REVIEW: Ghost Town

Ghost Town
Author: Joan Lowery Nixon

Ghost Town tells seven stories about historic and now abandoned (or turned into tourist attraction sites) towns in the United States. Tombstone, AZ. Shakespeare, NM. Maiden, MT. Virginia City, NV. Grafton, UT. Bodie, CA. Fort Griffin, TX. What I enjoyed most about this book is the fact Joan Lowery Nixon first tells a fictional story about a supernatural or strange encounter in each place....then follows up with a chapter filled with factual information on each town, including contact information for tourist info, simple driving directions to get there, and a listing of websites and publications for more information. This book was published about 20 years ago, so some of the information might be outdated, but it's easy to find updated sites online.

I've been a bit obsessed with the Old West era ever since I read Laura Ingalls Wilder's books as a child. The resilience and strength of those who headed west just amaze me. Plus, all the tales and legends of heroes and villains or those who were a mix of both. So much history! It makes ghost towns incredibly interesting for me! This book was a fun and interesting read! Joan Lowery Nixon's books are always well-written and enjoyable. Geared toward middle grade age students, the chapters in this book are short and concise, but full of information. The legends about the particular town are told in the fictional story and information about the actual physical town and its history are further explored in the non-fiction follow up chapter on each site.

This book could be used to entice a reluctant reader or as supplemental reading in a classroom setting. As an adult, I love US history so this book was an interesting, quick read for me.

Joan Lowery-Nixon wrote more than 100 books for kids and won four Edgar Allen Poe awards for mysteries. Geared to middle grade through YA readers, Nixon's stories are enjoyable for adults as well. Sometimes I just want to enjoy a mystery or interesting story without having any heavy adult themes. Nixon's books are perfect for a mystery fix with no spurting blood or graphic horror moments. Kid's lit can be a great palate cleanser for the mind! Just an enjoyable reading experience!