Finch House by Ciera Burch

 

Finch House by Ciera Burch is a spooky read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is one of the 2025 RICBA nominees. Much of the action in the book takes place inside of Finch house, which was an abandoned run down house in the neighborhood. It has the reputation of children going inside and never coming out again. When new owners move in and fix up the house, Micah who lives nearby is curious about the house that her grandfather has warned her to stay away from. Then, Micah's grandfather goes missing. Micah must find him, but it is going to involve going inside Finch house!

Wow, this book is a page turner. Fast action and spooky details will definitely grab the reader. There is also an underlying theme that emerges as Micah deals with anxiety about her move to a new home, and her nervousness about leaving her grandfather behind. I believe 5th graders will love getting caught up in this ghost story.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Something Upstairs by Avi

Something Upstairs by Avi is about a new kid, Kenny, who moves in to the neighborhood and he has the scariest house on the block. In the attic there is something upstairs and it sent him to the past to see what slavery was like back then and to learn what happened to the person in the attic. In the story Kenny has to kill a slavery owner to get back to the present time. He is scared he will get caught and killed.  Will Kenny kill the slavery owner or will he be stuck in the past?

I personally think that the story was one of my favorites. It was one of my favorites because it was interesting and it had a little scare to it in a few parts, but not scary enough to give you nightmares. It is my favorite type of book, a mystery! In some chapters the ending was a cliffhanger to make you want to read more! This trick really worked on me. Do you think this trick would work on you? 

Review by Cupcakequeen44

The Old Willis House by Mary Downing Hahn

In The Old Willis House by Mary Downing Hahn, Diana and Georgie have been living at the Old Willis Place for what feels like forever. There have been many people who watch over the land, but none like this caretaker. This one is different, he has a young daughter. Diana wants to meet her but Georgie tries to stop her because he’s afraid.  Will Diana defy her brother, and befriend the girl or will she also be too scared to break the rules? Find out in this spine-chilling story.

I enjoyed this story because it is full of suspense. Every time you read it leaves you wanting to read more. I enjoy that it is the perfect mixture of scary and interesting. Diana is around the same age as me so I like to see the similarities and differences. Don't rely on me to tell you, go read it yourself!

Review by ilovescarystories:0

Took by Mary Downing Hahn

Took by Mary Downing Hahn is a deliciously scary book. It is one of the 2017 RICBA nominees. In the story, the Anderson family move from Connecticut to a farm in the rural town of Woodville, West Virginia. The children, Daniel and his little sister Erica, have a hard time fitting in at their new school. The children try not to complain, because Daniel's dad has had to find a new job here. Money is tight and his parents are on edge and bickering in a way they never did back in Connecticut. There are local stories about an old woman who lives in the woods at the top of Brewster's Hill. Daniel thinks they are just that, stories, until he starts seeing things along the edge of the field, near the entrance to the woods. Daniel is going to have to face his fears, because eventually he is the only one that can save his family.

I have had the pleasure of reading several of Mary Downing Hahn's ghost stories. Deep, Dark and Dangerous was my former favorite. She is a master in the genre and if you enjoy being spooked, this story will not disappoint you!

Mrs. Castro


In Took: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn, Old Auntie is a witch who lives near Daniel’s family’s new home. Daniel doesn't believe in her, but he is forced to think she is real when his little sister Erica, disappears. Has Erica been taken by Old Auntie? Will she be turned into  a slave for the next 50 years? Will Daniel be able to save his sister?

I liked this book because I love scary books. Scary books are more interesting. This cool book is a very scary book. Took reminds me of this other book I am reading called Goosebumps. It is also very interesting because people find stuff and they get lost in mazes. That's why I like this book.

Reviewed by
AwsomeCoolGurl911


       
       The book Took by Mary Downing Hahn is a story that is really good, but a scary story. I think it is just the right book for you if you like a good scare. This book leaves you on a lot of cliffhangers and I personally like that kind of book. I think the characters were misunderstood and not listened to as much as I would have liked them to be. The girl is named Erica and the boy’s name is Daniel. If only they would have listened to the boy on the bus, the family could have found Erica a lot faster. Old Auntie does not take any mistakes, she also will hurt you if you don't do something right. She will send her boy Killer Bones, a killer hog that is really scary and big.

Personally, I like this book because it makes you realize that you love your siblings a lot more than you thought. When you lose them you think you can never come out of your room and it would be even worse when you might just lose your sibling to an old witch, especially a witch named Old Auntie. There are a lot of things in your life that you think you could live without, but when you lose it you freak out. Like in the story, Daniel thinks he wants to be an only child, but when he loses the one sibling he has, he is not so sure anymore. That is why I like this book. It really makes you think.
                                                   -soccerstar7

Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen

In the book Masters of Disaster, by Gary Paulsen, Henry Mosley and his pals Riley and Reed decided they need to go on some earth-shaking adventures, which leads them to a haunted house. When they get there they go to the top floor. Henry rides his bicycle down the roof!

I felt like kids can relate to this book in many ways. The kids in the book are always getting in trouble. The book was funny, and it made me laugh.

Pizzaguy135

The Ghost of Captain Briggs by Mary Labatt

The Ghost of Captain Briggs by Mary Labatt is about a family who rents a beach house and there is a ghost haunting the house.  The main characters are Sam, Jennie and Beth.  The problem in this story is that the ghost is trying to get Jennie's family out of the house they rented.  Will they solve the problem by finding the ghost's treasure?  I liked the story because it has a scary feel to it.  I like scary mysteries because they are dark and this one tells an awesome story.  I think everyone should read this story, especially if you like scary mysteries.

Reviewed by Dance3900

The Haunted House by Jane Yolen and Martin H.Greenberg

If you are a person that likes scary but not too scary books, then The Haunted House, by Jane Yolen and Martin H.Greenberg is the book for you.  The setting of the book is in an old rundown house.  In the story, there is more than one main character.  There are several ghosts that haunt the house.  Each ghost scares people in their own way.  The book starts off with a girl named Lyssa and her parents, when they move into the haunted house.  The first night when Lyssa goes to sleep, she hears a noise in the basement.  She just ignores it, but then she hears it again.  So she starts to get scared.  She thinks she hears a dog crying.  She gets out of bed to go get her parents who were sound asleep, but then she decides to check it out herself.  When she goes to the basement, she sees…?  Read this book to find out what she finds.  I would recommend this book to kids age 9-11.

Reviewed by Master1283