Ghost stories are most appealing in early adolescence, from the ages of 11 to 14 years. They are a natural for use with gifted children because they depend entirely upon language for their effect. The high interest they hold for a young person because of their subject matter also makes them a possibility for reluctant readers. As a psychological experience, ghost stories help young children understand their own emotions and feelings. As religious experiences, they plug children into their past, and help them to explore that unknown area--death. As time-shift experiences, they challenge the students who read them to be historians and philosophers. Ghost stories that explore such themes include "Ghost around the House,""The Driftway,""The Scarecrows,""Miss Ghost,""The Ghost of Thomas Kempe,""The Watch House,""The Almost Year,""The Poltergeist of Jacob Morey,""The Haunted Mountain,""The Otherwise Girl,""The Ghost Downstairs,""A Christmas Carol,""The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain,""The Ghost Belonged to Me,""The Crime of Martin Coverly,""The House on Parchment Street,""The Keeping Room,""The Truth about Stone Hollow,""The Court of the Stone Children,""A Midnight Garden," and "Blackbeard's Ghost." (HOD)