The Old Dead Nuisance

Anderson, M. (2011). The Old Dead Nuisance. In Guys read thriller (Vol. 2). New York: Walden Pond Press. Paul accompanied his dad while filming a television show called “True Spook”. As they walk through the old house along with a few psychics that were assisting to “hear” from the alleged ghosts, Paul discovers that he is not moved by the assumption that there are ghost in the house, but rather he is more interested in the fortune Josiah Smitch had left behind for his sons. While left alone in a room, Paul decides to search for the fortune himself. While doing so, he encounters the ghost, Josiah who is apparently heartbroken over the way his sons had treated him before his death and he vowed never to tell anyone where he hid his fortune, including the sons. But when Paul inquires, Josiah only tells him that it’s right in front of him. Paul soon figures out where the fortune is hidden but also discovers that because of his encounter with Josiah, he too must be psychic. This story is intended for students ages 8 – 12, although I enjoyed this short story thoroughly. To me, this was a page turner as I anticipated what would happen next. English teachers can use this story as a good example of how a short story is written. The book meets the criteria of mental development being that Paul had to comprehend what was happening to him, then decide on how he would handle it.