Western Ghost Town Mysteries For Young ReadersAuthor Calamity Jan
(AKA Jan Pierson)
Calamity Jan does it again. My 3rd grade students loved this book.
By L. Hull 
The Haunted Horse of Gold Hill - INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARD ~ Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction.
IPPY Book Awards, Jenkins Group
Goodbye God, I'm Going to Bodie
Ghostowners Series - Book Number One
When Meggie and Paige and a kid named Johnny uncover the missing diary in the ghost town of Bodie, California, they have no idea what secrets had been buried for over a hundred years. Bodie--once known as the Wildest Mining Camp in the West--comes to life through the words of the unknown girl whose words, Goodbye God, I'm going to Bodie have become a legend. The Ghostowners set out to discover Anna's secrets, but uncover a whole lot more than they had bargained for.
Exciting, Enthralling, Involving!
By LeRoy on July 20, 2003
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I started this book not knowing what to expect. Suddenly I found myself involved in the adventure along with Meggie and Paige. I have been to the ghost town of Bodie many times and I could relate to everything the author presented. It was as though I was there and a part of the mystery. The way the author wove history and the story together made it compelling reading. I originally intended to read only one chapter at a time. However, when I came to the end of a chapter the story compelled me to continue reading. Before I knew it I was in the middle of another chapter. I am an adult male and have read many books on Bodie and never enjoyed one as much as this. I recommend this story for children of "all" ages. To the author I say "BRAVO, WELL DONE!" I look forward to more of her books
Ghost of Nighthawk
Ghostowners Series - Book Number Two
The freaky ghost appears to live on the second floor of the old hotel in Nighthawk, and twelve-year-old Meggie wouldn't be caught dead up there if her best friend didn't need her help. Paige is trapped in an abandoned well, and Meggie must make a rope from the ragged curtains hanging in the windows and rescue her. But why are the pain-in-the-neck kid, Jay Paul Leeberg, and an old man named Julian Cooksey following them? When they find themselves trapped in the Nighthawk Mine, they learn the shocking truth about the gold, the Ghost of Nighthawk, and the old man.
WOW..A great book for all ages who love to read about the old west ghost towns..Characters are close to actual inhabitants..
By jack foster on July 14, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I own property in Nighthawk and Jan Piersons book is one every library should have featuring stories of the great Nighthawk gold town. This building still stands and as you stand and watch the windows you may see the little girl reaching for the curtain rod to discover a long ago hidden secret..Buy this book, it will leave you with a warm-fuzzy feeling..I have three of her books and they all peak the interest of all of my grandchildren..great work Jan...
Shadow of Shaniko
Ghostowners Series - Book Number Three
The ghost town of Shaniko, Oregon wasn't supposed to be dangerous, but the howling going on in the old Shaniko School night after night tells Meggie and Paige otherwise. A ghost? They are terrified when threatening messages begin appearing on the chalk board in the school, warning them to leave. In this fast-paced mystery, the Ghostowners find themselves being stalked by the shadow, trapped in Shaniko's huge wool barn--a warehouse once known as the biggest wool barn in the world. Teaming up with Gabe Stackpole, a Native American runaway from the Warm Springs Reservation, the truth begins to emerge from the shadows.
Love all Calamity Jan's books
By Joanne G. on July 18, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book kept my attention, a real page turner, even thought I bought it for my grandkids. Love all Calamity Jan's books.
The Haunted Horse of Gold Hill
Ghostowners Series - Book Number Four
Why is the mysterious mustang colt circling the tombstone on the outskirts of Gold Hill, Nevada? What haunts this small, wild horse that has been sighted for over a hundred years? Twelve-year-old Paige, and her best friend, Meggie are determined to find out, but a teenage drifter named Brooks involves them in an even more perilous web of high-stakes danger and intrigue. Is this ranch hand a mustanger involved in an illegal horse smuggling operation intent on capturing the wild horses? The Ghostowners soon find out.
Brilliant Imaginative Tale about a special Horse Spirit and Happening in the Comstock.
By whecologist on July 20, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed. So full of imagination and insight. Really takes you there. I am from this area and this story very much captivated me. Thank you Jan for writing such a fine story.
Ghost Girl in Car No 9
Ghostowners Series - Book Number Five
According to legend, the Ghost Girl has been appearing on the Virginia & Truckee railroad for over a hundred years. Suddenly the legend becomes a reality for the three ghost town detectives when the beautiful young girl appears and beckons from the baggage section of Car No. 9, pleading for their help and asking them to follow her into an old trunk that takes them back in time. Reluctantly, they follow her, finding themselves caught up in a wild and famous segment of western history circa 1872. Infamous stagecoach driver Hank Monk, notorious Pony Bob of the Pony Express and legendary Snowshoe Thompson of Genoa all engage the desperate girl, an orphan heading for the Nevada Children's Asylum, in a heart-stopping journey to find her lost dog and avoid her frightening fate. This tension-packed story, laced with humor, blends with just the right amount of history to make this read both educational and fun.
Terrific Read!
By Kathy in Reno on March 15, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Wonderful story, I enjoyed it so much I read it under the covers with a flash light after my mom turned out the lights. Very imaginative and kind of scary. Would recommend it to any age, Even my grandma loved it!
