For Relunctant Readers--"The World's Most Haunted Places"

Disembodied voices, ghoulish apparitions, and a death tunnel are just some of eerie subjects readers will encounter in Matt Chandler’s new children’s book, “The World’s Most Haunted Places.”

Chandler explores supernatural phenomena both here and abroad, including hauntings in the The Borley Rectory in Essex, England, The Amityville House in New York and The Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which inspired Stephen King’s horror novel, The Shining.

The 32-page work of non-fiction is part of “The Ghost Files” book series by Capstone Press, and geared toward children ages 9 through 12.

A professional journalist, Chandler is the associate editor of the Buffalo Law Journal, the legal reporter for its sister publication, Buffalo Business First.

Despite his extensive writing background, Chandler said that creating a children’s book was quite a different experience.  He explained that one of the more challenging aspects of writing in the genre was taking an intense and somewhat terrifying subject, like hauntings and evil spirits, and making it appropriate for children. While he wanted to include what he deemed “juicy stories,” he was careful not to cross any lines.

Nevertheless, Chandler credited children for their ability to handle and process information.  “Kids today are not typical anymore,” he said. “They are much smarter and so much more dialed in than in years past.”

Chandler also made sure to employ language that would challenge young minds. The more difficult terms are highlighted within his text and included in a glossary at the book’s end.

Capstone Press’ books are specifically designed to engage students that may not be interested in or proficient at reading, Chandler explained. Photographs and fact boxes that accompany the main text help to hold readers captive.

A stipulation Chandler set for himself when writing “The World’s Most Haunted Places” was to keep his personal beliefs regarding ghosts and the supernatural out of the book. “At the book’s end, it does not tell you if ghosts are real or fake,” he said. “That’s not the point. The point is to make children reason and think for themselves.”

Therapy Dogs Help Kids with Reading Skills

 Three dogs sat patiently at the Morris County Library, Morris, NJ, recently and listened as 20 children took turns reading them stories.  The session was designed to help reluctant readers.


Bandit seems interested in Dominic's book.

The Paws4Reading program, conducted in May, began at the library nine years ago.  Parents feel the program seems to help kids because there’s no pressure from the dogs.

“The dogs have a calming affect on the kids,” Thomas said. “They pet them and talk to them. There’s no correcting or ‘That’s not how you say it.’

Each child, in grades on to seven, picked a book from the library or brought one from home. The three therapy dogs arrived with their volunteer handlers, and each child could read to the dogs for 10 minutes.

When the program started, librarian Princess Thomas said she was hesitant to bring the dogs into the library.  “At that time, everything in here was new. “The carpets, the room, and we thought, ‘What will happen with dogs coming in here?’ But the dogs came with volunteers and it worked out great.”

Alexandra  reads to Zeke. 

On a personal note, as I have been visiting schools, presenting my children's book, One Pelican at a Time, I've observed this same phenomenon several times.  Dogs were brought in by their handlers, so students could read to them.  Each dog was extremely well behaved and almost seemed to listen to the kids read! 
The teachers to whom I've talked were committed to the programs and many saw immediate results.  One teacher told me the kids visibly relaxed when the non-judgemental dogs were "listening."

This very well may be a cautionary tale (no pun intended) concerning stresses put on children to perform at reading aloud.  Something to think about, I have no doubt.