Ghostly Tales for Ghastly Kids facts for kids
The cover of the Audible version, which is a modified version of the original hardback cover from 1992. Designed by Bobbie Spargo.
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| Author | Jamie Rix |
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| Audio read by | Andrew Sachs (1996) |
| Illustrator | Bobbie Spargo |
| Cover artist | Bobbie Spargo; etc. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids |
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Release number
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2 |
| Genre | Children's horror |
| Publisher | André Deutsch Limited; etc. |
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Publication date
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14 February 1992 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 144 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 9780590540049 |
| Preceded by | Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids |
| Followed by | Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids |
| Went out of print c. 2010 | |
Ghostly Tales for Ghastly Kids is a children's book from 1992. It is a collection of spooky stories by British author Jamie Rix. This book is the second one in the popular Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids series. It was published by André Deutsch and has 15 short tales inside.
Spooky Stories: What Happens?
Grandmother's Footsteps
A boy can't sleep because a strange figure is outside his window. The figure promises a magic carpet ride if the boy opens the window. The boy is scared and calls his grandmother. She decides to tell him a ghost story to help him feel better.
Her story is about a boy named Jolyon. He hears loud tapping outside his window. A giant hand then smashes the glass. Jolyon screams, and his grandmother rushes in. She explains that the tapping was just tree branches. Then, she says, "Here I am!" and disappears. The boy in the story doesn't sleep for a week.
Burgers
Burgerskip is a very popular fast-food chain. Its CEO, Seamus O'Burger, wants to make it even bigger. He travels to the Amazon rainforest and decides to clear parts of it for farmland. His guide warns him about a special tree called Panachek. The guide says local tribes see it as a deity. Seamus ignores the warning and cuts the tree down.
Soon, strange things start to happen. Customers find tiny trees in their burgers. Seamus sees hundreds of Burgerskip buildings floating in the air. The guide tells him this is Panachek's revenge. Panachek's ghost then appears and takes Seamus away. Burgerskip is never successful again. The UK even becomes a new rainforest.
Tag
Terry Blotch is a boy who gets jealous easily. He steals a ring from a classmate. This starts a habit of stealing from stores and even the streets. One day, he finds a sports bag with a football kit inside. The name tags on it say "A. Phantom." Terry steals the kit and wears it.
Soon, Terry gets itchy rashes and then boils all over his body. His mother thinks it's chickenpox. But Terry realizes it's the football kit. When he scratches the boils, they burst. Instead of pus, tiny "A. Phantom" name tags appear. The biggest one on his neck says "Thief." His mother tries to cut them off, but they grow back. Terry confesses his stealing. He returns the kit to school, and the tags disappear, except for "Thief." Terry never steals again.
The Locked Door
There's an old house with a mysterious locked door. It hasn't been opened in 75 years. At midnight, strange sounds come from it. A new couple, Matt and Jodie, who are deaf, move in. They have a daughter named Rosie. Rosie is very curious about the locked door.
One night, Rosie disappears. Her parents search everywhere. The locked door is the only place left. Matt kicks the door, and the ceiling above it collapses. They see Rosie looking down from the loft. She had climbed up there!
Three years later, Rosie still has nightmares about the door. One night, she hears scratching and a voice asking for help. A pale hand with a key appears under the door. Rosie takes the key and unlocks it. Inside, she finds an old man. He thanks her and explains he's been trapped for years. He had been chopping wood and sometimes cut his hand. Rosie's parents are surprised they can hear his voice.
A Tangled Web
Nigel likes to be mean to spiders. He calls himself "Black Nigel." One day, a pregnant spider named Ariadne builds a web in his room. Nigel traps her in a jar. He holds the jar over a candle flame, harming the spider. He then throws her body in the bin.
Later, the ghosts of the spider's unborn babies float into Nigel's open mouth. Hours later, Nigel wakes up feeling tight in his chest. The spider ghosts have spun webs around his ribcage. He starts to cough up spiders. From that day on, Nigel never opens his mouth wide. He also starts to spend a lot of time knitting huge webs.
