I had found it! This house was the perfect place to write the great American novel. I tumbled into bed, anxious to start the next day. Within half an hour, I was awake again. The sounds were back. I got up and peered out the window. That’s when I saw it. In the ghostly light of a half moon shining through the darkness, I saw a young girl chopping at the trunk of a huge oak tree behind the house. She was only about five or six years old, wearing a tattered dress that was soaked in the rain. The rain masked her tears, but I could see by the expression on her face that she was crying. With a small ax, that was more like a hatchet, she was chopping and chopping at the huge trunk of the tree. Why is the child chopping at the tree, and what secrets does it hold inside? Find out in this chilling ghost story. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

Tammy and Jessica were best friends. They loved to go exploring together. Then one day they found a tree house deep in the forest. It was a great tree house, but something didn’t feel right. It was almost as if the tree house was haunted. Tammy and Jessica ran from the tree house, only to find themselves at a small clearing in the woods. Facing them was an old cabin, and an even older woman. Find out what happened to Tammy and Jessica in this short, but creepy tale. Ages 9 and up. This book is also included in the compilation Scary Ghost Stories. Buy seven stories for the price of four! Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

Prisoners are taken at Oak Terrace. When you ask what prisoners, you'll hear stories. Stories of strange things that have happened to many people. But most often, you'll hear the story of Timmy McGill: The Prisoner of Oak Terrace. Read Timmy’s story in this short, but creepy tale. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

“I was across the marsh, by a stone wall.” I hadn’t intended to give away where I’d been, but I was getting flustered. “By the Stonemason’s Playground?” Tommy asked. “What’s that?” I said, trying to sound dumb. “It’s a haunted playground,” Brad said with a shiver. I could tell he liked being scared. “The kids who sneak into the playground to play are turned to stone. They never come back?” Tommy added. Haunted or not, this was the one place I could go to be myself. I decided that no story was going to stop me from visiting the Stonemason’s Playground. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

“Then the train pulls away from the station,” Peter said. “And anyone riding in boxcar 1313 on the night of a full moon, never comes back. They go to the hobo graveyard to die.” Those were the words that started the challenge; The challenge that would change my life forever. Read this short, but creepy tale to find out what happened when Aaron took boxcar 1313 one cold, moonlit night. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

“There's a werewolf around. I just know it.” “Johnson lost another lamb last night.” “They found what was left of it torn to bits down by the railroad track.” “And they found tracks of the monster too.” “It was horrible.” “They were huge.” Sheriff Corbin listened as the talk around him started raising the pulses of the crowd. Finally he stepped in. “All right, that's enough,” he yelled. “Frankly I don't believe all this talk, but if you folks are going to get all agitated up about it, then we're just going to have to figure out a sensible solution. Otherwise everybody is going to start killing off everybody else and before you know it the whole town will be staying up there on cemetery hill.” Find out what happens to this small town in this creepy tale of terror. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

This was our last chance. I know that my wife thought this was a folly at first, but tomorrow she would see how right I was. Tomorrow a lot of our dreams would come true. Let me give you a bit of background. I had been a normal working slob my whole life. I was unhappy at my job as an accountant, but I was even unhappier when I got laid off. It wasn’t my fault I wasn’t working anymore. The economy was bad and there weren’t as many businesses that needed auditing and bookkeeping. I was sick and tired of being at the mercy of someone else, so I decided to go into business for myself. Since I knew there wasn’t enough work for accountants, I decided I needed to do something new. Find out what happens when the author buys a vineyard and begins making wine. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

I was driving down a nearly deserted road. It was a shortcut I often took to get home from town. I’m not sure it was any shorter, but it was definitely quieter. A lot fewer cars came this way. Perhaps it was because most of the houses weren’t out this direction. Maybe it was even because of the cemetery. I actually liked going by the cemetery. This was one of those older ones that had character, not just a bunch of the same plaques over and over. Some of these graves had statues of angels watching over them. Some had boxes above ground. There were even two mausoleums, on in the corner near a front gate, and one way back in the far corner. I was glancing at the graveyard when it happened. I’m not sure if I hit a slick bit of mud, some oil on the road, or what. It might have been that there was just way too much rain for my tires to get a good grip. Anyway, I felt the steering wheel being wrenched from my hands. Find out what happens when Peter’s car ends up in the ditch beside the cemetery. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

Mayday! Mayday! We had just finished a bombing run and we were lost. The fog was as thick as pea soup, and our instrument panel had been damaged by enemy gunfire. Would anyone come to our rescue? Suddenly the radio crackled to life and I heard a voice. But where would it lead us? Read this short, but creepy tale to find out. Ages 9 and up. Educational Versions have exercises designed to meet Common Core standards. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.

I had found it! This house was the perfect place to write the great American novel. I tumbled into bed, anxious to start the next day. Within half an hour, I was awake again. The sounds were back. I got up and peered out the window. That’s when I saw it. In the ghostly light of a half moon shining through the darkness, I saw a young girl chopping at the trunk of a huge oak tree behind the house. She was only about five or six years old, wearing a tattered dress that was soaked in the rain. The rain masked her tears, but I could see by the expression on her face that she was crying. With a small ax, that was more like a hatchet, she was chopping and chopping at the huge trunk of the tree. Why is the child chopping at the tree, and what secrets does it hold inside? Find out in this chilling ghost story. Ages 9 and up. LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.