Spooky New Jersey: Tales Of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, And Other Local Lore

by S.E. Schlosser, Paul G. Hoffman (Illustrator)

Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready for thirty creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences from times past. Set deep in the Pinelands and Ramapo Mountains, along the Atlantic coast, and in historic towns like Burlington and Springfield, the stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have you looking over your shoulder again and again.
New Jersey folklore traditions are kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Schlosser and in artist Paul Hoffman's evocative illustrations.  You'll  meet ghosts and witches, hear things that go bump in the night, and feel an icy wind on the back of your neck on a warm summer evening. Whether read around the campfire on a dark and stormy night or from the backseat of the family van on the way to grandma's, this is a collection to treasure.

Genres: Folklore, Paranormal, Ghosts, Reference, Horror

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

About the author

Author S.E. Schlosser has been telling stories since she was a child, when games of "let's pretend" quickly built themselves into full-length stories. A graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature and Rutgers University, she also created and maintains the website AmericanFolklore.net, where she shares a wealth of stories from all 50 states, some dating back to the origins of America.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Amanda Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, but not quite what was advertised. I thought the stories would be more accurate retellings of strange encounters people have had, but instead these are more fictional short stories. Still a fun and spooky read

[Eriqa Hanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so hoping that this book would be about actual folklore and not cheesy retellings. I think it would be a great book for a young reader. This book is going in the donation pile.

[Matthew Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although entertaining, this was one of the worst books I've ever read. The only real reason I finished it so quickly was b/c I just wanted to get through it to start something I enjoy more. The retelling of the stories in this book are incredibly cheesy, to a point in which the fear and creepy factor of the actual ghost story Schlosser is retelling is completely lost. In several of the iterations in this book, the characters are described not only as having carried on conversations with ghosts, but actually stand up defensively, when just a few lines prior they were quivering in fear. I could go on and on, but I think you'll get the idea.

I honestly would have given this book a 2 or 3 stars as I do find that some of these stories will be fun to read to my Niece at Halloween when she's a few years older (she's a year old right now, to give you an idea of just how not scary these stories were). The reason it received a 1 star is because of the "Nine Eleven" story towards the back of the book. As someone who grew up in NJ and remember very vividly 9/11/01, I found it extremely distasteful to include a story in this book. The story is apparently about someone who had a vision of the tragic attacks days before it happened. It's incredibly unbelievable and honestly doesn't even fit into the overall landscape of the book. It felt forced, not scary, and entirely unnecessary to include.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, ok. Some of the stories were pretty juvenile. maybe this was meant for younger readers.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I had hoped for. I was looking for the actual folklore itself and not fiction based on it.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this book up thinking it would be full of folklore and “true” accounts, but it’s just a bunch of okay ghost stories.

[Roseann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little disappointed in book. I was hoping for more non-fiction stories as opposed to folklore. It was entertaining and geared towards a younger audience.

[Kaitlyn Whitten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🌟

Entertaining and cute-spooky due to some cheesiness within the folklore and more fictionally written stories. Was hoping for more encounters and locations near me, but it was good for what it is!

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was right the first time...nothing here that give me the shivers, very bland stories.