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A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural #2
Chilling with Ghosts: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural
Discover everything about ghosts in this fun handbook packed with spooky tales, engrossing science, and fascinating history–perfect for middle grade readers and mythology fans!
Boo! Do you believe in ghosts? What’s up with haunted houses? And how exactly do you bust a ghost? Uncover the spooky and spectral world of ghosts in Chilling with Ghosts , a field guide for the curious and the adventurous. Step into the unknown—if you dare!—and
· Haunting history and super weird science! Meet ghosts from ancient mythology and find out what exactly ghost fungus is.
· Scary ghost stories of all kinds! Meet the ghost of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare and craft your very own ghost story.
· A globe-trotting tour of haunted spots! Travel all around the world, from the Catacombs of Paris to the Winchester Mystery House.
Chilling with Ghosts is the second book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, a hilarious and haunting exploration of how myths and legends shape our lives. Get to know ghost lore with enchanting illustrations and hands-on activities, like brewing homemade ectoslime. It’s a spooky world out there—grab your guide, and let’s go!
Look for Hanging with Vampires for another frightfully good read!
Boo! Do you believe in ghosts? What’s up with haunted houses? And how exactly do you bust a ghost? Uncover the spooky and spectral world of ghosts in Chilling with Ghosts , a field guide for the curious and the adventurous. Step into the unknown—if you dare!—and
· Haunting history and super weird science! Meet ghosts from ancient mythology and find out what exactly ghost fungus is.
· Scary ghost stories of all kinds! Meet the ghost of the renowned playwright William Shakespeare and craft your very own ghost story.
· A globe-trotting tour of haunted spots! Travel all around the world, from the Catacombs of Paris to the Winchester Mystery House.
Chilling with Ghosts is the second book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, a hilarious and haunting exploration of how myths and legends shape our lives. Get to know ghost lore with enchanting illustrations and hands-on activities, like brewing homemade ectoslime. It’s a spooky world out there—grab your guide, and let’s go!
Look for Hanging with Vampires for another frightfully good read!
- GenresNonfictionMiddle Grade
128 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2023
About the author
Insha Fitzpatrick
15 books43 followers☀ Cancer | ↑Capricorn | ☾ Gemini
She/They
Insha Fitzpatrick is a New Jersey-based writer and editor.
She’s the founder of DIS/MEMBER, a horror genre website.
She’s the writer of the upcoming Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott: Rosa Parks for WHO HQ, illustrated by Abelle Hayford. She’s also the co-writer of the middle-grade graphic novel series Oh My Gods (Etch) with Stephanie Cooke and illustrator Juliana Moon.
Her bylines include Geek.com, Birth.Movies.Death, Women Write About Comics, Frederator Studios, and more. She giggles on the podcast Film Runners. She also wrote the game “The Pollution of Conatha” in Uncaged Anthology Vol. 2, 2019.
When she’s not writing, she’s watching horror movies or reality tv, deep-diving into all things true crime, and learning how to ink comics.
She’s rep’d by Maria Vicente of P.S Literary Agency.
She/They
Insha Fitzpatrick is a New Jersey-based writer and editor.
She’s the founder of DIS/MEMBER, a horror genre website.
She’s the writer of the upcoming Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott: Rosa Parks for WHO HQ, illustrated by Abelle Hayford. She’s also the co-writer of the middle-grade graphic novel series Oh My Gods (Etch) with Stephanie Cooke and illustrator Juliana Moon.
Her bylines include Geek.com, Birth.Movies.Death, Women Write About Comics, Frederator Studios, and more. She giggles on the podcast Film Runners. She also wrote the game “The Pollution of Conatha” in Uncaged Anthology Vol. 2, 2019.
When she’s not writing, she’s watching horror movies or reality tv, deep-diving into all things true crime, and learning how to ink comics.
She’s rep’d by Maria Vicente of P.S Literary Agency.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 7, 2024
It was really entertaining but I LOVED the first book way more, it had more stories and more lore. This would have been 100% better if it had more stories and lore.
