Scary Places

To most people, an inn is a place for weary travelers who are hungry and tired to get a bite to eat and rest for a while. After a few days, guests usually check out and return home or continue on their journey. Some people, however, check into an inn and never check out. Their ghosts stay on, sharing their rooms with the living. Among the 11 eerie inns in this book, children will discover an inn in Gettysburg that is said to be haunted by the soldiers who died in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War; a small hotel in San Francisco that was once a girls' school and is now visited by the ghost of the headmistress; and a bed-and-breakfast in Florida that is haunted not by a person--but by a doll! The creepy photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

Theaters are fun places to visit--most of the time. These beautiful buildings are usually filled with funny comedies, dramatic tragedies, and exciting musicals. Yet what happens when the most exciting and dramatic events aren't happening on the stage? Many theaters have been the scenes of unusual deaths, tragic events, and are even said to be home to ghosts and spirits. Within the 11 tragic theaters in this book, children will discover the ghost of the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, and the spirit of a beautiful showgirl who keeps reappearing on the stage where she became famous 100 years ago. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

There are cornfields as far as the eye can see. An old farmhouse looms in the distance. It glows an eerie white in the moonlight. It sounds as if someone is wailing in the backyard. You turn, but all you see is more land and more darkness. You notice a scarecrow hanging on a wood post. Its face has a painful expression. There's another noise. Is it the wind . . . or the scarecrow? In the 11 supposedly haunted places in this book, readers will experience true terror-from angry dead witches to ghostly chickens to a poltergeist on the loose!

Since the beginning of recorded history, people have been mystified by UFOs--unidentified flying objects. Even Christopher Columbus, on a 1492 voyage aboard the Santa Maria, was puzzled by a sight he described as "a light glimmering at a great distance" in the sky. While no UFOs have ever been captured or recovered, there may be startling clues to their existence left behind in places where they are thought to have struck the ground. In this book, children will visit 11 of the eeriest UFO crash sites found around the world. Among them is the scene of a gigantic, unexplained explosion that knocked flat 80 million trees; a hillside strewn with unearthly artifacts; and a spot where an alien pilot is said to be buried. The intriguing photographs and fascinating nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spellbinding stories.

As the filmmaking capital of the world, Hollywood has produced lots of scary movies. Ghosts, monsters, and mummies from its studios have made unforgettable on-screen appearances. Yet what if this world-famous spot in southern California is itself haunted by ghosts? What if some of Hollywood's most famous residents cannot bring themselves to leave the limelight? In Haunted Hollywood, children visit 11 of Tinseltown's spookiest sights and meet its most legendary ghosts. Among them are an aspiring but unlucky actress who haunts the Hollywood sign, a horror-movie actor who is still seen on his old set, and a world-famous magician who seems to have escaped death. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

Darkness descends on an empty playground. Squeak, squeak. Squeak, squeak. A swing slowly begins to move back and forth. Is the wind pushing it? Then the swing flies higher and higher in the air. Yet no one is around. Suddenly, there's the pitter-patter of small feet and the faint sound of a child's laughter. Has a spirit come to play? In the 11 creepy places in this book, readers will explore a park that's overrun with ghosts, a playground that was built on a graveyard, a spooky shifting staircase, and more. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages.

Most days, schools are filled with students learning in classrooms, studying in libraries, and eating in lunchrooms. Yet what about the reports that something more unusual has been spotted in these buildings? Are they true? According to some, ghostly figures and creepy spirits haunt the hallways of some of America's most well-known schools, colleges, and universities. Among the 11 spooky schools in this book, children will discover an art institute haunted by a mischievous ghost and a university in Florida where a man with glowing red eyes mysteriously appears. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

Few sounds are as chilling as the metal bars of a prison slamming shut. Often, criminals are locked up in cells with other murderers, thieves, and robbers--sometimes for years, sometimes for life. Yet what about being locked up with a ghost? Some people say that the souls of those who died in prison are unable to rest in peace. As a result, ghosts and other spirits are often reported to haunt jails and prisons around the world. Among the 11 prisons in this book, children will discover Alcatraz, the legendary prison that housed some of America's most dangerous criminals, and which is said to still be home to some of their spirits; a Civil War prison where some people claim to hear the whispers of dead soldiers; and the Tower of London, where a headless queen haunts the hallways. The spooky photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more creepy stories.

Places that are filled with history are also thought to be filled with ghosts. If that is true, then Washington, D.C.--a city that dates back to the earliest days of the United States of America--is surely one of the most haunted cities in the country. In A Haunted Capital, children visit eleven of the most haunted spots in Washington, D.C. and come across some of its most famous ghosts. Among them are a former president who never left the White House, a vice-president who still hurries to his office in the Capitol building, and a First Lady who has found a quiet and peaceful home--years after her death. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

For most people, islands are a place to spend a relaxing vacation. Tourists often visit these beautiful locations to enjoy warm sandy beaches and rest by gentle ocean waves. Yet what if instead of sand and sun, an island is full of ghosts and other spooky creatures lurking in the shadows. Among the 11 creepy islands in this book, children will discover a ghostly pirate who continues to look for the gold he buried hundreds of years ago, a lighthouse keeper who haunts the building where he once worked, and a small island where all of the inhabitants mysteriously disappeared. The creepy photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

Most people stop at stations for a brief time when they travel by train or subway. As passengers come and go, the stations are filled with happy greetings and sad good-byes. But are the stations also filled with something more out of the ordinary? According to some, spooky ghosts and mischievous spirits have been spotted lurking in the shadows. Among the 11 creepy stations in this book, children will discover a haunted underground station in London that was once used as an air-raid shelter during World War II, and a stop along the Pony Express where the sounds of horses' thundering hooves can still be heard. The haunting photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

It's closing time at a museum. Most of the visitors have already left the building as the lights flicker. A stuffed grizzly bear towers in the corner of the room near the exit sign. Everything about the dead animals looks real--from its razor-sharp claws to its piercing eyes. Is it watching you? That's when you notice a thin, bloody stream of saliva dripping from its open mouth. The lights flicker again and shut off, blanketing the room in darkness. Suddenly, there's a deafening ROAR! In the 11 spooky museums in this book, you will explore a shrine to black magic, a collection of preserved brains, a museum haunted by a famous dead artist, and a gallery that holds the severed head of a killer, along with many other peculiar places.

Most of the time, a library is a cozy place. There are bookshelves to explore, tables to study at, and, of course, lots of books to browse through and read. Yet what if there are also ghosts lurking about? Among the 11 haunted libraries in this book, children will discover one that is home to the spirit of a young girl who is depicted in its beautiful stained-glass window, one that is filled with ghosts who are distressed because it is built on top of their burial place, and one that has now turned into a bookstore yet is haunted by library patrons of the past--as well as a phantom cat. The creepy photographs and chilling nonfiction text will keep children turning the pages to discover more spooky stories.

The glowing moon peeks from behind a massive stone house. The front door slowly creaks open. A feeling of gloom swells from inside the home. There's an ear-splitting shriek! What horror has overtaken this ghastly gothic mansion? In the 11 gothic mansions in this book, you will explore a mansion lit up by phantom fires, the stately site of a brutal double murder, a cliff-side castle where the ghost of a girl lingers, a house filled with human remains, and many other spooky sites.