Haunted Houses

From the Publisher

“Outright skinpricklers . . . Offer this to those who already know San Souci’s work or who want follow-ups for Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, should it somehow stay on the shelf long enough to want company.”—Booklist

“Well-paced and satisfyingly startling . . . this book won’t stay on the shelves for long. Murphy and Revoy’s black-and-white illustrations heighten the fright factor, making San Souci’s collection even more riveting.”—School Library Journal

“These original tales are not for the fainthearted: Many of the stories’ protagonists end their tales dead—or worse. By turns poignant and downright scary, this is a solid addition for stouthearted middle-grade readers.”—Kirkus Reviews

Children's Literature - Elizabeth D. Schafer

Vengeance and malice fuel the ten stories presented in the first "Are You Scared Yet?" series book which depicts both female and male characters as resourceful, bold, and intelligent. Protagonists experience epiphanies and provocative twists as they seek truths regarding spooky places and sinister events at those sites. Stories exude eerie tones reminiscent of John Bellairs' Lewis Barnavelt stories. Artwork effectively portrays ominous phantom settings. In "Chimera House," Little D explores a remote building Toussaint recommended as scary prior to dying when Little D betrayed him. Malevolent insects threaten characters. Danny is disgusted by arachnids inhabiting the vacation home his parents rent in "Webs." Larry and Kat encounter a venomous beast in the "Tea House." Some ghosts need assistance to cease haunting places. Katie discovers parents mourning their deceased daughter who lingers in the "Dollhouse." Val, guided by ghostly cries, looks for a four-year-old boy who vanished eighty years ago near her family's hunting cabin in "The Lodge." Canines, Marco in "Doghouse" and Jack-T in "Dust Creatures," involve humans in ghostly adventures. Marco assists Blake identify who killed Marco's owners. Jack-T leads Erika and Abby into a house inhabited by hazardous beings. Deadly consequences occur when five friends use an Ouija board to contact ghosts in "Many." Jose's dead great-grandmother greets him at her abandoned house in "La Casa de las Muertas." Eric and Tyler risk ghosts' wrath while seeking hidden pirate treasure in "The Haunted Mansion." These tales can inspire readers to create haunted house stories featuring their neighborhoods. Read with stories in San Souci's Short & Shivery and Dare to Be Scared collections. Reviewer: Elizabeth D. Schafer

School Library Journal

Gr 4–8—These 10 spooky stories include a classic Halloween scare: visitors get their admission fee of $25 back if they make it to the top floor of a haunted house—but can they? In another, the primary occupant of a dollhouse is a ghost of a child who needs help moving from one consciousness to another. San Souci also writes about an abandoned teahouse with ghosts, a Ouija board that foretells a confusing yet doomed future, and a mother's spirit who is searching for her missing son. The stories are well paced and satisfyingly startling. While some are better written than others, this book won't stay on the shelves for long. Murphy and Revoy's black-and-white illustrations heighten the fright factor, making San Souci's collection even more riveting.—Patty Saldenberg, George Jackson Academy, New York City