"Ah, this one was going to be easy," Martin thought to himself. "A single woman living alone." He had haunted families, bachelors, and old maids before. None of them lasted more than a week. He had his favorites, of course. There was the young lad whose family refused to believe he had seen a ghost! They kept hollering at him and insisting there was no such thing when he was right there behind them the whole time, plain as day! When they finally turned around, their jaws dropped. All he had to do was utter a simple "Boo" and they ran screaming in terror from the house. They even left all their things behind. Not that he had any use for them, but it was a nice gesture, he thought. Gave him something else to throw at people who moved in. He didn't like throwing his own things. After all, they were his prized possessions. He had had them in the house when he lived there. And he still lived there, just not in an earthly form. Find out what happens to the new owner of this haunted house in this short by 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.

The night started out just great. I’d gone to a scary movie with some friends, and Mary Lou Pendergrass had cuddled up to me all night long. Then I started walking home through the field. That’s when my luck changed. Suddenly I was being followed, but not by anything human. Would I ever make it home safely? 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.

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.

“I’m sorry if I’m such a pain,” Mr. Sidney said as I adjusted his pillows with a sigh. “Oh! It’s not you, I promise,” Janet exclaimed. “I just have some things on my mind.” “They don’t seem to be happy things,” Mr. Sidney noted with a wheeze. “Is it all this taking care of dying folks that has you upset? Or is it something else? I have a hard time talking, but I can be a great listener if you want to talk about it?” Janet smiled. Mr. Sidney had always been one of the kindest men she cared for in the old age home where she worked. It was hard to believe that this weathered whisper of a man used to be a great muscled boxer in his day. He often spoke of how he was going to get back all those muscles when he got to heaven. He believed your spirit would look like your body did when you were in your prime! “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Janet exclaimed with a sigh. Find out what Janet’s problem is, and how Mr. Sidney tries to help in this creepy 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.

I got my bike at a police auction. I thought it looked like a fantastic piece of machinery! The cops had said it was abandoned, but I couldn’t believe it! Why in the world would anyone abandon an incredible bike like this? A few days later I found out the answer to that question. Let me tell you what happened. Found out about this strange, terrifying bike in this scary 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.

“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.

The scarecrow in the Williams’s field was certainly scary, and not just to crows. Bobby couldn’t say why exactly he found it as scary as he did. He just did. He told himself it was only some material filled with straw, but avoided going near it, all the same. He preferred it if he didn’t have to even think about it. The scarecrow had been there forever, or so it seemed. It had certainly been there as long as he’d been around, and as far as Bobby was concerned that was forever enough. Find out what happens when Bobby is forced to go into the cornfield and face the scarecrow 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.

Out in the Atlantic lies an island shaped like a huge footprint with amputated toes. A ridge of mountains runs the length of the island. On one side the island is covered with a beautiful town. Mansions dot the hillsides and once beautiful gardens stretch out before them. But all the inhabitants of these wondrous homes reside on the other side of the island. If you look over the crest of the hills, you will see the vast expanse of a graveyard stretching from one end of the island to the other. For this is the Isle of Death. Find out what happened 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.

“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.