Do ghosts really exist, or is "ghostly phenomena" just strange stuff that gets blamed on dead people? Giving you the real story, professional ghostbuster and skeptic Adam Selzer of Weird Chicago Tours delves into a mysterious death at a former funeral parlor, nightly ghost sightings at Hull House, and more. Proving that not all ghost hunters are kooks (some are just geeks gone wild), Selzer showcases true spooky tales worldwide, a history of hauntings, the art of ghost hunting, and cool evidence of paranormal phenomena and the supernatural. These ghost stories will make you want to investigate that cemetery down the road to see if it's haunted—or just dark and creepy.

Join Chicago paranormal authority Adam Selzer as he lifts the veil of myth around three of Chicago’s most terrifying ghost stories. Jane Addams’s Hull House became the center of a rumored Devil Baby—an infant born with horns, hooves, and claws . . . and a habit of using profane language to ministers. H. H. Holmes has gone down in history as America’s first—and possibly most prolific—serial killer. Popularized in bestselling book The Devil in the White City, Holmes built a three-story building down the street from the World’s Fair site in Chicago in the early 1890s to use as his killing castle. But how many people did he kill? Chicago’s Resurrection Mary is one of the oldest and most enduring vanishing hitchhiker stories. An expert on the Resurrection Mary stories, Selzer shares dozens of stories and anecdotes he’s collected and sifts through his personal database of facts surrounding Archer Avenue’s most famous apparition. This e-book includes an excerpt from Adam Selzer's popular book Your Neighborhood Gives Me the Creeps.

Vanishing hitchhiker stories are everywhere—there are variations in books, in country songs, and even in movies. No one knows for sure how old such stories are, but by the middle of the 20th century, the vanishing hitchhiker was a part of American folklore nationwide. Chicago’s Resurrection Mary is one of the oldest and most enduring of the vanishing hitchhiker stories. Join paranormal authority Adam Selzer as he shares dozens of Resurrection Mary stories and sifts through his personal database of facts surrounding Archer Avenue’s most famous apparition. This e-book includes an excerpt from Adam Selzer's popular book Your Neighborhood Gives Me the Creeps.

Booktalking Nonfiction: 200 Sure-Fire Winners for Middle and High School Readers will provide an introduction to selecting and writing booktalks for nonfiction books with a focus on unique informational texts and biographies and autobiographies. A booktalk is a summary of a book presented in a way that would interest someone in reading the book described. Why non-fiction? Because the Common Core Standards Initiative, which most states have adopted, requires that 70% of the materials students read be from the category of informational texts it is especially important to focus on nonfiction when sharing books with students. Here’s everything you need to do just that. Chapters cover selecting, writing, preparing, and presenting booktalks, special tips for high-interest, low-level books, and using non-fiction in the library and the classroom. Two hundred ready-to-present booktalks arranged by genre are also included. Genres include animals, famous people, sports, crime and serial killers, movies and television, religion, war, history, and the supernatural.

Devil baby stories have been told for years—stories of infants born with horns, hooves, and claws . . . and a habit of using profane language with ministers. Join paranormal authority Adam Selzer as he investigates the legendary Devil Baby of Chicago’s Hull House, the famous Jersey Devil, and the satanic baby reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1888. You’ll never look at babies the same way again! This e-book includes an excerpt from Adam Selzer's popular book Your Neighborhood Gives Me the Creeps.

Chasing the unseen has become a popular pastime but most ghost hunters are unaware of the very real harm that can be done by malevolent human spirits, non-human entities, and a host of astral parasites. This guide from medium and paranormal investigator Michelle Belanger features proven protection techniques-and for the skeptics out there, highlights how the methods also work on a psychological level. You'll get straightforward instruction on arming yourself with an array of essential techniques: Perform psychic cleansings Remove attachments Protect dreams Shield spaces Ward to protect a home Remove and bind spirits Cope with spirit possession Woven through each chapter is a gripping, true account of a ghost investigation conducted by Belanger, which provides a framework for understanding when to use these potent defense strategies. Praise: "Michelle Belanger is without a doubt the go-to person for paranormal enthusiasts looking to learn more."—Ryan Buell, founder of the Paranormal Research Society "I highly recommend this book to all those who truly wish to gain respect as a ghost hunter of integrity."—Brad Steiger, author/coauthor of 170 books on paranormal and metaphysical subjects, including Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places "I certainly never thought I needed a book like this, but Michelle has lots of practical advice that even we skeptics can use to keep our heads in order."—Adam Selzer, author of Your Neighborhood Gives Me the Creeps

Behind the crumbling walls, under the ancient bricks and the nearly forgotten streetcar tracks, the ghosts of Chicago live on. From Resurrection Mary and Al Capone to the Murder Castle of H. H. Holmes and the funeral train of Abraham Lincoln, the spine-tingling sights and sounds of Chicago's yesteryear are still with us...and so are its ghosts. Seeking to find out what we really know about the ghastly past of this famously haunted metropolis, professional ghost hunter and historian Adam Selzer pieces together the truth behind Chicago's ghosts, and brings to light dozens of never-before-told firsthand accounts. Take a historical tour of the famous and not-so-famous haunts around town, from the Alley of Death and Mutilation to Satan's Mile and beyond. Sometimes the real story is far different from the urban legend—and most of the time it's even gorier.