What do you think?
Rate this book
The Haunted Library #2
The Ghost in the Attic
After successfully solving the mystery of the ghost in the library, Kaz and Claire land the first case for their detective agency--a haunted attic in a neighbor's home! With a little help from Grannie, Kaz and Claire discover that what appeared to be something spooky has a much simpler explanation.
128 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2014
34 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Dori Hillestad Butler
70 books138 followersDori Hillestad Butler is an American author of more than 40 children's books, as well as magazine stories, plays and educational materials. Her first book, The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off, was published in 1997. She is known particularly for The Truth about Truman School, a 2008 young adult title focusing on the subject of cyber bullying, and for My Mom's Having a Baby (illustrated by Carol Thompson), which in 2011 appeared on the American Library Association's list of most commonly challenged books in the United States for its portrayal of conception and childbirth. Her 2010 mystery title, Buddy Files: Case of the Last Boy, won the 2011 Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery published in 2010. Before becoming a children's author, Butler worked for three years as a page at a library.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 24, 2017
So much fun! I'm really enjoying this beginning chapter book series!
August 4, 2022
Fun book to read with a cute story and sweet characters. I love that this author builds off each book, but also does not make it seem redundant.
April 2, 2023
Druhý díl duchařské série s Klárkou a Kazem pro děti. A opět byl příběh moc fajn.
November 4, 2016
This is the second book in the haunted library series. It has many different plot lines (the ghost detectives, finding Kaz's dog, Cosmo, etc.) and all intertwined. Since not all of the plot lines were solved at the end of the book, and there was new information given about one of the characters, my students were in suspense and want to read the third book immediately. What an amazing series for this age group- I am recommending it to anyone with children around this age.
August 13, 2017
So cute! I am really enjoying these stories!
Read
August 8, 2020Momma says: the series is still annoying to me because of the nonsense about wind being able to blow ghosts away, and ghosts being able to shrink, stretch, and grow. It’s also dumb that the ghosts ‘swim’ through the air instead of float. And it still makes no sense that Kaz doesn’t know what things like kitchens and phones are. I think this series is lame but Eleanor loves it so I’ll keep reading it. And she does keep reminding me that it’s a kids’ book 🤣
Eleanor says: I liked this book and I have to keep reminding my mom that it is a kids book for when things don’t make sense. I liked when they found Kaz’s dog.
Eleanor says: I liked this book and I have to keep reminding my mom that it is a kids book for when things don’t make sense. I liked when they found Kaz’s dog.
October 14, 2025
This book wasn’t my favorite 😕 me and my sister read this together, and my sister LOVED it, and I just didn’t get the hype. This book was supposed to be a mystery, but there was no mystery. The MC missed a LOT of clues to the ‘mystery’ and because of that, I feel like it wasn’t a mystery. Also feel like the MC was kinda a brat sometimes. Maybe I’m just too old to read this book, because my younger sister LOVED it and really enjoyed it. Some parts were cute though (the cat, Thor) but I didn’t really enjoy this book.
November 11, 2023
I love these books. This is the 2nd in the series. Kaz and Claire have advertised themselves as ghost detectives. They go to Mrs. Beesley's house to help her find her "ghost". They find Kaz's dog Cosmo, but thats not the ghost. The ghost is actually some squirrels trapped in the attic. I love how Kaz was reunited with his dog. I wonder if each book will find another family member. I hope so!
April 17, 2023
I liked when Kaz and Claire found out there were squirrels in Ms. Beasleys attic.
February 18, 2020
This was a fun, cute book to read with the kids. They thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Claire (girl) and Kaz (ghost). The book introduces a new problem to solve (someone calls Claire and asks if she'll figure out why scary noises are coming from her attic) while also dealing with Kaz's search for his family. The new problem is wrapped up, progress is made on the old problem, and there are plenty of open plots to lead us into the next book.
May 14, 2025
The students really enjoyed this one. A nice mystery for them to try to solve while I was reading.
January 28, 2020
Second cute installation in this series. A little bit of mystery and easy read for the younger set. I’d put interest level in 2nd to 4th grader level. I liked it. Would read more from this series.
May 31, 2019
My 7 year old daughter picked this series out for us to read together. We really like them.
November 6, 2019
My 6 year old loves these books.
October 6, 2017
Summary:
In this series, “The Haunted Library,” Claire is a “solid” and her family owns a library. One day a ghost names Kaz ventures in, and he is surprised when Claire can actually see him. Now Claire and Kaz must work together to find his family. In this specific book, “The Haunted Library: The Ghost in the Attic,” Claire and Kaz set out to help Mrs. Beesley, a neighbor, find out who or what is haunting her attic. But going outdoors could be fatal for Kaz. Could it be one of Kaz’s family members haunting Mrs. Beesley’s attic, or maybe not a ghost at all? And will Kaz ever find the rest of his family? Read this book to find out.
Questions:
1. Explain what you would do if you thought there was a ghost haunting your attic? Would you be afraid? Would you call for help? Etc.
2. Do you think Kaz will ever find the rest of his family? Why or why not?
3. The character Kaz in this book is a ghost who was blown away from his past “haunt” after the house was destroyed, along with the rest of his family. Now he does not know where everyone is. If you were Kaz, what would you do to find your family? Who would you befriend and what measure would you go to, to find them?
4. Grandma Karen explains at the end of the book that she too could see ghosts when she was a kid, but cannot anymore. Why do you think that is?
5. In the book, Claire and Kaz make a list of what they know so far to try and find out who or what is haunting Mrs. Beesley’s attic. What are three other circumstances that making a list of what you know so far will help you to find the solution of a problem or question?
Butler, D. H., & Damant, A. (2016). The ghost in the attic. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
In this series, “The Haunted Library,” Claire is a “solid” and her family owns a library. One day a ghost names Kaz ventures in, and he is surprised when Claire can actually see him. Now Claire and Kaz must work together to find his family. In this specific book, “The Haunted Library: The Ghost in the Attic,” Claire and Kaz set out to help Mrs. Beesley, a neighbor, find out who or what is haunting her attic. But going outdoors could be fatal for Kaz. Could it be one of Kaz’s family members haunting Mrs. Beesley’s attic, or maybe not a ghost at all? And will Kaz ever find the rest of his family? Read this book to find out.
Questions:
1. Explain what you would do if you thought there was a ghost haunting your attic? Would you be afraid? Would you call for help? Etc.
2. Do you think Kaz will ever find the rest of his family? Why or why not?
3. The character Kaz in this book is a ghost who was blown away from his past “haunt” after the house was destroyed, along with the rest of his family. Now he does not know where everyone is. If you were Kaz, what would you do to find your family? Who would you befriend and what measure would you go to, to find them?
4. Grandma Karen explains at the end of the book that she too could see ghosts when she was a kid, but cannot anymore. Why do you think that is?
5. In the book, Claire and Kaz make a list of what they know so far to try and find out who or what is haunting Mrs. Beesley’s attic. What are three other circumstances that making a list of what you know so far will help you to find the solution of a problem or question?
Butler, D. H., & Damant, A. (2016). The ghost in the attic. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
July 11, 2017
The Ghost in the Attic is the second book of The Haunted Library series by Dori Hillestad Butler. It has pretty greyscale illustrations and is divided into short chapters. I read the series to my 5-year-old boy and he enjoyed this book a lot. It was interesting to guess how Kaz is going to travel with Claire. It is great that the plotline is easy for a little kid to understand and provides an unexpected but reasonable ending at the same. Like with the first book it was interesting to look at the clues trying to guess what is really happening in the story. My boy was also happy when Kaz’s dog appeared and laughed like crazy when Cosmo was chasing Claire’s cat.
Short summary: Claire and Kaz opened their detective agency, but they have no clients until Claire’s parents, who are detectives, refuse to solve a case about the ghost in the attic. When Claire and Kaz arrive at the place they find Kaz’s dog Cosmo in the house. After some adventures with Kaz and Cosmo flying out of the window into the bus, all three safely reach the library. But the mystery is not solved; old lady still hears strange sounds and is sure that the ghost is still there. After being trapped in the attic Claire and Kaz suspect a boy who lives in the neighborhood, but the tiny black clues and acorns help them to find not one, but five little “ghosts”.
Short summary: Claire and Kaz opened their detective agency, but they have no clients until Claire’s parents, who are detectives, refuse to solve a case about the ghost in the attic. When Claire and Kaz arrive at the place they find Kaz’s dog Cosmo in the house. After some adventures with Kaz and Cosmo flying out of the window into the bus, all three safely reach the library. But the mystery is not solved; old lady still hears strange sounds and is sure that the ghost is still there. After being trapped in the attic Claire and Kaz suspect a boy who lives in the neighborhood, but the tiny black clues and acorns help them to find not one, but five little “ghosts”.
November 25, 2021
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
Another adorable, fun adventure. This one is a bit spooky with a nice mystery to solve. Great follow up to the first book. It continues the story, providing new mysteries and development of the overall plot, while still leaving some open ends to be discovered throughout the rest of the series.
The mystery itself was well done. Butler provides enough details (and Damant even slips a few in the illustrations) that readers can follow along and try to figure out who's behind the mysterious happenings. I tend to dislike mysteries where the author makes the reader dependent on them to solve the mystery. It's so much more fun to examine the clues and try to see where it's going. This one has a few twists and turns, but provides a manageable mystery for readers to try to keep up with.
Such a great idea for a series. Definitely enjoying it so far and am excited to read the next book.
Another adorable, fun adventure. This one is a bit spooky with a nice mystery to solve. Great follow up to the first book. It continues the story, providing new mysteries and development of the overall plot, while still leaving some open ends to be discovered throughout the rest of the series.
The mystery itself was well done. Butler provides enough details (and Damant even slips a few in the illustrations) that readers can follow along and try to figure out who's behind the mysterious happenings. I tend to dislike mysteries where the author makes the reader dependent on them to solve the mystery. It's so much more fun to examine the clues and try to see where it's going. This one has a few twists and turns, but provides a manageable mystery for readers to try to keep up with.
Such a great idea for a series. Definitely enjoying it so far and am excited to read the next book.
February 7, 2017
I love this series--I'm growing especially fond of Grandma Karen, the kindly librarian with the pink stripe in her hair who eventually fesses up that she was able to see ghosts as a young girl.
In this book, Kaz is reunited with his dog Cosmo (an exceptionally talented ghost) and Claire and Kaz solve their first ghost mystery as detective partners. Also, they discover that Kaz is able to travel outside of the library, as long as he rides in Claire's water bottle, a la I Dream of Jeanie.
In this book, Kaz is reunited with his dog Cosmo (an exceptionally talented ghost) and Claire and Kaz solve their first ghost mystery as detective partners. Also, they discover that Kaz is able to travel outside of the library, as long as he rides in Claire's water bottle, a la I Dream of Jeanie.
January 9, 2018
Second in the Haunted Library series. I enjoyed the first one so checked out this one. I love to read and my favorite genre is mystery. A mystery in a book story or a library is totally my kind of a book! Additionally I am not above reading an adorable children’s book. [Author: Dori Hillestead Butler]’s description as well as Aurore Damant the illustrator on the book jacket are so very clever and yes adorable!
April 24, 2019
My 2nd grader rated this 5 stars! She said the story kept her attention and she liked the mystery and the detective case. She is enjoying this series very much. Kaz and Claire are a great pair. They demonstrate teamwork and friendship, and help each other out.
September 8, 2019
I love this series! It's such a fun fast paced read you get sucked into is Kaz going to find his family, will Claire's parents find out that she's a ghost detective. It was a great story and my students love it
November 7, 2022
I liked when Claire got on the phone with the old lady and she said there is a ghost in her house. Case found his dog and Case blew out the window. I like the end, when Grandma found the dog and she said she sees ghosts!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2019
It was suspenseful!
June 23, 2020
My kid says 3.5 stars.
September 2, 2020
Love this series as a read-aloud!
September 17, 2020
Kindly story for relax with pictures (how I like🤡)
November 11, 2020
Cool
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
It was very cool. I'm a bit sad that Kaz didn't get one of his family members.
October 14, 2022
This book had just enough spooky that my 5 year old daughter was getting a tad scared and wanted to read till the end to figure it out. :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews