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Michigan Chillers #3
Poltergeists of Petoskey
After moving into a one-hundred-year-old house in Petoskey, Michigan, twins Alex and Adrian discover that the place is haunted by a poltergeist and together they try to rid their home of the fearsome spirit.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2000
16 people are currently reading
382 people want to read
About the author
Johnathan Rand
119 books298 followersChristopher Wright is the author of dozens of horror fiction books for children and young adults. He writes under the pseudonyms Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight. Almost all of Wright's books (save American Chillers) take place in his home state of Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 27, 2020
In what I consider easily the best of the first three Michigan Chillers, author Christopher Wright (aka Johnathan Rand) takes us to the sunset-ful city of Petoskey, Michigan, where twelve-year-old twins Alex (a girl) and Adrian must win a battle of wits with the poltergeist who prowls their basement...or risk losing their mortal lives.
The old farmhouse in Petoskey is a huge estate, and not in the best of condition when Alex and Adrian's family moved into it. Concentrated renovations have produced wonders in the house, however, and it's shaping up to be a great place to live by the time the twins begin noticing the eerie goings-on. Footsteps sound up and down the stairs with no one in sight, cupboards open and slam closed by themselves, and glasses of ice water mysteriously appear on the kitchen counter with no one there to have poured them. Alex and Adrian are spooked, with no idea what's behind these incidents, but their fears take form when a pair of poltergeist siblings their own age show up to explain what's happening. Conversing with a couple of ghosts is far from what Alex and Adrian expected from their first months in the new house, but at least now they know the cause of all the spectral phenomena.
It turns out the farmhouse has a history of hauntings, and the young poltergeist twins (Catherine and Caleb) aren't the only haints hanging out here. Alex, Adrian, and their parents need to be cautious where they tread in the house, because a malevolently mischievous spirit eagerly waits to bring them to ruin if they intrude in its space. Now time is running out for Alex and Adrian to solve the conundrum of the multiple poltergeists and save their own lives from the careless harm inflicted by the denizens of the next world. If they can't settle the situation soon, their futures could be cut short at age twelve, their move to the farmhouse morphing into a nightmare from which they will never awaken. Is there a way to rescind the curse that threatens their existence and construct a peaceable conclusion for everyone before they reach an unfortunate end?
In my opinion, Poltergeists of Petoskey is a remarkable improvement on the previous two Michigan Chillers, and I enjoyed those, too. The writing and punctuation style is still jarringly nonstandard, but the narrative has a smoother feel, and the pace quickens favorably after the main climax, where there's business to take care of after the book's primary danger has been addressed. The conclusion of the story is genuinely heartfelt and not overdone in the slightest, delivering a memorable goodbye to these characters who have made a surprisingly deep home in our sentiments. From the book: "It was so strange—just yesterday morning, if you would have asked me if I believed in ghosts, I would have said 'no way'...but today, I considered two ghosts among my very best friends." Poltergeists of Petoskey is a positive indicator that the author continues to improve his storytelling even following significant commercial success, and I look forward to more of that storytelling in the fourth installment of the series, Aliens Attack Alpena, and beyond. I liked and recommended Johnathan Rand's Michigan Chillers before reading Poltergeists of Petoskey, and now I appreciate the series even more. I'm pleased to know that others feel the same way.
The old farmhouse in Petoskey is a huge estate, and not in the best of condition when Alex and Adrian's family moved into it. Concentrated renovations have produced wonders in the house, however, and it's shaping up to be a great place to live by the time the twins begin noticing the eerie goings-on. Footsteps sound up and down the stairs with no one in sight, cupboards open and slam closed by themselves, and glasses of ice water mysteriously appear on the kitchen counter with no one there to have poured them. Alex and Adrian are spooked, with no idea what's behind these incidents, but their fears take form when a pair of poltergeist siblings their own age show up to explain what's happening. Conversing with a couple of ghosts is far from what Alex and Adrian expected from their first months in the new house, but at least now they know the cause of all the spectral phenomena.
