With Halloween on the horizon, Sylvia Funston’s Ghosts arrives at just the right time to explain the history, science, and mythology of spirits. The text reunites the prolific Funston (Scary Science, Animal Smarts) with illustrator Joe Weissmann for the third book in Owl’s Strange Science series. Funston maintains the series’ lighthearted approach to the supernatural, injecting levity into complex scientific explanations and potentially scary subject matter. Weissmann’s comical illustrations add to the humour. The book includes fun quizes and activities that invite readers to use what they are learning. There is also a haunted house board game, but because it is in the middle of the book and consequently won’t sit flat, kids may find it frustrating to use, and librarians may fear for the book’s binding.

Ghosts introduces a wide range of material, with chapters discussing such topics as “Spooky Beliefs” and “Ghost-Hunting.” It includes an index, though with several listings that are proper nouns, it may be most useful to those already familiar with the text. The text’s breadth allows Funston to update and expand on the traditional information about ghosts, but it also leaves her little room for depth, and readers may find their curiosity frustrated just when it’s been piqued. Since Funston uses science to debunk many supernatural phenomena, ghost aficionados seeking a spooky thrill will not find much here to keep them up at night; her scientific approach will be comforting to children who want to be reassured rather than scared. The matter-of-fact approach, coupled with the book’s jocular tone, makes Ghosts more appealing to the younger readers in its age range.