THE OTHER SIDE

Behind the enticing title lurks a dry lecture on Paranormal 101. Targeting a middle-school audience, the tone resembles a manual on any outdoor activity with an emphasis on being prepared. Readers are warned to get permission to search a property to avoid trespassing and to wear comfortable clothing because spirits on the other side don’t care about glamour. Several interesting tips remain undeveloped. Ballpark prices for EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) are given, but no company or website for purchasing these items is provided. There is some practical advice: If one should encounter an undead being, it’s good to know the ghost’s year of death so as not to speak in 21st-century slang. The authors insert an odd chapter of prophylactic Christian and Wicca prayers along with religious artifacts to carry along on the hunt. This work is presented in a chatty style, placing information in long paragraphs rather than bulleted points. The authors warn there will always be skeptics and cynics; their book will probably fail to change readers of that persuasion. (sample interview questionnaire, glossary) (Nonfiction. YA)