November 9, 2023
What a beautiful (and spooky) surprise of a book! I expected Chilling With Ghosts: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural to be very superficial. After all, it's only 124 image filled pages long. How much could it, would it, realistically cover within that limited space. Well, I'm here to tell you A LOT!!!! The main narrative explores what ghosts are, how to deal with them, the history of supernatural beliefs, appearances in literature, film, games, etc. This alone would have been worth the read as the author managed to pack a lot of genuinely interesting information in those chapters. However, interspersed throughout these chapters are little extra tidbits a la Pop Up music videos from the 2000s (did I just show my age?). From scientific takes on ghostly phenomenon to little nuggets of historical information and definitions of tough or confusing terms, these asides are abundant and always interesting. The author even includes recipes for ghostly deserts and slime! To top everything off, I love the author's voice throughout. Despite the quirky and amusing tone for most of the book, she always falls short of saying whether ghosts are real or not (that's for you to decide), points out cultural, religious, and personal opinions and the importance and beauty of various beliefs, and even heralds diversity and acceptance! In her words, "so if anyone ever tells you that you can't be who you want to be because of who you are--- well, they're dead wrong". See what she did there! I absolutely loved this book 10/10 running to grab the other one on vampires now!
December 31, 2024
This was such a fun book about ghosts! There were sections on how to interact with ghosts, the history of ghosts, and stories about ghosts. There were some fun activities at the end of the chapters too, such as how to make ectoslime, a recipe for a graveyard parfait, and a library scavenger hunt. This book is perfect for kids who are interested in ghosts!
Chilling with Ghosts is a fun book about ghosts!
Thank you Quirk Books for sending me a copy of this book!
Chilling with Ghosts is a fun book about ghosts!
Thank you Quirk Books for sending me a copy of this book!
April 20, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book. I had expected it to be either full of really scary ghost stories or scientific analyses of apparitions. It has nothing of the sort. It is instead packed with witty writings about ghosts. It makes ghosts more fun than scary.
I will definitely buy this when it is published.
I will definitely buy this when it is published.
September 3, 2024
I can't explain why I liked the first book in this series more, because I am generally more interested in ghosts than I am in vampires. Still good, just not exceptional in the way I wanted it to be. Still, it's satisfying and fun and good for young readers.
November 7, 2023
super cute
November 30, 2023
3.5. Super cute and would definitely be good for younger readers, while also teaching older readers a few things as well. Would be great for spooky season.
February 16, 2025
Great series library borrow
March 18, 2025
Cute.
August 9, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book is the second in A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series (the first book, which I also reviewed earlier this year, is on Vampires). My students can’t get enough books on any spooky topic, and this is going to be another huge hit in my library. The formatting of the book is so beautiful - even kids appreciate good design - and the tone of the writing will absolutely resonate with even reluctant readers.
Just as the first book in this series, this book focuses on the topic of ghosts through a scientific, factual-based lens but with lots of humor and references to pop culture.The book includes perceptions of ghosts through different cultures, which is really important to me when choosing books to add to my school library. This book even touches on topics like confirmation bias, word origin, science, research, media literacy, mythology, and travel. But it does so in a way that is totally accessible and engaging to young readers.
These are the kinds of books that kids are going to read again and again and share with their friends. Plus, the book is published with plenty of time to order for Spooky Season! Grades 2+
This book is the second in A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series (the first book, which I also reviewed earlier this year, is on Vampires). My students can’t get enough books on any spooky topic, and this is going to be another huge hit in my library. The formatting of the book is so beautiful - even kids appreciate good design - and the tone of the writing will absolutely resonate with even reluctant readers.
Just as the first book in this series, this book focuses on the topic of ghosts through a scientific, factual-based lens but with lots of humor and references to pop culture.The book includes perceptions of ghosts through different cultures, which is really important to me when choosing books to add to my school library. This book even touches on topics like confirmation bias, word origin, science, research, media literacy, mythology, and travel. But it does so in a way that is totally accessible and engaging to young readers.
These are the kinds of books that kids are going to read again and again and share with their friends. Plus, the book is published with plenty of time to order for Spooky Season! Grades 2+
August 9, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book is the second in A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series (the first book, which I also reviewed earlier this year, is on Vampires). My students can’t get enough books on any spooky topic, and this is going to be another huge hit in my library. The formatting of the book is so beautiful - even kids appreciate good design - and the tone of the writing will absolutely resonate with even reluctant readers.
Just as the first book in this series, this book focuses on the topic of ghosts through a scientific, factual-based lens but with lots of humor and references to pop culture.The book includes perceptions of ghosts through different cultures, which is really important to me when choosing books to add to my school library. This book even touches on topics like confirmation bias, word origin, science, research, media literacy, mythology, and travel. But it does so in a way that is totally accessible and engaging to young readers.
These are the kinds of books that kids are going to read again and again and share with their friends. Plus, the book is published with plenty of time to order for Spooky Season! Grades 2+
This book is the second in A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series (the first book, which I also reviewed earlier this year, is on Vampires). My students can’t get enough books on any spooky topic, and this is going to be another huge hit in my library. The formatting of the book is so beautiful - even kids appreciate good design - and the tone of the writing will absolutely resonate with even reluctant readers.
Just as the first book in this series, this book focuses on the topic of ghosts through a scientific, factual-based lens but with lots of humor and references to pop culture.The book includes perceptions of ghosts through different cultures, which is really important to me when choosing books to add to my school library. This book even touches on topics like confirmation bias, word origin, science, research, media literacy, mythology, and travel. But it does so in a way that is totally accessible and engaging to young readers.
These are the kinds of books that kids are going to read again and again and share with their friends. Plus, the book is published with plenty of time to order for Spooky Season! Grades 2+
June 29, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advance reader copy of Chilling with Ghosts in return for my honest review.
I have to say that I very much enjoyed Chilling With Ghosts. The book is well written, keeps a positive tone throughout and offers plenty of ghost information that kids love, paired with interesting and exciting facts about science, history and literature.
The author manages to keep a humorous but trustworthy tone throughout the book and the pacing makes the book a quick read with a satisfying amount of content.
The only negative I can find with the book is that the text makes frequent homages to media which may or may not be relevant to a child today, let alone in the next few years. I appreciated the references to Danny Phantom, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and the Ghost Busters reboot, but I can see kids just skimming over that section.
Overall this is one of my favorite paranormal nonfiction books for children to date
I have to say that I very much enjoyed Chilling With Ghosts. The book is well written, keeps a positive tone throughout and offers plenty of ghost information that kids love, paired with interesting and exciting facts about science, history and literature.
The author manages to keep a humorous but trustworthy tone throughout the book and the pacing makes the book a quick read with a satisfying amount of content.
The only negative I can find with the book is that the text makes frequent homages to media which may or may not be relevant to a child today, let alone in the next few years. I appreciated the references to Danny Phantom, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and the Ghost Busters reboot, but I can see kids just skimming over that section.
Overall this is one of my favorite paranormal nonfiction books for children to date
August 4, 2023
I really enjoyed the previous one in this series, Hanging with Vampires, and this was just as much fun. I really love the combination of chatty anecdotes, scientific facts, stories and things to do. It's easy to get into and I enjoyed the style of writing and it's approach to the subject, leaving it open for those who do and don't believe in ghosts. My only minor issue with this is that it is slightly more American than the previous one, in that sections like the library quiz could really only be done there. That said, the vast majority is broad enough for any readers, accessible and entertaining.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.
May 16, 2023
A very good guide for beginner ghost hunters. Broken down into the science, legend, and history of ghosts and the paranormal, the author does a great job of explaining without being condescending or scary. The author encourages the reader to go at their own pace and to make sure the they are comfortable throughout the book. They talk about a few of the main haunts in the world (mostly in the US) and what one can expect there. There are also lots of great experiments and activities throughout the book. It's a short but well done introduction for middle graders.
Copy provided by Edelweiss.
Copy provided by Edelweiss.
October 23, 2023
This is really cool. Targeted at middle grade kids, it has “according to science” inserts, uses popular culture references as well as historical. There’s great illustrations, too. It feels very well rounded for kids!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews