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dawnlizreads's review
5.0
So much fun to read this again.
Full knowing that most people reading this will be fans of the original, Usborne have not bothered to make any serious revisions (presumably, they took out anything racist/sexist by today's standards). Therefore, the stories and pictures are brilliantly quaint. They suggest using a notebook and pen to record any ghostly goings on because, in this World of the Unknown, mobiles aren't a thing.
Being a tad more sceptical than when I first read the book (13; I'm now 39), I realised that many of the ghost stories were very likely to be the result of bad lighting/drafty houses/someone being drunk. However, the story of the cursed WW1 Uboat seemed quite sinister - not because of the supernatural but because of the horrors of submarine life in warfare.
The book sweetly provides a list of further reading but, obvs, I have Google. And - of course - I will be Googling the history of pictures that the book claims aren't fakes immediately after finishing writing this review.
Full knowing that most people reading this will be fans of the original, Usborne have not bothered to make any serious revisions (presumably, they took out anything racist/sexist by today's standards). Therefore, the stories and pictures are brilliantly quaint. They suggest using a notebook and pen to record any ghostly goings on because, in this World of the Unknown, mobiles aren't a thing.
Being a tad more sceptical than when I first read the book (13; I'm now 39), I realised that many of the ghost stories were very likely to be the result of bad lighting/drafty houses/someone being drunk. However, the story of the cursed WW1 Uboat seemed quite sinister - not because of the supernatural but because of the horrors of submarine life in warfare.
The book sweetly provides a list of further reading but, obvs, I have Google. And - of course - I will be Googling the history of pictures that the book claims aren't fakes immediately after finishing writing this review.
mslestat's review
5.0
I think all fans of things that go bump in the night have “that” book. The book that they had when they were kids...checked out from the library a zillion times or read until the pages came loose. The one that scared you so and made you crave more.
This was “that” book for many people, growing up in the 70s. Long out of print, it’s been fittingly resurrected to thrill a whole new generation.
Filled with stunning illustrations, providing dream (or nightmare?)-fuel , it’s a tasty snack for anyone spookily inclined.
This was “that” book for many people, growing up in the 70s. Long out of print, it’s been fittingly resurrected to thrill a whole new generation.
Filled with stunning illustrations, providing dream (or nightmare?)-fuel , it’s a tasty snack for anyone spookily inclined.
barry_x's review
4.0
This book was a fixture of libraries in the UK in the late 1970's and 1980's and I suspect many readers who were children in this time will remember how captivating, enthralling and genuinely creepy this book was.
I was certainly one of those kids and it's notable that as soon as I saw this book had been reissued I was instantly taken back to the illustrations in the book, my memory scarred for over thirty years by the images within.
The book is PERFECT for children's imaginations - I'd say ages 8-12 are just right for this. My eight year old is a really good reader for her age and I think she'd be fine (but terrified). I did buy this as a Christmas gift for my eleven year old but it's notable that I spent an hour with it this morning reliving my own childhood terrors!
It's a short book (31 pages) and covers 'what is a ghost' then jumps into different types of ghosts (things like haunted houses, ghost animals, ghosts from non-Western cultures). The book then has a couple of sections on investigating ghosts and spotting fake ghosts.
It is the illustrations that make the book though - each of them are lurid, and captured in a 1970's pallette of oranges, browns and yellows with some great drawings of sinister and threatening ghosts. They are at just the right level to capture a child's imagination - I loved them!
The foreword is by Reece Shearsmith and I wonder if this reissue is aimed more at people like me revisiting childhood. I showed a page to my eight year old and she seemed far more rational about phenomena than I was at that age (or now...). I do hope my youngsters enjoy it though and it gets them like it got me.
A minor point is that when writing about ghosts outside the UK some of the language reflects the standards of the time (this was originally published in 1977). There are a few references along the lines of 'North American tribes' and similar. non-Western cultures wouldn't be referred to in the same way (hopefully) in children's fiction today.
That said, I had a lot of fun re-engaging with a classic from my youth and I hope my kids love it too.
I was certainly one of those kids and it's notable that as soon as I saw this book had been reissued I was instantly taken back to the illustrations in the book, my memory scarred for over thirty years by the images within.
The book is PERFECT for children's imaginations - I'd say ages 8-12 are just right for this. My eight year old is a really good reader for her age and I think she'd be fine (but terrified). I did buy this as a Christmas gift for my eleven year old but it's notable that I spent an hour with it this morning reliving my own childhood terrors!
It's a short book (31 pages) and covers 'what is a ghost' then jumps into different types of ghosts (things like haunted houses, ghost animals, ghosts from non-Western cultures). The book then has a couple of sections on investigating ghosts and spotting fake ghosts.
It is the illustrations that make the book though - each of them are lurid, and captured in a 1970's pallette of oranges, browns and yellows with some great drawings of sinister and threatening ghosts. They are at just the right level to capture a child's imagination - I loved them!
The foreword is by Reece Shearsmith and I wonder if this reissue is aimed more at people like me revisiting childhood. I showed a page to my eight year old and she seemed far more rational about phenomena than I was at that age (or now...). I do hope my youngsters enjoy it though and it gets them like it got me.
A minor point is that when writing about ghosts outside the UK some of the language reflects the standards of the time (this was originally published in 1977). There are a few references along the lines of 'North American tribes' and similar. non-Western cultures wouldn't be referred to in the same way (hopefully) in children's fiction today.
That said, I had a lot of fun re-engaging with a classic from my youth and I hope my kids love it too.
tricky's review
4.0
I had all three of these books in my youth, being Monsters, UFOs and of course Ghosts. This was my favourite, inappropriate as children's book now but it was just the best. It is 32 pages of letting your imagination run wild, as you explore everything that is scary and makes you question is it real or nor.
Great trip down memory lane and the drawings are just wonderful.
Great trip down memory lane and the drawings are just wonderful.
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