Ghost Girl In Car 9Wonderful Audio Book and Little Z Won't Put It Down
A friend of mine told me about Calamity Jan how her writings of books for young readers might interest my niece Zayda. She attends elementary school in Verdi Nevada and loves Western stories which are tied into some history of the area. I downloaded the audio book, Ghost Girl in Car #9 for her and she loved it! Problem now is that we're going to have to get little Z her own mobile device as she won't give mine back. Thanks Jan for a wonderful story! Your writings are awesome. I'll be getting your other books too.
By Robert B. in Reno on April 22, 2016
Format: Audio Book Verified Purchase
Calamity Creek Mysteries Series
Captivating!
Jan takes the reader on a magical mystery train tour that traverses three centuries, time travel, unconditional love, loss, friendship and the transformative power of belief. Cover to cover, non-stop. Clamity's deft pen and gift for imaginative story telling brings legend to life. Will inspire children of all ages.
~K Welles NYC
Calamity Creek Mystery Series - Book Number One
Thirteen-year-old Zack Granger and his sister Rachel’s expedition to Octopus Island started out simply enough. They just wanted to do some exploring - and some searching for clues to their father’s strange disappearance.
What they encountered was a wild, stormy, apparently uninhabited place with forbidding cliffs and caves and whirlpools and an ancient lighthouse filled with secrets. What they stumbled on was something even more dangerous - the terrifying mystery of Octopus Island.
Calamity Creek Mystery Series - Book Number Two
Zack and Rachel Granger didn’t know how they were going to get through the three long weeks on Smugglers Island with Nick Radonsky, a rude, stubborn loner. It was great vacationing as the guests of the Clarkes in their rustic cabin, but it wasn’t any fun putting up with the couple’s nephew who began pushing Zack around from the first moment they stepped off the boat.
Soon the shadow of a mystery began to hover like a foreboding cloud and they all began keeping secrets from one another. There were hints of buried gold on Smugglers Island…a clue hidden in the attic of the old cabin…then mounting terror as the eerie howl pulled them toward the dangerous Howling Caves and the secrets that lay hidden in the rocks for over a hundred years.
My 3rd grade students loved this book
By L. Hull on November 12, 2014
Format: Kindle Verified Purchase
Calamity Jan does it again. My 3rd grade students loved this book.
Calamity Creek Mystery Series - Book Number Three
Zack and Rachel Granger suspect trouble almost from the first moment they start their summer jobs at the old mansion on Calamity Creek Island. Strange noises, mysterious thefts, a hideous face in the cave, and a light in the ancient tower––these and other disturbing events convince them that someone may be in danger––perhaps themselves.
But who is masterminding these occurrences? Could it be Memaloose, the Death Indian who, legend says, still wanders among the treacherous Skeleton Rocks? Unraveling the mystery at Windridge Inn takes every spare moment of Zack and Rachel’s time, but the danger and threats don’t hold them back from discovering the forbidden secrets hidden in the caves beneath the Skeleton Rocks.
Calamity Creek Mystery Series - Book Number Four
The trip to Sasquatch Island felt like a dream come true for Zack Granger and his sister, Rachel. They were searching for wild horses––not the crazy legend of the Sasquatch––a half-human, half-monster ape creature some called Bigfoot. But suddenly the legend of the Wildman of the Woods becomes more than just a legend when they discover the Ape Caves where they find the tracks that lead them to the long buried mystery.
An orphan named Teigen joins them in their search for the elusive horses and the clues to her missing family, but the shadow of the Sasquatch follows them and tries to keep them from discovering the dark secrets of her past and the mystery on Sasquatch Island.
Calamity Creek Mystery Series - Book Number 5
When Zack and Rachel Granger are caught in a sudden storm, they find themselves stranded on a remote island somewhere in the Canadian Gulf Islands off the coast of British Columbia. Grizzly bear warnings force them to find shelter in an old lighthouse, but wailing winds in the tower and a secret tunnel beneath the creaking floorboards lure them toward something even more dangerous than the grizzly. Can they escape in time?
Love it
By Karen S. Winter April 3, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Great book. Wish it would have been a little longer. Just t h e right amount of suspense with some humor thrown in.
Calamity Creek Mystery Series - Book Number 6
Zack and Rachel Granger look forward to an exciting arrival from Kentucky––a new colt for their cousin, Shane. At first, when they see the scrawny, wobbly foal, they’re disappointed. But Ebony fills out and shows promise of greatness, just like his famous racehorse father, Naphtali.
Suddenly Ebony disappears. Who has stolen him? How will Zack and Shane and Rachel find him? When a piece of Ebony’s blanket turns up on Obstruction Island, they know they’ve stumbled upon an important clue. But confusion, danger, and death also loom on the trail.
FORMAT: Softcover
iUNIVERSE
Good book!I read this book in order to consider it for our Church's tutoring/mentoring program to use with kids who do not seem to want to read for pleasure. I am anxious to have a tutor use it. I think it will hold their attention and peak their desire to get to the next chapter. The author does a very good job of taking the reader back and forth between the present and the past.
By Peggy on October 6, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase