Synopses & Reviews
In his classic bilingual style, Joe tells the story of a haunted house in a poor little town in Arizona. Nobody will rent that house because they know a ghost lives there. So the landlord tries to rents it out for free. Still nobody will rent it. That is, until Elena’s father rents it. He doesn’t believe in ghosts. Lucky for Elena that her grandmother knows all about the ways of ghosts. Elena, with the help of her grandmother, resolves the mystery of “ghost fever”—and learns a lesson about life.
Joe Hayes, who lives in Santa Fe, is an award-winning storyteller renowned especially for his stories in Spanish and English.
Review
"At just short of 90 pages for both alternating English and Spanish text, this is a quick, riveting read
This is an ideal choice, whether in English or in the informed Spanish translation, for reluctant readers. It is straightforward, but swiftly plotted."School Library Journal
"The English and Spanish text flows smoothly and invitingly, and Hayess short chapters make this perfect for classroom read alouds, as well as for independent reading. Sure to be popular with young chapter book readers who enjoy a chill running down the spine, Ghost Fever is also recommended for reluctant older readers."Criticas
"For the past 28 years, the pool of Bluebonnet candidates have been selected by librarians, who put together a master list of 20 titles theyve observed their tiny charges checking out or that teachers recommend. Eight- to 12-year-old critics commit to reading five books from the list making the Bluebonnet the largest childrens reading program in the country…Its the first time a bilingual book was selected. I doubt the kids who cast Bluebonnet votes at 1,700 libraries across the state consciously voted for change. They probably just dug the story of un inquilino, a renter, his daughter, and the ghost in the quinceañera dress the symbol of Latina becoming…Its reassuring to see kids cant resist a good old fashioned gross-out cuento, en cualquier idioma." —San Antonio Current
"Simple black-and-white drawings throughout this bilingual book make it an easy page-turner and point up the important moral lessons included in the story. Fortunately, those moral lessons are based on compassion, tenderness, and hope, rather than dwelling on guilt and fear. Hayes's experience and friendship with the Latino community make his work both authentic and engaging." —ForeWord Magazine
"Highly recommended! …Spanish phrases, easily understood in context, are integral to the English version. Appropriately spooky black and white pencil illustrations punctuate the text." —Reforma
"What better way to learn or improve your English or Spanish than to read a bilingual ghost story! …Even with the text switching back and forth from several paragraphs of English to a loose translation in Spanish, the suspense builds." —Children's Literature
"Hayes also thinks kids love ghost stories because they are a sort of safe scare. 'They get the thrill of being scared without any real danger,' he says. 'And a ghost story defies reason and explanation. Theres something satisfying in this super-rational age to contemplate things that science cant explain.'" —McAllen Monitor
"In this chilling tale of a haunted house in a small Arizona town, Grandmother 'knows all about the ways of ghosts.' She helps Elena solve a mystery and learn 'a valuable lesson about life.' The text is in both Spanish and English." —Yellow Brick Road
Synopsis
Fiction. In his classic bilingual style, Hayes weaves a spooky story set in a poor little town in Arizona. Because everyone believes a local house to be full of ghosts, it continues to sit empty-- no matter how low the landlord drops the rent. Only when a young girl named Elena moves into the house does the haunting finally come to a climax. With the help of her grandmother's mystic knowledge and despite her father's insistence that ghosts do not exist, Elena is destined to discover the truth about GHOST FEVER and about herself.
Synopsis
What middle-grade readers love--a ghost story to chill their bones. And this one is bilingual!
About the Author
Joe Hayes is one of America's premier storytellers-a nationally recognized teller of tales from the Hispanic, Native American and Anglo cultures. His bilingual Spanish-English tellings have earned him a distinctive place among America's storytellers. His bilingual books are used in schools all over the United States. For twenty-six summers Joe has been the resident storyteller at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe. He has shared stories in over 3,000 schools and spoken at educational conferences throughout the country. He has appeared at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, and one of his tales was chosen for the book Best Loved Stories Told At The National Storytelling Festival. His first book, The Day It Snowed Tortillas, was published in 1982. It is a collection of some of Joe's favorite Hispanic stories from New Mexico, and has become a regional classic.