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Usborne Illustrated Ghost Stories
13 spine-tingling tales that are sure to give you goose bumps. From Spirts out for mischief to ghost righting wrongs, these stories will set your heart racing. Just don't read them after dark.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2015
4 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Sims
242 books30 followersLesley dreamed of being a writer, but studied law as her mother insisted she had "something to fall back on". Since joining Usborne Publishing, she has written and edited hundreds of books, from funny rhyming stories to an award-winning history book. Nowadays, she is often found recording books, too, in Usborne's very own recording studio.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 2, 2021
The illustrations was beautifully done but I had hoped for more illustrations in the book, maybe some more decorations on the white pages. The story was an okay read but not fully as enjoyable as the King Arthur one I read recently. 3.5 stars
October 24, 2022
Passable. Readable. Quick.
December 3, 2018
All save one of the stories are by contemporary authors, and even the one written by Victorian novelist Amelia B. Edwards has been retold by one of the contemporary novelists.
A lighthouse ghost story -- all right. Adults will see where this is going, but it's elegantly told for younger folk.
A story of the spirit of a loyal dog. It was hard getting into it at first, but a tear trickled down at the end.
A ghostly passenger. You think you know where the story is going, and then a slight plot twist happens. Oh, those melodramatic Victorians...
etc. etc.
An enjoyable read, but not a keeper for me because I suppose I like my ghost stories to be really old-fashioned. However, this would be a good, chilling read for youngsters just before Hallowe'en.
A lighthouse ghost story -- all right. Adults will see where this is going, but it's elegantly told for younger folk.
A story of the spirit of a loyal dog. It was hard getting into it at first, but a tear trickled down at the end.
A ghostly passenger. You think you know where the story is going, and then a slight plot twist happens. Oh, those melodramatic Victorians...
etc. etc.
An enjoyable read, but not a keeper for me because I suppose I like my ghost stories to be really old-fashioned. However, this would be a good, chilling read for youngsters just before Hallowe'en.
November 1, 2025
Tyckte om den här boken som intermezzo/alternativ till traditionella godnattsagor. Tretton berättelser med imponerande illustrationer. Inte för läskig. Ofta variationer på samma tema, och ibland förutsägbar. Men dem läser väldigt bra, särskilt för att läsa upp.
November 22, 2017
I liked the short stories. each story was interesting. Not scary though. I don't know If it would be scary to some one younger or not
October 7, 2021
This is a passable little collection of ghost stories. Not all are spooky and most actually feature ghosts that are either helpful or who need the main character to help solve the mystery of their death. Three of the 13 stories are actually spooky ghosts menacing the living.
Probably too much for my 4 year old, but would be a good fit for kids who are just getting into the realm of spooky things. Anyone accustomed to spooky stories has probably heard stories like these before so I don’t think it is a must have for those already big fans of ghost stories. This could be a fun read aloud book for families who aren’t looking for anything too scary.
The stories are about 20 pages long. Each story begins with a double page illustration to set the mood and location for the story. Then each story has one full page illustration based on the text and 3-5 small inset pictures. The illustrations are very well done and help set the mood, but they can be fairly sparse within the text.
The Haunted Hill was my favorite story, and also probably the spookiest one. Mr. Coombes was probably the weakest story, as almost nothing happens and it ends rather abruptly. I made notes on each story under my reading activity.
When a location is mentioned at all, most take place in England, with one set in Japan.
Also, randomly, this book does not follow standard grammar rules in terms of quotation marks. It gives starting and ending quotation marks only, without new starting marks in subsequent paragraphs of the same speaker. I didn’t realize how reliant I am on this cue until it was absent, which led to a little confusion while reading. I don’t know if this is a book wide mistake, or if perhaps this grammar convention is different across the pond where the book originated.
Probably too much for my 4 year old, but would be a good fit for kids who are just getting into the realm of spooky things. Anyone accustomed to spooky stories has probably heard stories like these before so I don’t think it is a must have for those already big fans of ghost stories. This could be a fun read aloud book for families who aren’t looking for anything too scary.
