Ghost Cat and Other Spooky Tales

A scary new house.
A horrible monster hiding in the closet.
An imaginary friend that does very bad things.
And a cat that lurks around every corner -- even though it's dead.

These are just a few of the things that go bump in the night inside the pages of this creepy collection. Look inside, if you dare. . . .

A scary new house.

A horrible monster hiding in the closet.

An imaginary friend that does very bad things.

And a cat that lurks around every corner -- even though it's dead.

These are just a few of the things that go bump in the night inside the pages of this creepy collection. Look inside, if you dare. . . .

Children's Literature

The wonderful combination of scary stories in Scholastic's "Little Apple" series for kids will leave them yelling for more. The first story starts simply enough when Blue, the family's fourteen year old cat, leaves a dead mouse on the rug in Maggie and Gavin's mother's room. Blue struts around proudly and acts triumphant whenever she catches a mouse. Then, Blue changes overnight. She becomes very ill. She shows no interest in her breakfast or even a bowl of milk. The veterinarian tells them that Blue is extremely sick and suffering from kidney failure, a common problem in older animals. It is decided to have Blue put to sleep the following day. Strange things begin to happen soon after. Maggie insists that Blue's ghost must be the culprit when she finds another dead mouse in the same place near her mother's bedroom door. This story has a simple yet lovely ending that would be satisfying for children, although the copyeditors neglected to correct an error that may cause some confusion. Gavin refers to Blue as a male when he notes, "That's his second mouse this week," while a couple of pages later, Mom says, "Blue is proud of herself." The other stories in the collection are equally unique and sure to amuse the youngest of children. The illustrations are cute and suitable to each story.

James Preller is the author of the popular Jigsaw Jones mystery series, which has sold over 10 million copies (of 32 titles) since 1998. Six Innings is his first stand-alone novel, and it grew out of his love for baseball and his experiences in Little League as a player, father, and coach.