this girl move on but she set things up so that another could live a good life.
This chapter book was written in English and Spanish which not only spoke to the authors style of writing but also the diversity of the characters in the book which were Hispanic. Some Spanish is intertwined within the English in order to make a strong point. That to me was interesting.
There are few illustrations, as again, this is a chapter book, but the ones that are in the book help give the spooky vibe that the book was meant to be.
I love this story and since the author is actually a story teller by trade, I would love to hear his verbal telling. This story deserves a 5 star.
Do no believe me? This book won the Texas Bluebonnet Award for 2007.
Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book at my local library. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon
I have watched many a paranormal show where the ghost have been pushed out of a house without trying to find out why the are in limbo to begin with. I enjoyed that the daughter, Elena, in this book, not only helped this girl move on but she set things up so that another could live a good life.
This chapter book was written in English and Spanish which not only spoke to the authors style of writing but also the diversity of the characters in the book which were Hispanic. Some Spanish is intertwined within the English in order to make a strong point. That to me was interesting.
There are few illustrations, as again, this is a chapter book, but the ones that are in the book help give the spooky vibe that the book was meant to be.
I love this story and since the author is actually a story teller by trade, I would love to hear his verbal telling. This story deserves a 5 star.
Do no believe me? This book won the Texas Bluebonnet Award for 2007.
Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book at my local library. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon
April 23, 2015
Ghost fever was a great book it has a side for english and it has one for spanish. I think that is good because i think like that it will get more reads and people will like joe hayes books more. The book was about joe and he knew people that seen a ghost. And it was about him staying at a house and he heard some stuff in that house so he decided to stay alone. The book has a girl wearing a wedding dress and is dressed nice but her face if fading into a skull face.
When i started reading this book i was kind of confused because there was a lot of words until we started reading it and saw that it was spanish. This book is a fast read book depends on how you read it because some people read it in different speeds. Another thing that happens in this book is that the girls grandma died and she was really sad.
--Spoiler Alert--
The girl wanted her quinceanera and her grandma dug a box with money and when someone dug it up there was nothing in it. When the girl dug it up it had money and other important things in there. This book doesn't go into that much deep detail but there are some parts in there that were kind of scary. This book by Joe Hayes was a good book and joe loved telling scary stories. After that joe decided to become a story teller in Pennsylvania.
When i started reading this book i was kind of confused because there was a lot of words until we started reading it and saw that it was spanish. This book is a fast read book depends on how you read it because some people read it in different speeds. Another thing that happens in this book is that the girls grandma died and she was really sad.
--Spoiler Alert--
The girl wanted her quinceanera and her grandma dug a box with money and when someone dug it up there was nothing in it. When the girl dug it up it had money and other important things in there. This book doesn't go into that much deep detail but there are some parts in there that were kind of scary. This book by Joe Hayes was a good book and joe loved telling scary stories. After that joe decided to become a story teller in Pennsylvania.
November 10, 2015
I recommend this book to people that are interested in reading about ghosts and to some people who like reading about scary stories. This book is really good because the author will make you feel like you're the main character of the story. This book is called “Ghost Fever” and it's a short book that’s in English and Spanish. I would always read this book during school in one of my classes and i would read like at least 3 chapters at a time. This book only has 13 chapters, and it would only take you 1 or 2 days to read it because it’s a short book, but at the same time it's a really good book. If i were to rate this book i would give it a 10/10.
This book is about a young girl and her father who move into this town and rent this old abandoned house that’s haunted according to the locals. Later in in the story the little girl hears noises and then afterwards finds out that a ghost is haunting the house. The little girl then realizes that the ghost only wants help from them. The ghost later on tells them to make an account for a baby and to put money in it and then to do other stuff. It only took me 2 days to read this book. I recommend this book to people who like reading about ghosts.
