GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT

Arcadia Children's Books wants to introduce kids to the spooky streets of Flint, Michigan with their newest book arriving just in time for the Halloween season THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT. Situated an hour north of Detroit along Interstate 75, Flint, Michigan went from being one of the most prosperous cities in America at the turn of the 20th Century to one of the poorest when the 21st Century began. The city has had its share of real life horror stories including Auto World, the abandonment of its manufacturing jobs base to Mexico and overseas countries, and a crisis where its citizens' drinking water was poisoned due to the negligence of government officials. Instead of dwelling on poor moments this book provides young readers with insight into the rich architecture and heritage of this community as it provides some Spooky America lighthearted ghost stories that are perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit through some educational entertainment delving into the people and places of Michigan's history without causing scary nightmares.

By 1900, manufacturing plants in Flint were producing 100,000 horse-drawn carriages per year. Business was booming and so was the city's population. In 1903, Buick Motor Company set up shop in Flint to build the next generation of vehicles ... the automobile. In 1908, the head of Buick, William Durant, consolidated the old carriage businesses that had become parts suppliers for car manufacturers and some of his local automobile competition into one large conglomerate known as General Motors. 

By the 1950s, Flint was home to General Motors' largest manufacturing complex and was second only to Detroit in producing the most cars, trucks and auto parts in the whole world. Blue collar worker wages were some of the highest on the planet and the community provided a post card setting for what the American middle class was pictured as. At its peak prosperity Flint had a population of more than 200,000 residents.

As blue collar manufacturing jobs departed to other countries in the 1970s - 1990s, Flint was hit particularly hard with its dependence on manual labor focused industries for employment and taxes. Flint lost 50% of its population by the year 2000. With an uptick in crime and poverty combined with troubles such as the Water Crisis the city's population has continued to tumble with the most recent census showing its residents were now less then 80,000 people. Known as "Vehicle City", Flint City is unfortunately becoming a ghost town.

THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT delves into the spirit of the city in its grander times by providing modern day ghost stories for some spooky bedtime reading fun. Tales meant to be spine tingling not terrifying for young readers. One tale focuses on ghost sightings at the Sloan Automotive Museum, others on the hauntings of places like the city's Carriage Town neighborhood, historic Durant Hotel, Whiting Theatre and Masonic Temple. Other tales warn of strange sights you may behold while taking a walk along the Flint River which winds through the downtown or shadowy apparitions that have been encountered at the Whaley House Museum. Oooooh Flint can be such a spooky place!

This book is part of Arcadia Children's Books Spooky America series adapted from the popular Haunted America novels for adults. These books explore historical haunts in cities and regions across America. Each book in Spooky America and Haunted America publications delve into local ghost stories and other unexplained mysteries.  THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT was written by Anna Lardinois based upon Haunted Flint by Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani. 

The haunted history of Flint comes to life--even when the main players are dead. In THE GHOSTLY TALES OF FLINT, visit the Capitol Theatre to spot ghosts from the basement to the balcony. Or check in to a certain haunted hotel and see if the restless spirits keep you up all night. Flint is so spooky, there's even a whole haunted neighborhood--Carriage Town! Dive into this spooky chapter book recommended for grade levels 3 - 7 full of suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained. Kids ages 8 to 13 are sure to be geeked by these ghost stories written to entertain middle grade level readers.

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