My Haunted House

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 show more 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 show less

Aunt Tabby has enough. The boiler keeps breaking, and the housework is just annoying. So one morning, she decides to sell the house, much to Araminta's horror. True the house is old and big and haunted looking, but it's still her home. Plus, since it looks like a haunted house, Araminta's been on the hunt to find at least one ghost (even if it means dressing up as one). So while she tries to prevent her Aunt from selling the house, chasing away buyers, and ghost-hunting, she will discover the truth about her house.


This book is adorably, spookily lovely. Basically it features a house with everything you love about a haunted house, including secret passages and bat (lots of bats). It's a fun and easy read. It's written so as not to scare show more children, but presents it as an adventure. I definitely want to read the rest of the series now. Plus, it does teach lessons (like how to stand up for yourself, that things are not what they seem, and to appreciate the things around you). show less

Araminta has her house put up for sale by her Aunt Tabitha but she hasn't acheived her ambition of finding a ghost in it, yet; can she stop the sale and proove that the house is haunted?
Fun, funny and for youngsters, but nevermind - I enjoyed it, too!

After Araminta’s parents disappeared while hunting Vampires in Transylvania, she went to live with Aunt Tabby and Uncle Drac in the Spookie House. Araminta loves the old house and is determined to find a ghost – she even practices looking like a ghost every Thursday, because of course to find a ghost one must know what it’s like to be a ghost. Therefore, Araminta is devastated when Autn Tabby announces she is selling the house before a ghost can ever be found. In her attempts to stop the house from being sold, Araminta discovers a secret passageway, finally meets two ghosts, and makes some new friends.

With mischievous Araminta as the narrator, this story cannot help but be fun. It can, however, be easy to get confused with show more Araminta’s stream of consciousness style. Readers do not have to understand Uncle Drac’s penchant for bats or why he sleeps hanging from the rafters, but if they do it adds another layer to the story. This story is a cute beginning to what is sure to be a fun-filled series. Grades 3-5 show less

{My thoughts} – Araminta Spookie Lives in her very own haunted house with her Aunt Tabby and her Uncle Drac. She is an unusual girl that appears to have a different room in the house for a bedroom each day of the week. Since she is the only child that lives there she finds different ways to occupy her time. A lot of the things she likes to do, though end up getting her in trouble with her Aunt Tabby.

One morning her Aunt Tabby is in a mood and decides that she is fed up with the house they live in and want to sell it and move into an apartment. Every time her Aunt Tabby has someone come to look at the house Araminta {Minty} does what she can to make them leave or scare them off or sway them into not being interested in the show more house.

Eventually a family called The Wizzard’s come to look at the house. Minty has a plan to scare them off, but they just end up falling in love with the house more and more. Eventually, the table’s turn in Minty’s favor.

If you’d like to know what happens you need to read the book. I think that this is a wonderful book that could make a great addition to a bedtime ritual. It also sort of gives me the feel of Hotel Transylvania {The Movie Series} because of the way the characters are written and the way in which the story is unwound. I look forward to reading more books in this series in the very near future. show less

Very quick read. I initially got it to introduce my younger children to the work of Angie Sage. Though it is definitely no Septimus Heap it is a very cute story for emergent readers

It was a good quick read! I really like the secret tunnels and all that other good stuff. I like that it is halloween related with some spooks and some scares, but not enough for nightmares.