It turns out the farmhouse has a history of hauntings, and the young poltergeist twins (Catherine and Caleb) aren't the only haints hanging out here. Alex, Adrian, and their parents need to be cautious where they tread in the house, because a malevolently mischievous spirit eagerly waits to bring them to ruin if they intrude in its space. Now time is running out for Alex and Adrian to solve the conundrum of the multiple poltergeists and save their own lives from the careless harm inflicted by the denizens of the next world. If they can't settle the situation soon, their futures could be cut short at age twelve, their move to the farmhouse morphing into a nightmare from which they will never awaken. Is there a way to rescind the curse that threatens their existence and construct a peaceable conclusion for everyone before they reach an unfortunate end?
In my opinion, Poltergeists of Petoskey is a remarkable improvement on the previous two Michigan Chillers, and I enjoyed those, too. The writing and punctuation style is still jarringly nonstandard, but the narrative has a smoother feel, and the pace quickens favorably after the main climax, where there's business to take care of after the book's primary danger has been addressed. The conclusion of the story is genuinely heartfelt and not overdone in the slightest, delivering a memorable goodbye to these characters who have made a surprisingly deep home in our sentiments. From the book: "It was so strange—just yesterday morning, if you would have asked me if I believed in ghosts, I would have said 'no way'...but today, I considered two ghosts among my very best friends." Poltergeists of Petoskey is a positive indicator that the author continues to improve his storytelling even following significant commercial success, and I look forward to more of that storytelling in the fourth installment of the series, Aliens Attack Alpena, and beyond. I liked and recommended Johnathan Rand's Michigan Chillers before reading Poltergeists of Petoskey, and now I appreciate the series even more. I'm pleased to know that others feel the same way.
November 27, 2018
My Reading teacher suggested this to me in 7th grade. My reading level was far behind, and the Michigan Chillers books got me on track to being a reader.
November 7, 2024
Michigan Chillers- Poltergeist of Petoskey
By Johnathon Rand
This novel is about our protagonist Alex who has an ordinary life until her new house is turned out to be haunted. I found this book while rummaging through my basement to find a book that I could use for my book assignment. I grabbed it and shoved it in my bag. I finished it within a span of 4-5 weeks. I hated this book.
The novel begins with Alex, our protagonist, moving from an old house to a new one in Petoskey Michigan the house was described as old and in need of repairs. But one night when Alex wakes up to get a drink she sees that the cabinets are all open she thinks nothing of it and goes back to bed. The next night she is getting ready for bed and sees a blue light outside her window she notices a figure outside with a blue hue glowing around it when the figure approaches it revealed that a ghost lives in this house 3 to be exact. The main ghost Katherine and her twin ghost brother Caleb tell Alex that they need her help to push out the mean poltergeist Robert who stole the house while the 2 were away. They eventually meet the poltergeist who turns Alex into a ghost and can only be turned back before midnight so the group frantically try to find a house for Robert to haunt. It is down in the nick of time because they found a house one minute before midnight turning Alex back into a human and resuming her human life.
Alex learns that ghosts are real and that if you look at a poltergeist then you will turn into a ghost and must find this ghost a new home before midnight or you'll be a ghost forever. She also learns that breaking and entering an old man's house is a crime in real life and probably the ghost world. Another thing she learns is that the midnight or gone forever cliche is pretty stupid.
“There's a broom in the cellar” -Alex’s mom this line would turn Alex into a ghost.
This book is not good, it's very bland and characters appear and disappear while others have not even fully explored. It's also very boring. The characters are stale and lack personality. The turning into a ghost part in the second half is also pretty stupid Alex only turned into a ghost so that it could help her find a home for Robert. I do not believe you will enjoy this book.
By Johnathon Rand
This novel is about our protagonist Alex who has an ordinary life until her new house is turned out to be haunted. I found this book while rummaging through my basement to find a book that I could use for my book assignment. I grabbed it and shoved it in my bag. I finished it within a span of 4-5 weeks. I hated this book.
The novel begins with Alex, our protagonist, moving from an old house to a new one in Petoskey Michigan the house was described as old and in need of repairs. But one night when Alex wakes up to get a drink she sees that the cabinets are all open she thinks nothing of it and goes back to bed. The next night she is getting ready for bed and sees a blue light outside her window she notices a figure outside with a blue hue glowing around it when the figure approaches it revealed that a ghost lives in this house 3 to be exact. The main ghost Katherine and her twin ghost brother Caleb tell Alex that they need her help to push out the mean poltergeist Robert who stole the house while the 2 were away. They eventually meet the poltergeist who turns Alex into a ghost and can only be turned back before midnight so the group frantically try to find a house for Robert to haunt. It is down in the nick of time because they found a house one minute before midnight turning Alex back into a human and resuming her human life.
Alex learns that ghosts are real and that if you look at a poltergeist then you will turn into a ghost and must find this ghost a new home before midnight or you'll be a ghost forever. She also learns that breaking and entering an old man's house is a crime in real life and probably the ghost world. Another thing she learns is that the midnight or gone forever cliche is pretty stupid.
“There's a broom in the cellar” -Alex’s mom this line would turn Alex into a ghost.
This book is not good, it's very bland and characters appear and disappear while others have not even fully explored. It's also very boring. The characters are stale and lack personality. The turning into a ghost part in the second half is also pretty stupid Alex only turned into a ghost so that it could help her find a home for Robert. I do not believe you will enjoy this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2020
"Who made up these silly ghost rules?"
Alex, the main character, asks this several times. The trouble is, it's a justifiable question. The rules for the ghosts make little to no sense-- as an example, Alex meets a couple of ghosts, with no ill effects, but when she meets the third ghost IN THE CELLAR! she is transformed into a ghost herself. Not killed, mind you, she just somehow becomes a ghost-- a process which can be reversed, although it's difficult, and must be done the same day.
Oh, and apparently ghosts feel the cold, so they can't inhabit abandoned shacks or sheds or barns-- except the haunted house that Alex lives in had been abandoned for years before her family bought it...
The story does feel legitimately like it is being told by a teenager, I'll give Rand that, but overall, it's just 'meh'.
Alex, the main character, asks this several times. The trouble is, it's a justifiable question. The rules for the ghosts make little to no sense-- as an example, Alex meets a couple of ghosts, with no ill effects, but when she meets the third ghost IN THE CELLAR! she is transformed into a ghost herself. Not killed, mind you, she just somehow becomes a ghost-- a process which can be reversed, although it's difficult, and must be done the same day.
Oh, and apparently ghosts feel the cold, so they can't inhabit abandoned shacks or sheds or barns-- except the haunted house that Alex lives in had been abandoned for years before her family bought it...
The story does feel legitimately like it is being told by a teenager, I'll give Rand that, but overall, it's just 'meh'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2017
This mystery genre book was so fun to read! I really enjoyed reading this book because it's all about a place in Michigan that I've been to! My mom would read some of these books when we'd go camping as a family growing up, so it was really fun to read these as an adult and reminisce on old times. One thing that I really liked about this book is the short chapters. It makes the book a quicker read. Also, I think that adding the beginning to the next book in the series helps readers get excited to keep reading! This would be great for third and forth grade readers, but would be great for a second grade read aloud.
November 15, 2017
This book is about two kids named Alex and Adrian who moved into a house that has three poltergeists two of them are named Catherine and Caleb they need the help of Alex and Adrian to help them get their home back from another poltergeist that is in their house as well. Alex and her brother decide to help them. Then later on Alex turns into a ghost and they need to get the poltergeist out of the house and get him a new house by midnight if not Alex would be a ghost forever.Once they get him a new home she gets turn back into a human.
I thought this book was a good book and I would recommend people to read it.
I thought this book was a good book and I would recommend people to read it.
December 5, 2019
I thought this was a very good book. like I have said about my other reviews on this it is not very scary but really easy to read. this book was about Alex and her little brother and they move into a haunted house and there are these really nice ghosts, Caleb and Cathrine. there has been some strange stuff going around in the house is it the nice ghosts or the one living in the cellar!
April 10, 2019
I love Jonathan brand's books they really catch my intrest
Read
December 12, 2019Book really good
January 4, 2021
It was a grate book to read
January 28, 2021
THis is so good it is full of mysteries and action so this is a great book for people who love mysteries and there are a lot of twists and turns
Read
September 2, 2021I think the author needs to do his research on Petoskey
January 15, 2023
It had a lot of suspense and twist that you didn’t see coming and it was scary but not to scary
February 15, 2024
The writing, story and characters are not great, though the mechanic linking the books in the series is interesting. Better than the first two.
October 16, 2025
This is a great series to read by yourself or with family
August 9, 2024
an easy palate cleanser based in my hometown :D
December 14, 2015
Poltergeist of Petoskey
The book I will be reviewing is from the series American Chillers. Poltergeist of Petoskey by the author Johnathan Rand. It is a part of Michigan Chillers: it’s the same series just a different branch of the books. This is the 3rd book in the series and is a serious improvement from the first two stories. I’m often not interested in reading, but this book really caught my attention.
The thing that really caught my attention was the setting and theme of the book. The setting involved a family whom had just moved into a farm, exactly what movies would do. This was one of the cons of this book, it seemed didn’t really seem like a book. It made me feel like as if I was watching a movie. That really caught my attention, it really sunk me in. After that I was immediately hooked to the book and couldn’t get enough of it. I would read it every day until an even bigger problem occurred in the book. The book consisted of 2 siblings, both twins, Alex and Adrian. They both witnessed major problems in the book. It all started off slowly. For example, one night they the girl twin Alex said, “Well, I heard something that night. Like 18 footsteps. Up and down the stairs and across the hall. It was just like someone was walking on the floor, only no one was there. That’s why I thought you did it” (17). This was the first real problem that had happened in the book. After this it was nothing, until one night Adrian went to go get water from downstairs and there was already a glass of water served for him. As soon as he took a drink from the cup all the cabinets opened and closed, HARD! Then out of nowhere one night they were both sleeping and they saw a blue light getting closer and closer and then saw a girl in a white dress. She was apparently the “good” ghost in the book. These were the three main points in the book. After that the book was all about the good ghost trying to help them overcome the “ bad” ghost. Which was her brother, they both died when they lived in that same house Adrian and Alex are currently living 100 years ago. The bad ghost tries to kill everyone who gets on his property while his sister tries to help the family. She’s failed every time and hopes to succeed this time. This is what made the book very interesting. If it wasn’t for these parts of the book it would be very dull. The ending was very spectacular as well. It did leave me in shock though. I was very surprised with it. After that I was so interested in the series. Sadly there is no part two.
They did an amazing job with the scene of the movie and building up the climax. The only thing this book really lacked is the description of the character and who they are. It only gave the readers the age and the gender, therefor, I had to picture a random character and it really made me less interested. Until, I got further into the book and realized how suspense the climax was and how suspense it was after the climax. The other con of the book is once the story escalated the entire book ended very quickly. In my opinion the book could have been much longer and much more detailed. The book also ended with in very weird way; it really grinded my gears. The ending left me speechless and made me want to keep on reading the series. Sadly the next book was not a continuation of the one I read. I really wished it was. It was one of the better books I’ve read for sure. This book was a major improvement on the first two Michigan Chillers he wrote. The other books didn’t have the suspense after the climax. Unlike this book, after the climax things escalated rapidly. The author had no hesitation in just getting right into it and that is what I like to read. He’s always been a good author and I would definitely recommend his books. This book really does help him with showing how much he’s improved with his books. It was a step in the right direction. There was also a quote in the book that really caught my attention in the book Adrian stated this "It was so strange—just yesterday morning, if you would have asked me if I believed in ghosts, I would have said 'no way'...but today, I considered two ghosts among my very best friends" (220). This was after everything had been solved and one of the closing statements in the books.
The book I will be reviewing is from the series American Chillers. Poltergeist of Petoskey by the author Johnathan Rand. It is a part of Michigan Chillers: it’s the same series just a different branch of the books. This is the 3rd book in the series and is a serious improvement from the first two stories. I’m often not interested in reading, but this book really caught my attention.
The thing that really caught my attention was the setting and theme of the book. The setting involved a family whom had just moved into a farm, exactly what movies would do. This was one of the cons of this book, it seemed didn’t really seem like a book. It made me feel like as if I was watching a movie. That really caught my attention, it really sunk me in. After that I was immediately hooked to the book and couldn’t get enough of it. I would read it every day until an even bigger problem occurred in the book. The book consisted of 2 siblings, both twins, Alex and Adrian. They both witnessed major problems in the book. It all started off slowly. For example, one night they the girl twin Alex said, “Well, I heard something that night. Like 18 footsteps. Up and down the stairs and across the hall. It was just like someone was walking on the floor, only no one was there. That’s why I thought you did it” (17). This was the first real problem that had happened in the book. After this it was nothing, until one night Adrian went to go get water from downstairs and there was already a glass of water served for him. As soon as he took a drink from the cup all the cabinets opened and closed, HARD! Then out of nowhere one night they were both sleeping and they saw a blue light getting closer and closer and then saw a girl in a white dress. She was apparently the “good” ghost in the book. These were the three main points in the book. After that the book was all about the good ghost trying to help them overcome the “ bad” ghost. Which was her brother, they both died when they lived in that same house Adrian and Alex are currently living 100 years ago. The bad ghost tries to kill everyone who gets on his property while his sister tries to help the family. She’s failed every time and hopes to succeed this time. This is what made the book very interesting. If it wasn’t for these parts of the book it would be very dull. The ending was very spectacular as well. It did leave me in shock though. I was very surprised with it. After that I was so interested in the series. Sadly there is no part two.
They did an amazing job with the scene of the movie and building up the climax. The only thing this book really lacked is the description of the character and who they are. It only gave the readers the age and the gender, therefor, I had to picture a random character and it really made me less interested. Until, I got further into the book and realized how suspense the climax was and how suspense it was after the climax. The other con of the book is once the story escalated the entire book ended very quickly. In my opinion the book could have been much longer and much more detailed. The book also ended with in very weird way; it really grinded my gears. The ending left me speechless and made me want to keep on reading the series. Sadly the next book was not a continuation of the one I read. I really wished it was. It was one of the better books I’ve read for sure. This book was a major improvement on the first two Michigan Chillers he wrote. The other books didn’t have the suspense after the climax. Unlike this book, after the climax things escalated rapidly. The author had no hesitation in just getting right into it and that is what I like to read. He’s always been a good author and I would definitely recommend his books. This book really does help him with showing how much he’s improved with his books. It was a step in the right direction. There was also a quote in the book that really caught my attention in the book Adrian stated this "It was so strange—just yesterday morning, if you would have asked me if I believed in ghosts, I would have said 'no way'...but today, I considered two ghosts among my very best friends" (220). This was after everything had been solved and one of the closing statements in the books.
February 9, 2016
The book Poltergeists Of Petoskey was about this family and they lived in a hous eand then they moved to another house and they say that it looked haunted so they moved all there things in and then the 2 kids a girl an a boy with there mom and dad so it was there first night and the boy goes down stairs to go get water with cold ice and then he drinks it all and ate the ice and he goes up stairs and the next morning his mom wakes up in the morning and then shes making breakfast and the don wakes up and says good morning to him mom then she ask's did you leave a full glass of water with ice in it and he says i drank it all and put the cup back in the dish washer and he says i must have been sleep walking and he goes up stairs thinking that's weird it was night time again and this time the sister goes down stirs and gets some water and she douse the same thing that she brother did put ice in and and all that stuff and then she drinks it all and she turned around for a few seconds to drink her water and here was another glass of water with ice and water in it so she goes back up stairs and then she goes in her brothers room and hes a wake and then she ask's have you drank water and it feels back up by its self he ask's him and he said yes that happened to me last night then they go to sleep and then the boy wakes up and then he sees this blue dress floating and then she says come out side and she says no and then she closes the window and then the ghost floats through the door and the looks out side her room and she sees a light blue color coming up the stairs and she started talking to him and the girl said there is a really mean ghost in here that moved in when the other people before you guys moved and you guys need to get him out of here so they went in his sisters room and she was really shocked to see a ghost and they started talking to get him out and chasing of the house and then a boy ghost popped up and they got scared and they started looking for a ghost and they cough't the ghost and then he said i just tied of moving house to house trying to find somewhere to live and he got out of the houpse and that's the end of the book i recomend this book to somebody who likes horror books!!!!
April 21, 2021
Alex and Adrian just moved into their new house in Petoskey, Michigan. Night after night, they hear strange noises and start to get suspicious of what might be going on in their house. It isn't until they make friends with two ghosts living in their house that they figure out the horrifying truth.
I really liked the cliff hangers that Johnathan Rand included in this book. It is a book that you can't put down because of this. They always leave you wanting to read more and I think that would be great for students who are learning to love to read.
I would give this book 5 stars. It is very easy to understand and also very intriguing. This book would be great for a student who wants to branch out in genres. It is scary, but not to the point where they wouldn't sleep at night. Also, each book leads into the next book in the series so it would be great for someone who is looking to get into a series of books.
I really liked the cliff hangers that Johnathan Rand included in this book. It is a book that you can't put down because of this. They always leave you wanting to read more and I think that would be great for students who are learning to love to read.
I would give this book 5 stars. It is very easy to understand and also very intriguing. This book would be great for a student who wants to branch out in genres. It is scary, but not to the point where they wouldn't sleep at night. Also, each book leads into the next book in the series so it would be great for someone who is looking to get into a series of books.
February 2, 2016
This book is about two kids named Alex and Adrian who moved into a house that has three poltergeists two of them are named Catherine and Caleb they need the help of Alex and Adrian to help them get their home back from another poltergeist that is in their house as well. Alex and her brother decide to help them. Then later on Alex turns into a ghost and they need to get the poltergeist out of the house and get him a new house by midnight if not Alex would be a ghost forever.Once they get him a new home she gets turn back into a human. I thought this book was a good book and I would recommend people to read it.
September 14, 2015
This book was an okay book. In the book a family moves into a hundred year old house. The house is so cool but then strange things start to happen there are foot steps at night and when the kids would go down stairs at night to get a drink they could feel people standing behind them breathing on them and then they would turn around no one would be there. I would recommend this book for younger kids.
February 16, 2012
Poltergeists of Petoskey by Johnathan Rand is a good but for kids in 7th grade and down. I liked the book because right as something good happened a bad thing balanced it out. The main setting in this book is up int he corner of LP in Michigan. The main conflict in the book is that the two twins that live there are turned into ghosts.
February 2, 2017
So there are these 2 kids that moved in to this abandoned house that they fixed up. So then a couple days later they see this blue ghost.So they are trying to figure out a way to get that ghost out of there house. I liked this book because it was interesting in a way that wanted me to read it. I would recommend this book to people that like mystery.
November 8, 2007
good book
December 7, 2007
Probably the scariest book in the series. The characters are great though.
September 28, 2008
Definetly one of your best works. If you like adventure and goasts this is a book for you.
Read
December 13, 2010Addicting...
June 30, 2011
wow this book gave me the chills! my teacher loves your books and i do to pleas write more michigan-chillers i loved this book!!!!!!!!!
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July 23, 2011Was babysitting my nephews and one of them had this book. I read it while they watched a movie. Cute.
March 7, 2015
This is a fun book for kids. I thought it was about local haunts when I grabbed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews