Review of "Famous Tales of Suspense: The Nightmare Ship," by I. M. Richardson

Review of

Famous Tales of Suspense: The Nightmare Ship, by I. M. Richardson 0893756334

Five out of five stars

 This tale strikes just the right level of spookiness for young readers. It is a bit scary, but has no blood, gore or serious damage to persons or animals.

 The setting is a stateroom on an elegant passenger ship, roughly at the start of the twentieth century. A man books passage and is given the lower berth in room 105. However, the entire crew is wary of the room and the passenger is told that the last three occupants of the room jumped overboard during the voyage.

 Even though the crew offers to give him additional accommodations, the passenger is made of stern material and dismisses their concerns. Yet, after a few nights of spooky actions, an open porthole and some close encounters with a slimy creature, a solution is found.

 With just the right amount of creepiness, this is a good ghoul story for readers at roughly the level of the third grade.