Activities

Ghost Hunting Tips

There’s a county in Iowa (not far from where Finn lives in Wisconsin in the book) with a historical society that has fantastic tips and hints for ghost hunting. Click the button to check it out!

Report Your Ghost

The Pine Barrens Institute, based in Janesville, Wisconsin, near where Finn lives in the book, is looking for your ghost story! Tell them about it by clicking the button. 

Read About Poltergeists

In Polterghost, Lewis tells Finn that Mary Margaret is a combination of a ghost and a poltergeist—a polterghost! The word poltergeist comes from German and means “noisy ghost.” Read about some famous poltergeists here:

All About Sandhill Cranes

Finn’s friend Bird is a sandhill crane. They’re common in Wisconsin.  

Check out the website for the International Crane Foundation, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. You can click on “North America” for the United States or click on the other regions to learn about fifteen crane species. 

Here are some photos of the cranes who live right next door to Polterghost’s author, Kerry Hansen. 

Photo of two adult sandhill cranes and a baby grazing on grass in a rural backyard
Photo of three sandhill cranes walking in the verge between a sidewalk and a wetland area
Photo of a sandhill crane parent and baby standing in a rural backyard

And this is awesome audio (as part of a not-that-great video) that lets you listen to what these birds sound like. No wonder Finn listens to Bird in the book! 

Everyone Needs a Friend

The kids in Polterghost invite Finn into their friend group quickly. He likes each of them for different reasons (even Lewis!). Each kid brings something unique to the group, and each has a struggle.
Illustration of the preteen friend group from POLTERGHOST, left to right: Sully, Isa, Finn, Cricket, and Lewis

• Cricket: She’s smart and brave. Her personality doesn’t quite match with her house and parents.

• Isa: She’s really nice. She wants to take over her small family business even though her parents want her to become president of some big company.

• Sully: He works so hard and knows a lot about fixing things. He’s afraid his father won’t accept who Sully is attracted to.

• Lewis: He knows a lot of useful information (and his grandmother is a psychic/medium!). His parents are getting divorced and his homelife is difficult.

• Finn: He sees ghosts! He’s never had a lot of friends and is scared of most things.

What do you bring to the groups you are a part of? What strengths and unique skills do you have?

What do you struggle with or need help with? Can you ask your friends to support you with that?

Polterghost

by Kerry Hansen

Moving is hard. Having no friends is even harder. But living in a house with a ghost, well, that might be Finn's greatest challenge.

Twelve-year-old Finn O’Donnell has more fears than friends. When his parents move him from their Chicago condo to a creepy, old farmhouse in Wisconsin, what he's afraid of gets worse. Someone else lives in Finn’s new house—the ghost of a girl who died there in the 1800s. But for some reason, Finn is the only one who can see her. She shatters light bulbs and materializes in his bathroom, making it clear she wants him and his family out. Terrifying.

Finn turns to a group of local kids who know the unlucky history of his house. As they work to solve the mystery surrounding the spirit and Finn’s abilities, Finn realizes he might actually have a chance to make friends.

Book cover for 'Polterghost' by Kerry Hansen, featuring an illustrated group of five children standing around a tombstone in a grassy field, with a ghostly figure behind them and the title in large distressed letters at the top.
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CHARLESBRIDGE MOVES excites middle-grade and chapter-book readers with adventure, science-fiction, fantasy, historical and realistic fiction, mystery, and humor—sparking a curiosity to read more. Whether through traditional prose, verse, or graphic-novel elements, our stories grow and sustain an appetite for reading over the long term, especially with boys and reluctant readers.