Do you people get that way from living here, or were you all peculiar to start with? someone once asked Louise Dickinson Rich. In her early thirties, she took to the woods with her husband. They found their livelihood and raised a family in the remote Maine backcountry. Louise made time after morning chores to write about their lives, and these magnificent books are the result. They are still captivating readers a half-century later.

Poems highlight through the dark parts of our memory that seem the most clear to our adult selves looking back.

Trans-Allegheny Pioneers is, without a doubt, one of the most celebrated accounts of life on the Virginia frontier ever written. The author's focal point is the region of the New River-Kanawha in present-day Montgomery and Pulaski counties, Virginia. This is essential reading for anyone interested in frontier history or the genealogies of mid-18th century families who resided in the Valley of Virginia.

For fans of Small Spaces and the Goosebumps series by R.L Stine comes a chilling ghost story about a girl living in the decrepit and creepy mansion, who discovers something in the woods is after her. All Ginny Anderson wants from her summer is to sleep in, attend a mystery writing workshop, and spend time with her best friend. But when Ginny's father—a respected restoration expert in Chicago—surprises the family with a month-long trip to Michigan, everything changes. They aren't staying in a hotel like most families would. No, they're staying in a mansion. A twenty-six room, century-old building surrounded by dense forest. Woodmoor Manor. But unfortunately, the mansion has more problems than a little peeling wallpaper. Locals claim the surrounding woods are inhabited by mutated creatures with glowing eyes. And some say campers routinely disappear in the woods, never to be seen again. As terrifying as it sounds, Ginny can't shake the feeling that there's something darker . . . another story she hasn't been told. When the creaky floors and shadowy corners of the mansion seem to take on a life of their own, Ginny uncovers the wildest mystery of all: There's more than one legend roaming Saugatuck, Michigan, and they definitely aren't after campers. It's after her. "This is a teeth-chattering, eyes bulging, shuddering-and-shaking, chills-at-the-back-of-your-neck ghost story. I loved it!"—R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series on Scritch Scratch Pick up What Lives in the Woods if you are looking for: A book for middle school students, 5th grade to 9th grade A story with a strong female protagonist that explores bravery, friendship, and family Mystery books for kids 9-12 Chilling ghost stories and ghost books for kids (perfect for Halloween!)

Longtime fans of Rich's writing will welcome this engaging and thoughtful biography of her life. There is also a wonderful section that includes many of Rich's essays and stories — which were published in magazines but never appeared in book form — as well as excerpts from her journal and letters.

What's in the Woods? Bigfoot? Check. Phantom black dogs? Check. Werewolves? Check. Giant mystery birds? They're here, too. Toss in some haunted woods, spooky cemeteries, crop circles, and crashed UFOs and you've got Nick Redfern's latest road trip across two continents for all things cryptozoological or otherwise mysterious. This is the third in a series of excursions into the occult fringe for the indefatigable Redfern. It all started with "Three Men Seeking Monsters," which Booklist called "lively and entertaining," and was followed by "Memoirs of a Monster Hunter," which his colleagues have called "wild and wooly" and "fascinating." Now, in this latest volume, Redfern defies all the laws of self-preservation and offers himself as bait in the face of the unknown ¬- to learn, if indeed, "There's Something in the Woods."

Folk lore comes closest to the heart of the people. It is an oral tradition . . . what they love to tell at intimate gathiris . . . Theres its genesis and its genius.