Araminta Spookie 1: My Haunted House (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Jimmy Pickering (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: sunglasses woman, big bat, Aunt Tabby, Sir Horace, Uncle Drac (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–4—Araminta Spookie lives in a sprawling haunted house. She spends her days hunting for ghosts, avoiding her cranky Aunt Tabby, and helping her nocturnal Uncle Drac. In the first book, her aunt wants to sell the house and the little girl does all she can to scare away potential buyers. Things turn out better than expected when the ghost-loving Wizzard family shows interest but decides instead to move in with the Spookies. In the second book, Araminta and the Wizzards' daughter find themselves in danger when they try to retrieve a sword from a cave for the house ghost's 500th birthday. These straightforward stories are filled with exposition and description but little action, until their funny and fitting finales. Reluctant readers may have lost interest by then, however. What the books lack in action, though, they make up for in setting. Kids who use "weird" as a compliment will delight in the charming details of Araminta's life. Trapdoors and secret passageways get her into forbidden places. Frogs, bats, and ghosts are part of the family. Pickering's full- and half-page illustrations and cobwebs dangling from the page corners add the perfect mood. However, Araminta is less interesting than her surroundings. She speaks with a consistent, peevish tone, remaining unchanged throughout her adventures. These books offer few surprises, but will be fun escapism for readers who like their spooky without the scary.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Fun escapism for readers who like their spooky without the scary." -- School Library Journal

"Healthy proportions of scary details leavened with light and funny plot twists make this novel an easy recommendation." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Humorous, fast–paced, kooky, spooky fun." -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060774819
• ISBN-13: 978-0060774813
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #283,925 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminicent of the Aadams Family...You Will LOVE Araminta Spookie!, September 8, 2006

By	Amy Graham (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Haunted House For Sale, August 8, 2006

By	Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Araminta Spooky and her seven bedrooms, November 3, 2006

By	Denise Mack "kittiesgalore" (Coalport, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.