Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland
written by Charis Cotter
illustrated by Genevieve Simms
Nimbus Publishing, 2020
978-1-77108-906-7 (pb) $16.95
978-1-77108-907-4 (eBook) $8.99
for Grades 7 and up
Folktales | Newfoundland | Ghost Stories | Hauntings | Supernatural
There is no dark like the Newfoundland dark. From a mysterious group of ballerinas to an omen of disaster in the form of a ghost ship, from the final goodbye of a loved one to a phantom ship desperately trying to reach the safety of the shore, this collection of reimagined ghost stories is guaranteed to make you screech. Passed down over generations from the families who have witnessed these phenomena, the 10 genuine ghost stories in this book will send chills down your spine.
Charis Cotter takes a creative and modern look at some of the Rock’s classic folktales, bringing them to a new generation. Cotter brings focus to Newfoundland’s rich (and spooky) history and even includes her own experience with the supernatural in the last of these 10 short stories.
The stories in this collection are coupled with their histories, with descriptions of the places, the ghosts, and even traces the ancestry of the original storytellers. It also includes tips for budding writers on how to write spooky stories. Woven with familial and friendship bonds, these stories are heartwarming and describe the loyalty of small communities, even in death. Written for middle-grade students and older, this book brings Newfoundland and its many ghosts to vibrant new life and to the attention of the living.
—Sara Rigotti is a student at St. Stephen Secondary School in Bowmanville, Ontario, and a board member of the Writers’ Community of Durham Region.
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