Abandoned Amusement Parks

Nothing screams creepy as much as a former amusement park, taken over by rush, weeds, and memories, or an old theater, where death-and perhaps a restless spirit-still linger. These entries in the Scary Places series will pique many children’s curiosity with the strange and unknown. Each title uses double-page spreads to introduce 11 undeniably scary sites around the world. From the stock-market crash to Hurricane Katrina to the tragic derailment of roller-coaster cars, Abandoned Amusement Parks shows some of the many reasons amusement parks close forever. Vivid descriptions highlight the parks in their heyday, the state of their ruin, and even some hauntings. Tragic Theaters depicts several ways, whether by distraught lovers or victims of untimely accidents, in which theaters become haunted or dubbed as unlucky. Readers may recognize Fort’s Theatre, the site of Lincoln’s assassination, or the Paris Opera, which inspired The Phantom of the Opera. Both volumes comprise a wealth of trivia, from Kansas City’s Electric Park, which influenced a young Walt Disney, to occasional appearances by Harry Houdini and Judy Garland at New York’s Palace Theatre. Modern and archival photos, as well as eerie superimposed images, add to the books’ effect. Delightfully spooky.