Ghost stories play a prominent role in American childhood. Circulated around playgrounds and whispered in slumber parties, their history in American literature is little known and seldom discussed by scholars. This book explores the fascinating origins and development of these tales, focusing on the social and historical factors that shaped them and gave birth to the genre.

Ghost stories have existed for centuries but have been published specifically for children only for roughly 200 years. Early on, supernatural ghost stories rarely appeared - authors and publishers, fearing they might adversely affect young minds, presented stories where the ghost was always revealed as a fraud. These tales dominated children's publishing in the 19th century but the 20th century saw a change in perspective and the supernatural ghost story flourished.