Who's Haunting the White House?: The President's Mansion and the Ghosts Who Live There - Hardcover

Over the years, Jeff Belanger has interviewed hundreds of people about their ghostly experiences, and in 1999 he launched ghostvillage.com, which is now the largest paranormal community on the web. He is the author of several books, including Sterling's What It's Like to Climb Mount Everest, Blast Off into Space, Survive a Tornado, and Other Extraordinary Stories and Weird Massachusetts. He lives in Bellingham, MA. Illustrator Rick Powell uses colored pencils to create lifelike portraits and vibrant images that capture a moment in time. His website is studiopowell.com. He lives in Montpelier, VT.

Grade 4–8—In a matter-of-fact tone that assumes ghost stories are true, Belanger relates White House encounters with the supernatural. "After all, where there are wars, there are ghosts," he states to explain the numerous sightings. Paranormal incidents like Dolley Madison defending her garden from would-be landscapers, Abigail Adams hanging laundry in the East Room, and many appearances of Lincoln are chronicled. The perspectives of presidents, statesmen, and other White House residents and employees who have personally experienced these apparitions are described. Primary documents—including letters, paintings, and photos—follow the history of the famous residence. Detailed colored-pencil illustrations successfully depict the ghosts as translucent figures while living characters are solid. While the book is a bit sensationalized, it is the quality of the research and presentation that make it an enticing resource to discover facts about the presidents, the White House, and American history.—Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library
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