Customer Reviews

Araminta Spookie 1: My Haunted House

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Oh, I so very much liked this one and so did our Girl. The story starts out with Araminta Spookie, affectionately known as Minty who lives with her Aunt Tabby (who always seems to be yelling at the boiler) and her Uncle Drac (who sleeps, all day and works all night...he also happens to sleep upside down in a turret in the house with all his bats) because her parents disappeared while hunting for vampires in Transylvania. This is quite the quirky story...Araminta strikes me as a very Wednesday Addams type character who delights in searching for ghosts and laying traps for unsuspecting visitors.

It seems that cranky old Aunt Tabby (after her most recent stint berating and kicking the boiler) has decided to sell the house because the boiler is just too much trouble (announced over soot covered toast no less), what ensues is quite the little adventure for Araminta attempts to sabotage Aunt tabby and scare away all the perspective house buyers...but when the strangest family shows up and wants to buy the house despite her best efforts...she's none to happy about it. Find out what Araminta has to do to keep the house from selling, all the while looking for ghosts (her life long dream happens to be to find a ghost) and encountering some very interesting twists as the story goes along.

This story is utterly charming in its carefully crafted, somewhat campy, but still suitably spooky little story! It's imaginative and fun for readers about 8-12 or so and it's fairly short with some cute illustrations that help bring the story to life. This is meant to be fun and a little silly I think, not genuinely spine-chilling...something to keep in mind...as an older reader (age 12 or so) might not be as amused with this story as say an 8 or 9 year old would be...My Haunted House would also make a fine read aloud book for younger kids (say age 6-8). I give it a solid A...we really enjoyed it and would recommend it in a heart beat, it's the quirky details that make this story wonderful and we are really looking forward to the second one

Araminta Spookie has grown up in a haunted house and spent her whole life looking for ghosts. As luck would have it, though, she's never found a single one. That's about to change. When her Aunt Tabby has another bad fight with the boiler, she decides to sell the house. Araminta has to think fast in order to keep her beloved house from being taken away by strangers. Every time Aunt Tabby hangs a FOR SALE sign, Araminta finds some way to sabotage it. Unfortunately, Aunt Tabby is really clever too. Ultimately, while searching for a way to save the house, Araminta DOES find ghosts and more of the history of the house.

Angie Sage is also the author of the Septimus Heap books and several other books for children. Jimmy Pickering has illustrated several books for early readers, including SLOOP JOHN B and MY CLOSET THREW A PARTY.

MY HAUNTED HOUSE is a simple, straightforward tale that cruises through a lot of fun details. Araminta's Uncle Drac sleeps hanging upside down in a sleeping bag in the tower with thousands of bats. Aunt Tabby is both a loving supporter as well as Araminta's problem. Jimmy Pickering's drawings scattered throughout the book brings the action and the characters and the spooky old house to vibrant life.

This book is recommended to beginning chapter book readers as well as parents who like to read to younger children who have the imagination and language skills for stories they can't quite read on their own.

I loved this book. I wish I had books like this to read wihen I was a kid. I really enjoyed Araminta and I would love to have a house were I could have a Thursday bedroom. I like books I can read again and again and this is one of them.

Araminta "Minty" Spookie has lived in a wonderful, old, haunted house since the day she was born, and can't imagine living anywhere else. But when crabby Aunt Tabby decides that she's had it up to her ears with the boiler, and wants to move, Araminta is forced to picture life away from her haunted humble abode. However, Araminta, being the clever girl she is, decides to fix Aunt Tabby, and stop her from selling the house. So, with the help of a ghost named Edmund, a haunted suit of armor named Sir Horace, and a crew of bats who can easily scare the daylights out of anyone, Araminta puts a little imagination, and a lot of elbow grease, to hatch the picture perfect plot for an Awful Ambush that is sure to send everyone who even thinks about purchasing Araminta's home, running into the night, screaming in fear.

Combining a mix of THE ADDAMS FAMILY with a touch of THE MUNSTERS, Angie Sage has created a splendidly horrific new series that will send all middle readers - along with their parents - screaming in delight to the bookstore to catch up on Araminta's latest adventures. Araminta is the gothic Eloise - spoiled, and often selfish, but cute and adventurous, nonetheless. Sage's wacky mix of characters, and delightfully ghoulish adventures are sure to win readers; while Jimmy Pickering's gothic, EMILY THE STRANGE-esque illustrations bring the story to life, and make it even more enjoyable. The perfect new series for a hauntingly fun time!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

This book isn't as well written as her Magyk books, but still very well done. I'd say it's written for a younger audience than Magyk. But perhaps not, I've been reading it to my 7 year old (who wants more than just one chapter a night), and my 11 year old started coming over to hear too!
If your looking for a book that a child can read for himself/herself, I'd say this is for 2nd graders and up.

My 8 year old son is a great reader, but he refused to read chapter books...until Araminta came into our lives!! Now he reads them to me and we both just love her and her quirky family. Her sense of humor is spot on so that kids can understand it. The illustrations are terrific and FUN! The chapters aren't too long, takes us about 10 minutes per so we can usually read two a night. But BEWARE, the cliff-hangers are really good and your little one may beg you for "just ONE more, PLEASE??" We cannot wait until book 6 comes out.

This is a very charming and cute story about a girl named Araminta who thrives on the adventure that comes with living in a large, scary house and attempts to thwart her aunt Tabby's plans to sell it. I loved how subtly the author put in such clever ideas as Araminta having a Thursday and a Saturday bedroom, etc., as well as Araminta's witty (and often hilariously frustrated) thought process throughout the book. I'm an adult and I smiled all the way through. I think it'd be especially great for a 3rd-5th grader too!

I bought books 1 through 5 for my 9-year-old neice. She requested "spooky" books for her birthday and I had personally enjoyed Angie Sage's Septimus Heap books, so these seemed like they would fit the bill. They were a big hit. My sister said that my neice read each in one sitting because she was enjoying them so much.

This is a great little book for kids. There are wonderful puns that will keep the adult going if reading out loud. It's quite a charming story of a family in crisis with a unique solution that solves more than the obvious problem. The illustrations are wonderful too, stylized without being too cute. I highly recommend this book and the next two in the series.

Angie sage has really done a great job in making a haunted house, ghosts and things fun reading. THe kids enjoy araminta. Its a good read and nice chapters for those that are just starting to read on their own