How To Haunt a House

 

Shirley J.                       Juvenile Fiction                   How to Steps to Successfully Haunt a House

How to Haunt a House by Carolyn Crimi      32 pages

Three little ghosts, Moana, Groana and Shrieky,  are in class to learn how to successfully haunt houses/the inhabitants of the houses.  The first house the teacher takes them to is small but man do they scare that family and run them out of the house in fright!   Then they go to a second house.   The house is bigger, the family is a lot braver but with a little work, they terrorize them, too.   The real test comes when their teacher takes them to the third house - a house full of monsters!   Though Moana, Groana and Shrieky do their best to scare the wits out of them, it has no effect.   The monsters continue on as if nothing has occurred.   They ask their teacher what they can do to really scare these folks?    She suggests trying bats, rats and black wild cats.  They do but the mother monster loves the bats and starts feeding them and letting them hang on her arms.   The little girl is so over joyed with the rats she walks around like a mother possum with rats holding on to her arms, shoulder and she even puts one on her head! The little boy monster starts playing with the wild scary looking black cats as the Dad monster looks on and smiles.  What must they do?  Nothing is scaring this monster family!   The teacher tells them they must think outside the box.   They think and think then finally groana comes up with the perfect idea.  Since the monsters aren't afraid of scary things, maybe they are afraid of non-scary things like puppies, kittens, bunnies and butterflies!  They fill the monsters' house with all cuteness!  The throw glitter around and paint butterflies and all things adorable on the walls.   The monsters freak out and dash out of the house without looking back.   Now that is how you haunt a house - every kind of house!    Such a cute book.  For all who love Halloween, scary things and good stories that teach kids to be creative.  ; )   I recommend this one for kids up to 10 years old and all their loving family, babysitters, teachers, who love to share stories with them and everyone who loves juvenile literature.