Chapter by Chapter

Ladies, think back to when you were a kid, remember all those horror movies you would watch with your parent/guardian and the creepy shivers you would get? Do you remember how in your waking world you could tell yourself it wasn’t real but once it was time to go to bed every single bump in the night suddenly became the shuffling of a zombie? Every whoosh of air was a ghost moving through the air and every dream involved either being chased or a more dangerous version of Thriller, do you remember that?Well considering that I’m the big chicken that I am, I still remember all of those things happening after every single scary movie that I see and to be quite honest when it comes to the realms of the supernatural—I like to have a bit of background knowledge. As a kid, I would watch shows about characters who uncover supernatural mysteries and have to admit that I secretly always wanted to be a paranormal investigator. Besides who knows, what with all the YA novels I’ve been reading lately, there might be a chance of getting a supernatural boyfriend… and I’m wandering away from the point of this review!The Girls’ Ghost Hunting Guide is something I wish I had years ago to sate my questions about the creepiest of all the supernatural entities: Ghosts! Duh, obviously! With such an adoringly cute ghost mascot and a totally creepy opening sentence I had a feeling that this middle grade read would be something that would have me interested and entertained. Do I take some of the things I learned seriously? Oh yeah. Am I going to become a paranormal investigator sometime soon because of this guide? Of course not! But I sure want to!The guide revolves around (you guessed it) ghosts. How to find them, what they’re like, how to contact them and how to become a ghost hunter yourself. How fun! Right guys? It’s not just a how-to guide, there are also pages and mini chapters that are devoted to creepy urban legends, quizzes to test your knowledge and interviews from real world ghost hunters who give us insight into the career path of a professional Ghostbuster.As I said before, I’m a big chicken and so when I read certain urban legends I’ll admit that sleeping became just a bit too hard. But just a little bit. In the past (for writing purposes) I would Google certain things that contact ghosts, one of them including a Ouija board that opens a portal of sorts into the otherworld and if one isn’t cautious you end up summoning the bad mojo. Like real bad. And in the guide, there is one way to contact ghosts that basically means ripping open a portal, I gotta admit that when I read that my eyes went wide and I hoped that if somebody does choose to do it they are careful as all heck because the bad mojo is…well… bad.I’m a superstitious person, okay?I would recommend The Girls’ Ghost Hunting Guide to young readers who have a lust for the supernatural and want to increase their knowledge. This is a story that should definitely be read before Halloween *ominous laughter*.