The Well
Mr. and Mrs. Halley live in a cottage with a very old, deep well in their garden. Mrs. Halley wants her husband to cover it before their grandsons, Louis and Ben, visit. Mr. Halley keeps saying he will do it "tomorrow."
That night, Mr. Halley feels tiny hands tickling him. He hears laughter from the well. He promises to cover it. The next day, he tries to measure the well, but his measuring tape falls in. He gets angry and says he'll fix it tomorrow. Later, the boys play near the well. Louis sits in the bucket, and Ben lets go of the rope. Mrs. Halley saves them just in time. Mr. Halley, who was sleeping, is woken up by his wife pouring water on him. He still says he'll fix it tomorrow.
That night, the tiny hands and laughter return. Mr. Halley sees a tiny person jump into the well. He rushes out and falls in himself. A little boy appears, calling himself The Ghost of Jobs Left Undone. He tells Mr. Halley that he should have covered the well already. The ghost says his own grandfather also put things off and died because of it. The grandsons appear at the top, trying to rescue him. The rope snaps, and they fall in too. Mr. Halley wakes up in his bed, soaking wet. He quickly covers the well.
An Elephant Never Forgets
The wealthy Crumpdump family is on a safari in Africa. The children, Belinda and Percy, want an elephant. Their father secretly arranges to get an elephant's foot. When it arrives, the children are a bit grossed out. They use it as an umbrella stand.
One rainy day, Belinda wishes the rain would stop, and it does. Percy wishes to be 20 feet tall, and he grows! They realize the elephant's foot is magical. They start wishing for many things, making their mansion full of new toys. They also use it to be lazy. Percy wishes he didn't have to bathe, and Belinda wishes her school would burn down to avoid going. But they are spoiled and never satisfied. Finally, Belinda wishes for the elephant they wanted. A bleeding, three-legged baby elephant appears. It limps towards them, rolls down the stairs, and hurts them badly.
Mr. and Mrs. Crumpdump come home to a broken staircase. The umbrella stand is gone. Every night, they hear their children's ghosts crying for the elephant's forgiveness.
The Big Sleep
A father is tucking his son into bed. The son keeps asking if he's still dreaming. The father tries to explain how you know you're awake. Then, the father unscrews his tail, sings a lullaby from his belly button, puts in his teeth, and kisses his son with one of his eight lips. He puts a sausage in his ear to turn off the light. This story is a very short and silly dream-like tale.
Bogman
Helen loves going to the toilet to escape her parents' rules. She hides her comic books there. One morning, her mother tells her to clean up. Helen pretends to have cramps to go to the toilet. Her mother warns her about The Bogman. Helen's father explains that a skeleton from the Stone Age was found under their house. He says it sometimes comes to life looking for those who left him to die in a bog.
At dinner, Helen's parents insist she wash the dishes. Helen sneaks away to the toilet. She hears clattering noises, then footsteps inside the toilet. A skeleton's hand shoots out and grabs her. The toilet breaks. In the kitchen, muddy water floods the room. The Bogman skeleton appears, calling himself Marg. He accuses Helen's family of killing him. Helen throws a comic book to her father. He rolls it into a spear and strikes Marg. Marg turns to dust. It takes weeks to clean up the house.
The Broken-Down Cottage
Augustus Filch hates his life. He steals money from his mother and rides a bus to the countryside. He finds an old, empty cottage called Dun' Inn. Inside, he meets a boy named Arthur, who also ran away from home. They share snacks and decide to play prank calls.
They call the police, ambulance, and fire department, pretending there are emergencies. Each time, the emergency services arrive, find no problem, and leave very angry. The boys laugh until they fall asleep. The next day, they wake up cold. Augustus calls his parents to come get him. His parents arrive to find the cottage burnt down. The police chief says it probably burned overnight because of the fireplace. Augustus's mother says her son called because he saw ghosts. The boys say the ghosts looked like them. Then, they turn around and walk through the walls.
Guilt Ghost
A man gets into a fight at a bar. He punches another customer, who falls and dies. The man runs away and tries to start a new life. One day, he hears a tiny voice whispering about the death. It's a tiny ghost behind his ear. It says it won't leave until he confesses. When the police come to ask questions, the ghost whispers comments. The man denies everything. The ghost grows bigger, like a parrot.
