Types of Ghosts and How They Fade: A Child’s Primer by JM Mason & A Steele

Alice Roosevelt (centre) with her father, stepmother and half brothers and sisters: thanks to Wikipedia 

Title: Types of Ghosts and How They Fade: A Child’s Primer

Author: JM Mason & A Steele

Publisher: not known 

Source book: Eleanor, Alice and the Roosevelt Ghosts by Dianne K Salerni 

I found a recommendation for Eleanor, Alice and the Roosevelt Ghosts on a blog devoted to children’s and YA books. I thought I was ordering a second hand paperback but what arrived seemed  to be an unread first edition which was a nice surprise. Not being American, I don’t know the ins and outs of the Roosevelt family which seems to be very large. This book does include a partial family tree (always a nice touch), however some of the characters are missing so I found the great big family tree offered by Wikipedia a great help.

Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt are cousins. Eleanor has lost both her parents and lives with her penny pinching grandmother; Alice has lost her mother and doesn’t get on very well with her step-mother. They live in a world where hautings, ‘eruptions’ of ghosts, are commonplace. 

Yes, apparently I can hardly pick up a work of fiction without discovering yet another fictional book. Honestly, who could have possibly imagined there are so many waiting to be discovered?

Types of Ghosts and How They Fade: A Child’s Primer is intended to explain the hauntings to children. Apparently most ghosts fade away with time. Eleanor’s Uncle Val regularly turns up in Grandmother’s house but he is an old ghost and can hardly be seen all these years after his death.

The girls investigate when Aunt Bye’s house develops a malicious ghost (although once you learn their story you can hardly blame the spirit of the person responsible), and then there’s a horrible vengeful ghost that nearly brings disaster to the family. A young Franklin D Roosevelt also features in this fun book along with guest spots for Nellie Bly (look her up) and Nicola Tesla.

Types of Ghosts and How They Fade comes with this rider: The authors of this text have simplified information for the sake of children’s education. The authors are not responsible for death, injury, or mental anguish caused by a haunting or by readers following these guidelines.

Franklin D Roosevelt with his father: thanks to Wikimedia Commons
Poor little boy: he’s got shorts on under his kilt, long socks, boots, a waistcoat, a jacket, a plaid, an uncomfortable Eton collar with a bow tie and a sporran. And he’s holding his Glengarry bonnet.