Phyllis Raybin Emert

When I was in grade school I loved it when they passed out book order forms. I would carefully circle up to three books from the list and then ask my mom if I could order them. Most of the time she said yes. I always loved the books that were collections of mysteries from history or the natural world. From cryptids to strange coincidences, I was always curious about the unexplained or unusual. And I still am!

In the 1990s, Phyllis Raybin Emert published several collections of stories for middle grade age kids. While most of the books are out of print at the moment, used copies aren't hard to come by. I'm hoping at some point the publisher does some updates on facts and re-releases these stories. Great fun to read -- even as an adult!

Mysteries of People and Places collects 26 tales of interesting or unusual people and places. From places with legends like Oak Island and its famous treasure to the Lost Colony of Roanoke to strange tales of famous people like Agatha Christie's disappearance and the Mid-air exploits of D.B. Cooper, the tales are varied and interesting. Illustrations by Jael really make the stories pop.

Most of the stories I was familiar with, although I did learn some new interesting facts. Several were new to me, like the story of the Royal Charter shipwreck, the disappearance of Dorothy Arnold and the loss at sea of Donald Crowhurst.

The stories are short. Most are only 2-3 pages long. Each is engaging and interesting. I could see this book being used in a classroom setting as supplemental reading or to entice reluctant readers. I always enjoy books by Phyllis Raybin Emert. Her tales of the mysterious and unusual always give me a fun afternoon of entertaining reading! I read a lot of adult horror and suspense novels....and children's books are often a great palate cleanser for my brain after reading heavier fiction. These collections of interesting stories are perfect short reads for in-between longer, more adult themed, novels.… (mehr)

Mysteries of Ships & Planes gathers 28 stories about strange events at sea and in the air. The stories tell the tales of shipwrecks, disappearing planes, war time mysteries, and other weird occurrences in history involving ships and planes. Some tales such as the legend of the Mary Celeste, and the loss of Flight 19 were familiar stories. Others, including the sinking of the Eleanor Hamilton and the lost crew of Blimp L-18, were completely new to me. So interesting!

The stories are short. Each is only 2-3 pages long. The content is middle grade appropriate, but still interesting reading for adults. This would be a perfect book to entice reluctant readers to read. Anyone interested in unsolved mysteries would enjoy this collection of 28 short tales.

There are several similar books by Phyllis Raybin Emert. UFOs, monsters, ghosts, weird animals, dreams, unsolved mysteries, scary places....just about anything mysterious and spooky has been included in one of her books. I love reading story collections like this! Reminds me of the books I used to order from the book order forms at school. :)

This book was published in 1990 and appears to be currently out of print. Used copies are readily available online, and check your local public library. I wish these books would be given a bit of an update and re-released. Kids love these little stories about weird things. Adults, too!… (mehr)

I love weird stories....strange mysteries, ghostly tales, spooky legends....love them all! I especially love spooky story anthologies written for kids. The tales are slightly scary without spurting blood and guts, cussing, sex, drugs, etc. Scary...but not disturbing or traumatizing. A bit of spooky brain candy. :)

Phillis Rayburn Emert wrote several spooky story collections for middle grade kids. UFOs, hauntings, legends about ships, planes and scary places, unsolved mysteries....all sorts of weirdness to choose from! The stories are interesting, varied and short. Perfect for enticing reluctant readers (and grandmas who like to read creepy tales!).

Frightening Phantoms and Haunted Habitats collects 26 stories. Each is about 3-4 pages long. Easy reading length. There are also some great black and white illustrations by Jael. The drawings really make the stories pop. The front cover art is awesome as well.

I enjoyed this fun story collection. My favorite tale is one from Oxenby, England about a black cat who is a messenger of death. Creepy cool! The stories are varied, but all have a supernatural, lightly scary theme. All are middle grade appropriate. The book includes a glossary and bibliography.

Very enjoyable, quick read. I will definitely be reading more of the author's books!… (mehr)

Before the internet and sites like Youtube, kids were reading books like this one to get a good dose of creepy-strange. When I went to school in the 70s/80s, there were all sorts of story collections about strange, eerie, and mysterious events. I'm glad to see these types of books are still being published. Strangest of Strange Unsolved Mysteries was published in 2010. I bet some of the stories from this book were included in the older books I read. Great unsolved mysteries are always intriguing!

I was totally addicted to these books in grade school! Every time we got a book order form, I would order one or two and then share the tales with my parents and older siblings. I'm sure they all got tired of my complete addiction to pirates, ghosts, unexplained/unsolved mysteries....but I loved it! Still do! These days I get a lot of my unexplained fix from Youtube and television....but I still read books like this every chance I get!

The Strangest of Strange Unsolved Mysteries Vol 1 gathers tales about lost treasure and ghosts. I had a great time reading all these tales! Some were a bit scary, others weird, and some a bit unbelievable....but all fun to read! I jumped online several times to check on these stories to see if the mystery was solved between its publication in 2010 and today. There are 25 stories about lost and sunken treasures, followed by 27 ghostly tales. Each section has its own glossary and bibliography. The stories are short and all are middle grade appropriate. Some stories are a bit creepy or scary.....but not overly so. Each story is short, but well-written. A reluctant or slow reader with an interest in strange facts might really enjoy this book. The stories are varied and all are interesting. Not a boring tale in the bunch!

All in all, a fun, interesting read! I'm hunting up a copy of Volume Two...

Phyllis Raybin Emert has written several books for middle grade kids. Many of them are about unsolved mysteries or strange facts ranging from lost ships and planes to UFOS and strange animals. I'm definitely going to be reading more of her work!… (mehr)