Toms River Teachers Publish Sandy-Inspired Kids' Ghost Story

Halloween conjures up images of zombies and witches, goblins and, of course, ghost stories. Locally, it also conjures up memories of Superstorm Sandy and the havoc wreaked three years ago at the Jersey Shore.

Inspired by the events of Sandy -- which caused many towns to delay or completely cancel the traditional Halloween trick-or-treating -- a trio of teachers from Toms River have written a book.

“Host A Little Ghost and the Story of the Mystical Mums” was written by Lillian Stulich and Kevin McCormick and illustrated by by Bill Dishon. Stulich is a social studies teacher at Toms River Intermediate East and has been in the district for 10 years. McCormick was an industrial education/technology teacher and coached several sports in the district, where he worked for 32 years before he retired. Dishon teaches studio art and art history at Toms River East and has been in the district for a dozen years.

When Sandy hit the Jersey Shore Oct. 29, 2012, many towns were forced to cancel traditional trick-or-treating two days later, because of the amount of destruction.

In Toms River, Stulich and McCormick watched as students and adults turned their attention to working in storm shelters, organized fundraisers and donated clothes and toys to local families in need -- and the idea for the book was born, they said.

“Host a Little Ghost” follows the adventure of twins Tommy and Suzie after an autumn whirlwind brings a new friend to teach them about caring, sharing, and the joy of the Halloween season, according to a news release on the book.

As the book explains, when autumn arrives, a little ghost appears, looking for a loving home. For 13 days before Halloween, if children play nicely, share, and are responsible with their care, each morning they will receive a treat from their little ghost. If not, they will receive a note reminding them of good behavior.

As teachers, Stulich and McCormick included reading features for children of all ages, including sight words for beginning readers and rhyme schemes for more advanced children. Dishon’s vivid, colorful, and detailed depictions allow young readers to visually appreciate the story as it unfolds on the pages.

Prior to Intermediate East, Stulich taught at Toms River Intermediate West for nine years. She has a bachelor’s in English from Trenton State College and earned a master’s at Monmouth University. She lives in Toms River with her husband Steven, daughter Stephanie and dogs Walter and Crumbles.

McCormick, who lives in Toms River, also coached numerous sports, published articles for education and trade journals, and holds a patent.

Dishon also serves as an adviser to the class of 2018. He has a bachelor’s degree in art education from Rowan University in 2002 and lives in Toms River.

“Host a Little Ghost” can be purchased at the Silverton Pharmacy in Toms River, Borden’s Stationary from Point Pleasant Beach and at Big Fun Toys, which has stores in Point Pleasant Beach, Manasquan and Hoboken.

The book also is available from Little Ghost Publishing through Amazon and features an adoption certificate for children to name their own little ghost. In addition, there is a glow-in-the-dark companion plush little ghost toy, sold separately or as a gift set.

To purchase a copy of the book and plush toy through Amazon, please log on to their Amazon store at: amzn.to/1G7A4JN. The hardcover book retails for $9.95, a gift set of book and ghost plush toy retails for $19.95.

For individual school sales, the authors donate a portion of the proceeds to each school’s PTO, according to the news release.