The stories are about 20 pages long. Each story begins with a double page illustration to set the mood and location for the story. Then each story has one full page illustration based on the text and 3-5 small inset pictures. The illustrations are very well done and help set the mood, but they can be fairly sparse within the text.
The Haunted Hill was my favorite story, and also probably the spookiest one. Mr. Coombes was probably the weakest story, as almost nothing happens and it ends rather abruptly. I made notes on each story under my reading activity.
When a location is mentioned at all, most take place in England, with one set in Japan.
Also, randomly, this book does not follow standard grammar rules in terms of quotation marks. It gives starting and ending quotation marks only, without new starting marks in subsequent paragraphs of the same speaker. I didn’t realize how reliant I am on this cue until it was absent, which led to a little confusion while reading. I don’t know if this is a book wide mistake, or if perhaps this grammar convention is different across the pond where the book originated.
December 31, 2023
I've always enjoyed a good scary story. Though it wasn't quite scary enough for me. Why? Because it's aimed towards young children and I like the kind of scary stories that might give a small child nightmares. I read this collection of stories when I was younger and I enjoyed it more at that time than I do now.
Anyways, I would recommend this book if you want to read some scary stories that aren't too spooky.
Anyways, I would recommend this book if you want to read some scary stories that aren't too spooky.
January 3, 2025
3.5. I'm not the intended age group for these stories, but I did enjoy them. There are 13 stories. I read one before bed. The last story, Smoke and Mirrors, gave me the spook. Some of the others were heartfelt ghost stories. I love Usborne books. The cover and binding are great. The pages feel great. And they are wonderful children's stories. This would make a good book for a child around the age of 10 or so.
July 11, 2020
I liked all of the stories, they were pretty much all ones I have not heard before. Was able to read to 6 year old at bedtime.
October 27, 2020
Easy reading ghost stories. Perfect for late October read aloud (not scary enough for my 11 year old)!
December 8, 2021
13 histórias de terror ótimas
August 17, 2025
a bit repetitive
November 27, 2023
Truyện ma cho trẻ con nên hầu hết cũng dễ đọc, không quá gây sợ hãi. Đáng sợ nhất là chuyện anh chàng bán lụa trên đường về nhà gặp ma - câu chuyện từ nước Nhật. Còn lại những chuyện khác đều nhẹ nhàng, một vài chuyện còn làm người đọc cảm thấy ấm lòng và có niềm tin vào những điều tốt đẹp ở thế giới bên kia nữa.
Currently reading
December 29, 2018Reading to my son before bedtime.
* The Phantom of the Black Isle: I really enjoyed this short. I find myself wishing it had been written as an actual novel for adults. This could have been one heck of a spooky story.
* The Loyal Dog: No real spook to this one. I found myself getting emotional at the end, but that could be to do with pregnancy horomes...
* The 4:15 Express: This one didn't work as well for me. I enjoyed the part of the story that was the ghost story, but the continuation and the wrap up weren't satisfactory for me.
* The Lost Legion: I soon found my interest piqued by the idea behind this story. I think it would have been interesting to see this idea expanded upon more, as a full novel for children. It's an interesting springboard to the history of the UK if you can get the child to want to know more about what happened during the Roman invasion of Britain.
* The Phantom of the Black Isle: I really enjoyed this short. I find myself wishing it had been written as an actual novel for adults. This could have been one heck of a spooky story.
* The Loyal Dog: No real spook to this one. I found myself getting emotional at the end, but that could be to do with pregnancy horomes...
* The 4:15 Express: This one didn't work as well for me. I enjoyed the part of the story that was the ghost story, but the continuation and the wrap up weren't satisfactory for me.
* The Lost Legion: I soon found my interest piqued by the idea behind this story. I think it would have been interesting to see this idea expanded upon more, as a full novel for children. It's an interesting springboard to the history of the UK if you can get the child to want to know more about what happened during the Roman invasion of Britain.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews