Creepy Chicago: A Ghosthunter's Tales of the City's Scariest Sites

by Ursula Bielski

Offers nineteen true tales of Chicago's most famous ghostly sites, including Horace Greeley Elementary School, Montrose Point, and Graceland Cemetary.

Genres: Horror, History, Nonfiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2003

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was…fine. Certainly pretty thorough in terms of hitting many city neighborhoods and landmarks. It would have been greatly assisted by pictures - instead it had some very cheesy pencil drawings that looked like they were done by an 8th grader.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logan and I enjoyed reading this together.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this after my 10-year old insisted that I read it. She enjoyed it, found bits of it spooky but not really scary.

Good introduction to local folklore for kids in the 10-12 age range

[Jacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take it with a grain a salt, as with all books like like this. At the very least it was entertaining and that's all you can ask for when you pick up a book like this. Especially if you've ever been to Chicago many times like I have.

[Michelle Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit childish. But I definitely found out sum legends and local hauntings I didn't know about. So it served its purpose.

[Brenda Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story telling

[Chris Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a kid during a family vacation in Chicago and I've treasured it ever since even if there's better paranormal books out there.

[A_Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like to be spooked then this is the book for you. Readers will have a hard time putting this book down as they learn about ghosts and ghouls that roam through the city of Chicago. Each neighborhood has one a ghost or haunted house that everyone talks about. This book will take you to the city of Chicago's most talked about scary places. Young children love to be spooked and spooked they’ll be while reading about roaming ghosts. This book takes readers on a creepy journey through the streets of Chicago in search of ghosts and haunted places. Historian and ghosterhunter Ursula Bielski takes readers to the unknown through her stories of “real” haunted places. Each story has black and white sketches of ghostly figures and haunted places to keep your heart thumping and get your mind racing. You will also meet “real” ghosts such as Resurrection Mary and “phantom hitchhikers” in search of… Does anyone really know? This author’s hook is definitely the theme itself of the text. P.S. This book will make the hairs down your back stand straight up! Not for the weak at heart.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading parts of this collection of ghost sightings and other creepy circumstances of Chicago to my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders all week long. It has worked well since the stories are more "reports" than actual scary stories, so I am able to keep them from being too scary for the scaredy-cats, but weird enough for the kids who have already seen R-rated horror movies. It was neat that I had already heard of some of these stories elsewhere and that the story of the Hancock Buildings climbing spiders made the Chicago news just yesterday!

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a really good book. It's more focused on the younger ghost story readers.