Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Lanesha lives with her Mama Ya-Ya, the midwife who delivered her and kept her after her mother died at her birth. Mama Ya-Ya is old and tries her best to raise her with very little money but lots of love. School is where she feels out of place with a few friends.  Smart and curious in a place where big dreams are not the norm, she finds encouragement from a teacher who believes in her. She is looking forward to her birthday, but there is a storm brewing in the Gulf that Mama's dreams keep telling her will be the end of their world. It is up to Lanesha to get ready and as others leave, she and Mama do not. It is only after Katrina hits that Mama understands what her dreams mean. They are in big trouble and it will take everything Lanesha can think of to save herself, the dog in her care, and one of her friends. But it will take the love of a mother who has always been there when the flood forces Lanesha to do things she didn't think she could do.  Which mother is it, the one who raised her or the one she knew that never really left her? Does a mother's love really ever die?

How to catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks

Your life must have been hard if you think you have it made if you are used as bait to catch supernatural demons that eat children. Birdie is an orphan who thinks she has it made because she isn't in the workhouse, begging, or stealing for a living. Alfred makes a living as a Bogle catcher and Birdie's special talent makes a good living for both of them. When Miss Eames, a rich society lady, learns of their activities, she wants to learn more about how they work. She also wants to give Birdie a better life but Birdie is loyal to the man who found her after her mother died and gave her a home. When some pickpockets come up missing, the trail leads to one of the most evil men in London and this man will kill to keep his "experiments" a secret! As Birdie, Alfred, and Miss Eames get closer, the more danger everyone is in. Will Birdie's new friend come in time? And if she does, will Birdie take the path that leads to a better life if she lives to do it? If you like fast paced mysteries with lots of clues, you will love this.

Constable and Toop by Garerh P. Jones

I promised the author if I liked his book I would put it on my book blog. (Yes, I met him in person and have a signed copy for the junior high to prove it.) If you enjoy humorous ghost tales with lots of "interesting" characters, action that jumps between tales that meet with a bang at the end, and lots of surprises between, you will love it also. Sam sees ghosts and can talk to them, but he doesn't want the gift because when you live with your father above his undertaking business you see too many ghosts. When a mysterious man shows up late one night, even Sam's strange life takes a twist. Lapsewood is just a ghost working his afterlife in the Ghost Bureau and it is just as boring as his human life. But when he is assigned to the housing department and sent back to Earth to find a missing outreach worker, his life isn't boring anymore. If he is not careful, he will end up in "the vault", a place whose name alone will scare even a ghost. Throw in teenage Claire who likes her haunted house and a reverend who is setting up a horrible plague for both ghosts and humans with every exorcism he does, not everyone will survive to see the last page.  How do ghost dogs and rogue ghosts fit in? You will have to read to find out. 

The Phantom Isles by Stephen Alter

There is a very good reason that you should not break into public libraries during the night and mess with old books- there might be ghosts. Once ghosts wake up, trouble begins. Three junior high students learn the hard way that some old myths are based in truth. They start a mess and it takes all three of them, a librarian, her chemistry teacher husband, and one fussy photocopier to help the spirits move on to where they belong. But what a crazy ride when the meanest teacher and parents try to put an end to all this ghost nonsense. If you ever had one of those mean teachers, you will love what happens to her. Just take a good look at some of those pages - you may see a ghost. But how did it get there? Read the book and find out. And no, you can't try this at home.

Dial-a-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson

Can you believe that some people would love to have ghosts in their homes? What happens to ghosts if their homes are destroyed and what is built doesn't suit them? Dial-a-Ghost is a match-making agency that places homeless ghosts with new families. Sounds easy and simple, but could a mix-up that leads to a comedy of errors really save a young boy's life? Why would a loving uncle really want to scare his nephew to death? How can a family of kind ghosts keep that from happening if they're limited by being ghosts? Where did those scary ghosts go and how does that involve a group of nuns? Please don't read this if you have strange noises that go bump in the night or branches that hit your window. The last thing a need is another parent complaining that I give their kids nightmares when I just tell a few stories or suggest a great book.

Ghosts True Encounters with the World Beyond by Hans Holzer

Hans Holzer was my favorite author when I was in high school. I read all his books over and over again. Instead of the science used today on shows like the Ghost Hunters, he used Mediums and research to get to the bottom of his cases. This book is a blend of all the others, with the most interesting cases included. From ghosts that have been seen on live TV to a ghost of a sea captain that might have been a pirate, this book has more stories than you can read in one check out. Don't let the size overwhelm you, most tales are short and if you don't like the one you are reading, go to the next. There is even a chapter my non-believer of a husband would enjoy - Ghosts that Aren't. If want to be a serious ghost hunter, read chapter 2. I had to buy 2 copies because this book always seems to be out haunting its reader.

Weird Michigan, Weird Ohio, Weird Indiana

If you like short stories about weird, interesting, and may be scary people, place, or things, this is the series for you. I have been to, lived near, or have seen something in every book. In Weird Ohio, I have even met a person who use to drive the most famous dead guy in Sabina around when he was in college. (I went to the same college years afterward.) If you don't like one story, just go to the next and I know you will find something you will enjoy.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair; a Meldodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz

I had to buy 2 extra copies of this book to meet the demand once the word got out about this book. By a Newbery Award winning author, it is a story of Maude Flynn, her need to find the love of a family, the spiritualists movement in the late 1800's and a mother's love of her dead child. What would you do to get someone to love you and what would you do for someone you love? Does the ghost really guide everyone to so called happy ending?

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is my nephew's favorite author and now I see why. This 2009 Newbery winner lets the reader know that sometimes it is the humans that must be feared, not the so called monsters. Nobody Owens loses his first family to a murder and now lives in a graveyard. It does take a graveyard to raise a Nobody. A vampire, a werewolf, a witch, and too many ghosts to keep straight will keep you guessing who is who while enjoying the ride. If you like this book, you will have to go to the public library to get the rest of his books since they are aimed at the post YA audience.