It’s Watching

Gr 3-7–Famed Chicago purveyor of spooky stories Currie sends three tweens to tackle the myths of Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery on a Halloween night. Bachelor’s Grove in suburban Chicago is one of the most haunted spots in Illinois. Budding journalist Josie and her friends hope to witness the infamous lady in white and the phantom farmhouse. The tweens take in more than they expected when spirits follow them home and harass them through their phones, sending shivers and inciting research. Can Josie and her friends solve the puzzle of the haunting before ghosts overtake her life? Currie pays homage to classic scary movies and includes fun Easter eggs like references to the haunted doll exhibit at the Chicago History Museum, as well as Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Readers will be compelled to uncover more about the real-life historic cemetery and the horrific desecration of burial sites. Educators could use this text as a fiction companion to inquiry lessons, social-emotional lessons on civic mindedness, and responsible storytelling.