The man can't sleep because the ghost keeps reminding him of his lies. The police return with a scarf the man wore, with his DNA on it. He still denies being there. The ghost turns into a talking alligator. This alligator ghost never leaves his side and talks constantly. It trips him and makes him rude to others.
The police return to arrest him. The man is tired and still denies everything. The alligator ghost then changes shape. It turns into a man and says, "I killed the bar patron." The ghost is arrested and taken away. The man is happy his ghost took the blame. But when he tries to get a drink, his hand goes through the fridge handle. He realizes he has switched places with his guilt ghost.
The Ghost of Christmas Turkeys Past
Jack loves eating turkey for every meal. His parents are tired of it. On Christmas Eve, Jack's father climbs onto a neighbor's roof. He waits for Father Christmas. When Father Christmas arrives, he crashes his sleigh. Jack's father explains his problem. Father Christmas, who also loves turkey, agrees to help.
Jack wakes up to a one-legged talking chicken. It's the Ghost of Christmas Turkeys Past. It flies Jack to a field with sad, old turkeys. It shows him how turkey is wasted and neglected. Then, another turkey appears, dressed like an army general: The Ghost of Christmas Turkeys Present. It takes Jack to a poultry farming room. It shows him how turkeys suffer in the industry. Jack feels sick but still likes turkey. Finally, a human-sized turkey dressed like a hippie appears. It takes Jack 100 years into the future, to 2090. Jack looks through a window. He sees a family of turkeys having Christmas dinner. The mother brings in a covered plate. When she removes the lid, it's Jack's body!
Jack wakes up screaming on Christmas Day. At dinner, he barely eats. His father is pleased. Jack says he's not in the mood for turkey.
What the Stories Are About
Themes in the Book
Ghostly Tales for Ghastly Kids often features ghosts as main characters. These ghosts can be heroes or villains. They sometimes have special powers. For example, there are turkey ghosts and even a ghost judge who punishes stealing children.
The first story, "Grandmother's Footsteps," plays with words. The phrase "ghost story" changes meaning when you find out the grandmother is a ghost herself. In "Guilt Ghost" and "The Broken-Down Cottage," the main characters find out they have died. "The Big Sleep" is the only story that doesn't have ghosts.
Important Lessons
The book also talks about right and wrong.
- "An Elephant Never Forgets" shows how being very rich can lead to bad choices. The Crumpdump family gets an elephant's foot as a trophy. This story teaches about the problems with trophy hunting.
- In "Burgers," a greedy CEO destroys the Amazon rainforest. This story highlights the dangers of cutting down forests for money.
Other stories teach lessons about everyday habits:
- "The Well" and "Bogman" are about procrastination. They show what can happen when you keep putting things off.
- "Tag" is about envy and how it can lead to stealing.
- "The Broken-Down Cottage" warns about the dangers of playing too many prank calls.
TV Show Versions
Not all the stories from the book were made into episodes for the Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids TV show. Six stories were not adapted. These include "The Well," "School Dinners," "The Big Sleep," "Guilt Ghost," "The Ghost of Christmas Turkeys Past," and "Rogues Gallery."
For the stories that were adapted, some details were changed:
- "Burgers" became "Burgerskip" in the TV show. The CEO, Seamus, was renamed Oswald and looked like a cowboy instead of a clown.
- In "Tag," the football kit owner was changed from A. Phantom to Jim Spectre.
- In "Bogman," Helen's brother Damien throws the comic book to their father, not Helen herself.
- "A Lesson From History" was called "The History Lesson." The main character, Elisa, was renamed Elizabeth.
- "An Elephant Never Forgets" had minor changes. For example, the rug was tiger skin instead of leopard. Also, the children's wishes about school and bathing were not included. The parents move out of their haunted house instead of getting a divorce.
Images for kids
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The cover of the Audible version, which is a modified version of the original hardback cover from 1992. Designed by Bobbie Spargo.
