Ghost Trackers: The Unreal World of Ghosts, Ghost-Hunting, and the Paranormal… by Chris Gudgeon

This book is geared for children from ages 9-12. It is informative, well written, and covers a variety of topics, ranging from historical ghost stories to how to carry out your own “ghost-hunting” (even though no kid in the world would have the equipment to do this). I liked the fact that it gave both a scientific basis and other...possibility for what possibly may be a paranormal experience. It also gave excellent definitions and examples that were appropriate for a child between the ages of 9-12 to understand. It was engaging and quite fun to read. I actually had my 9 year old check it out around Halloween with her friends to see what they thought of it. I was a little nervous that it might be a little scary, but it the writing was humorous at times and interesting, that it took any “scare” out of ghosts and paranormal away. We were actually able to have some interesting conversations about haunted houses, possible ghost sightings (I grew up in Boston and lots of people's houses are “haunted”...or are they?), and visiting some of the places mentioned in the book that were nearby. She and her friends carried that book around for a good couple of weeks before I could get it back from her to actually review it myself. If a book can engage a nine year old girl in to science of any type (who has no interest in science what so ever), then there has to be something good about it. As a former teacher, I think these types of books are great. They are not to long, they are appealing to children, and they are not to complected to read so that a “non-science” person is bored. They also encourage conversation between parents and children about belief systems, experiences, and who knows, maybe exploring new places together.