After an introduction that attempts to set a spooky tone "You stand frozen in fear. What unearthly being is making that noise?" the book describes four supposedly haunted libraries.
The Millicent Library in MA is said to be haunted by the daughter of the founder, Millicent, and other members of the family. The Sweetwater County Library was built on a disturbed cemetery. The Peoria Public Library was built on land that was cursed by the evicted owner, a curse that was proven by the tragic deaths of the first three library directors. Finally, the Blanche Skiff Ross Memorial Library in Nevada was built on the site of a hospital that housed victims of a fire, many of whom died. There is also supposedly the ghost of a previous teacher at the college who committed suicide.
The last pages of the book show a map with the locations of the four haunted libraries, a glossary, index, two additional titles about haunted libraries, and a link to the publisher's website online.
I'm a little confused about the audience for this title. Bearport's haunted places series are usually directed towards middle grade readers, but this one has the format of their easy reader line, Little Bits! being a smaller square. It's only 24 pages and the text is brief, but more complex than an easy reader. While I certainly have younger readers who would like to read creepy stories, I have yet to meet any parents or caregivers who will allow them to do so, which limits the audience for this book. I was also disappointed that there was very little information given about the hauntings, just vague rumors and historical events without context.
Verdict: If you have the audience for very low-level spooky titles, this is probably a really good choice. Unfortunately, it just doesn't fit in with my library's needs.
ISBN: 9781684020492; Published 2017 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher
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