This book is about a young girl and her father who move into this town and rent this old abandoned house that’s haunted according to the locals. Later in in the story the little girl hears noises and then afterwards finds out that a ghost is haunting the house. The little girl then realizes that the ghost only wants help from them. The ghost later on tells them to make an account for a baby and to put money in it and then to do other stuff. It only took me 2 days to read this book. I recommend this book to people who like reading about ghosts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 6, 2015I read the book”Ghost Fever” the book is about scary and a little about mystery. I found it interesting because it’s about ghosts and I like like reading scary books. Ghost Fever is a book that has scary and mystery put in one it’s scary and a little of a mystery. It’s where there is this town where a guy own a store but the store sells candy and a kid found a worm inside of it since than nobody bought from the store. Also he had houses and one time he made a big mistake and bought a house the house was the known because it was haunted.
He than tried to rent but no one would rent it the cost went down and down each time. Than a guy came and rent it he moved in with his daughters she saw the ghost it was a girl who died at age 15. This where the booklets very scary when the ghost talks to the girl. It’s a mystery to the town because they don’t know what really happened to the girl who died their. I liked the book because it was scary and a little of mysterious and that the kind of books I like to read. I say this book is one of the best books I read because it’s scary and the book is not to short or to long to read.
He than tried to rent but no one would rent it the cost went down and down each time. Than a guy came and rent it he moved in with his daughters she saw the ghost it was a girl who died at age 15. This where the booklets very scary when the ghost talks to the girl. It’s a mystery to the town because they don’t know what really happened to the girl who died their. I liked the book because it was scary and a little of mysterious and that the kind of books I like to read. I say this book is one of the best books I read because it’s scary and the book is not to short or to long to read.
December 16, 2016
Wow, this book started out so good and was a perfect scary story to read to 3rd and 4th graders. It is also GREAT for kids who struggle to get though longer chapter books. Since it is bilingual, it is only half as long as it seems. The kids, the other teachers and myself all really enjoyed this book and its cultural aspects. I deducted one star because, as often happens in scary stories, the ending was a little lackluster. Spoiler alert: We all predicted the dad was going to steal the money and cause big problems for Elena with the ghost, but the money only turned to ash because the father didn't truly believe in the ghost story in his heart (kinda boring). Despite this downturn at the end, I still HIGHLY recommend this book- a scary story that represents people of color at an easy reading level!!! yes!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2014
GHOST FEVER is a hugely popular book in my library and I've never had a chance to read it until today. A bilingual telling of a haunted house in a small border town in Arizona and the ghost who haunts the house reminds me of the ghost stories told around campfires or with the flashlight under your chin at sleepovers -- chilling, but not too disturbing. The illustrations add just the right touch to the story, assisting the reader in creating those pictures in one's mind while reading. Highly recommended! A rating.
June 28, 2018
This is still one if my favorite books since I was nine. It was one of the first books I ever saw/read at my schools library that I felt showed a little of Mexican culture. This book was first introduced to me by my older sister and then I told my younger sister about. This book is also in English and Spanish which helped me learn English at that age and enjoy my usual Spanish read.
August 13, 2016
excellent choice for the Texas Bluebonnet award, sure the dual language text pushed it over the top in the student voting. Enjoyed meeting Joe Hayes at the TBA luncheon, he's a great storyteller in person as well as on the page.
January 12, 2014
I was not impressed with this book. The story is banal, and in no way was it scary or spooky. The only thing good about the book was that is was in English and Spanish, which should help beginning readers in either language. Still, I was disappointed.
August 7, 2014
Love the English to Spanish correlation, but overall just thought the storyline was ok. I can see why my kids will want to read it (it looks creepy), but also where they will be disappointed (not much of a ghost story).
September 29, 2015
This is an easy book to understand and it was really interesting book. It kept my attention the whole time, and I did really enjoy it. The most interesting part of the book was at the end because it say something that no one would expect. It was a really good book.
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June 12, 2008JF Hay
December 2, 2008
This was a Bluebonnet Book in 2007-2008. It actually scared me! I was so happy that my students have a really GOOD scary book to read!
March 18, 2009
I have this book at home and joe hayes signed it for me!!!
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April 7, 2009This book is creepy that girl on the cover creeped me out. She looked dead and weird. The picture wit h the broken neck was so DISGUSTING!
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October 23, 2009It was AWESOME!!!
May 18, 2010
This is a good, simple bilingual ghost story, set in New Mexico. It has very good kid appeal, and also an authentic Latino flavor.
November 3, 2010
I liked the book and its an easy read for people who like ghost/mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews