House of Fear

by Willo Davis Roberts

Never has Brooke been so frightened. She and her younger brother arrive at Miss Tansy's to spend the summer. But Elsa, the housekeeper, refuses to let them see the old woman.

During the next few days Brooke's fears grow. Miss Tansy is locked in a room upstairs. And strangely enough, the handsome boy Elsa hires as cook knows his way around the house.

Brooke begins investigating, and when she uncovers the truth, finds herself prisoner in the house of fear.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Willo Davis Roberts was an American writer chiefly known for her mystery novels for children and young adults. She won Edgar Allan Poe awards in 1989, 1995, and 1997 for best juvenile and best young adult mysteries. Her books included The View from the Cherry Tree, Twisted Summer, Don't Hurt Laurie, Megan's Island, Baby-sitting is a Dangerous Job, Hostage, The Girl with Silver Eyes, The One Left Behind and Scared Stiff.

Reviews

[Erica Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worst case scenario: godmother is dead. Maybe been dead for a while. Best case scenario: godmother is being held captive upstairs. Either way, this summer vacay at rich godmother’s house is not ideal. And the housekeeper is super sketchy.

Good thing the new live-in ~cook is hot.

For some reason, the parents are extremely hard to get a hold of. Why is no one checking on their children??

Predictable, yes, but still an enjoyable read. I genuinely enjoyed the descriptions of the house; I had a real feel for the godmother’s opulent surroundings and lifestyle.

Lol at Jack not wanting to call his mom to tell her about his grandmother’s situation because his mom is in a (very) local production of Carmen, and surely it would ruin her summer to drop the show!!

The Bad Guy monologues too much at the end and there isn’t even a proper standoff; very anticlimactic tbh. But the unintentionally funny moments make up for it.

[brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

this would be good if maybe i were 10 years old and stupid.
i like the concept of the plot but everything is superrrrrr spelled out every single tiny tiptoe step of the way. and yeah, it makes you wonder what exactly is going on, so it has some mystery factor i guess, but it took the characters way too long to try to get help from anyone.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figured the plot out in the first chapter, but it was still a fun read