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The Haunted House Project
Since her mom died, Andie’s family has crumbled. Instead of working, her dad gambles away insurance money, while her sister, Paige, has put her future on hold in order to pick up extra waitressing shifts. Andie’s afraid of what will happen if people find out just how bad things are. She’s not sure how long she can hide the fact that there’s no food or money in the house...or adults, for that matter.
When her science partner suggests they study paranormal activity, Andie gets an idea. She wants a sign from her mom—anything to tell her it’s going to be okay. Maybe the rest of her family does too. So she starts a project of her own. Pretending to be her mother’s ghost, Andie sprays perfume, changes TV channels, and moves pictures. Haunting her house is Andie’s last hope to bring her family back into the land of the living.
For anyone who loved Counting by 7s, The Haunted House Project is a journey through loss and grief, but ultimately a story of hope and self-reliance. As much as Andie has been changed by her mother’s death, the changes she makes herself are the ones that are most important.
When her science partner suggests they study paranormal activity, Andie gets an idea. She wants a sign from her mom—anything to tell her it’s going to be okay. Maybe the rest of her family does too. So she starts a project of her own. Pretending to be her mother’s ghost, Andie sprays perfume, changes TV channels, and moves pictures. Haunting her house is Andie’s last hope to bring her family back into the land of the living.
For anyone who loved Counting by 7s, The Haunted House Project is a journey through loss and grief, but ultimately a story of hope and self-reliance. As much as Andie has been changed by her mother’s death, the changes she makes herself are the ones that are most important.
228 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
16 people are currently reading
707 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 21, 2016
5 STARS!!!!
This was me throughout the entire book:
This was such a sad, heartbreaking, and beautifully written story. I couldn't help but cry a few times because this type of story hits home like crazy and I appreciate it so much now after finishing it. If you're looking for something beautiful and heart-wrenching, pick this up now. It will break your heart and make you smile at the same time. It also has tones of the paranormal, which I loved as well. My full Book Thoughts video will be up October 11th on its release day. :)
This was me throughout the entire book:
This was such a sad, heartbreaking, and beautifully written story. I couldn't help but cry a few times because this type of story hits home like crazy and I appreciate it so much now after finishing it. If you're looking for something beautiful and heart-wrenching, pick this up now. It will break your heart and make you smile at the same time. It also has tones of the paranormal, which I loved as well. My full Book Thoughts video will be up October 11th on its release day. :)
May 16, 2017
Andie's mother died, and all Andie wants is for her family to be normal again. Instead her older sister is working extra shifts at a diner, and her father often forgets to go grocery shopping. Andie, who has always been obsessed with ghost stories, decides to pretend that her mother is haunting her family. This seems to be the only way to get through to them.
I was very impressed with this MG novel. Every single character, even the minor ones, are three dimensional and multi-faceted. In addition to dealing with her grief, Andie must navigate middle school, where alliances shift, and her friendships no longer seem eternal. Her old friends are tired of her grieving. She finds a new friend in her science partner, who, despite being bullied, is able to support Andie and her haunting project.
Grief and healing are both hard subjects to write about, but this novel is full of tact and grace.
I was very impressed with this MG novel. Every single character, even the minor ones, are three dimensional and multi-faceted. In addition to dealing with her grief, Andie must navigate middle school, where alliances shift, and her friendships no longer seem eternal. Her old friends are tired of her grieving. She finds a new friend in her science partner, who, despite being bullied, is able to support Andie and her haunting project.
Grief and healing are both hard subjects to write about, but this novel is full of tact and grace.
September 19, 2016
My heart broke for Andie, who yearns for something resembling normalcy in the aftermath of her mother's death in a car accident. Andie watches on as her father struggles with alcoholism and gambling, and her older sister drifts off the course she and her mother charted for her future. But she has a solution--an intriguing one--that forms the basis of the plot. Could pretending to be her mother's ghost put everyone back on track?
Clasen smartly keeps the book out of saccharine territory, firmly rooting Andie's experience into the realistic mind-set of a thirteen year old with a multifaceted life. I loved watching Andie's methodical but tender attempts to bring her ghost mother to life. The middle grade crowd will be won over by Andie's accessible voice and this charming story.
Clasen smartly keeps the book out of saccharine territory, firmly rooting Andie's experience into the realistic mind-set of a thirteen year old with a multifaceted life. I loved watching Andie's methodical but tender attempts to bring her ghost mother to life. The middle grade crowd will be won over by Andie's accessible voice and this charming story.
August 9, 2016
Let me just say ... I LOVED this book! So many feels throughout! After Andie's mother dies, she decides the best way to bring her family back together is by pretending to be her mother's ghost. I absolutely loved this clever premise, and Andie was such a strong, intelligent, and very realistic character. I will definitely be recommending this to middle grade readers when school begins in a few weeks!
January 23, 2018
Andie's family has basically fallen apart since her mother died. Then Andie gets a good idea from her beloved ghost stories and her current science project. Will "haunting" her house help bring the family back together?
August 11, 2022
DNF-This book is a heavy hitter. Very emotionally taxing and quite frankly not what I was wanting to read.
July 2, 2017
Andie's world is falling apart. After the death of her mother, she just wants things to go back to normal, but between her father's alcoholism and gambling and her sister working hard to make ends meet, that's not going to happen any time soon. When her science partner suggests a study of paranormal activity for their project, Andie has an idea to try and turn things around at her house. Heartbreaking and beautifully written, this is a story about grief and loss and the things we do for the ones we love.
November 18, 2016
THE HAUNTED HOUSE PROJECT will touch your heart. Tricia Classen found the perfect balance for how a 12-year-old would express her grief and how she would react to her father and sister’s very different grieving process. She tapped into the fact that each person has their own personal journey with grief. There is no right or wrong way to miss someone, and it’s not abnormal to feel that you want them back into your life in any possible way.
Andie’s new friendships meant she had to let another one go. She found out who her true friends were, but she had to learn that it was okay to let them in as well. The friendship that Andie forms with Isaiah and how she finally decides it doesn't matter what people think is a wonderful subplot. He cares about her and is the one person that will let her talk about the need for her to have some sign from her mom. I loved that the science project involved paranormal activity! Also, by them having to do this project, it gave an outlet for Addie to find a way to bring her family back together.
Although, Andie was deceiving her dad and Paige, it did bring them closer. Andie could see that her family was imploding- showing that children are wiser and notice more than we give them credit. When the family finally gets a chance to say what they feel, they all learn a little more about each other and can empathize with each one's separate way of expressing how they miss her mom.
I feel that A HAUNTED HOUSE PROJECT may help some readers to realize that by talking about the person they love who is gone, one can keep their memory alive and in their heart. No one can take that away from them. There is hope for the loved ones left behind.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Inside I'm like a simmering pot of water. Lots of bubbles hanging out at the bottom of the pot. Almost there...and suddenly I'm at full boil, popping and raging." Loved this description.
"It's almost too hard to deal with the disappointment when what you hope for never comes true."
"I realize I've sketched my mom...she was the glue and without her, maybe we'll never stick together again."
“...it's like a lake. Shimmery and smooth like glass on top, but if you start to dredge, everything gets murky and nasty."
And of course,
"I know what I did was wrong and all that, but maybe we needed to believe in her ghost before we could finally stop feeling haunted."
Andie’s new friendships meant she had to let another one go. She found out who her true friends were, but she had to learn that it was okay to let them in as well. The friendship that Andie forms with Isaiah and how she finally decides it doesn't matter what people think is a wonderful subplot. He cares about her and is the one person that will let her talk about the need for her to have some sign from her mom. I loved that the science project involved paranormal activity! Also, by them having to do this project, it gave an outlet for Addie to find a way to bring her family back together.
Although, Andie was deceiving her dad and Paige, it did bring them closer. Andie could see that her family was imploding- showing that children are wiser and notice more than we give them credit. When the family finally gets a chance to say what they feel, they all learn a little more about each other and can empathize with each one's separate way of expressing how they miss her mom.
I feel that A HAUNTED HOUSE PROJECT may help some readers to realize that by talking about the person they love who is gone, one can keep their memory alive and in their heart. No one can take that away from them. There is hope for the loved ones left behind.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Inside I'm like a simmering pot of water. Lots of bubbles hanging out at the bottom of the pot. Almost there...and suddenly I'm at full boil, popping and raging." Loved this description.
"It's almost too hard to deal with the disappointment when what you hope for never comes true."
"I realize I've sketched my mom...she was the glue and without her, maybe we'll never stick together again."
“...it's like a lake. Shimmery and smooth like glass on top, but if you start to dredge, everything gets murky and nasty."
And of course,
"I know what I did was wrong and all that, but maybe we needed to believe in her ghost before we could finally stop feeling haunted."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2016
I will confess, I am not big on scary books, so I started this one with trepidation. It was nothing like I expected and so, so good! The thing is, while the title may have mis-led me, it fit the book perfectly.
It has been less than a year since Andie's mom died suddenly and unexpectedly in a car crash. And nothing has been the same since. Her dad and sister have changed so much, and Andie is worried about them. Their mom was the glue that kept them all together and the thing that made her family work. And while she can't bring her back, she thinks that even her presence could make them better. And that's when she comes up with her plan to haunt her family with her mom's ghost.
This story was so powerful to me. What do you do when the person who is the biggest influence in your life is gone? How do you go on? And how do you help the people you love go on? Tricia Clasen had me rooting for Andie from page one, and I cheered on every positive gain as she tried her experiments. Readers of all ages will identify with her and hopefully bring them some comfort that they are not alone.
I highly recommend this book!
It has been less than a year since Andie's mom died suddenly and unexpectedly in a car crash. And nothing has been the same since. Her dad and sister have changed so much, and Andie is worried about them. Their mom was the glue that kept them all together and the thing that made her family work. And while she can't bring her back, she thinks that even her presence could make them better. And that's when she comes up with her plan to haunt her family with her mom's ghost.
This story was so powerful to me. What do you do when the person who is the biggest influence in your life is gone? How do you go on? And how do you help the people you love go on? Tricia Clasen had me rooting for Andie from page one, and I cheered on every positive gain as she tried her experiments. Readers of all ages will identify with her and hopefully bring them some comfort that they are not alone.
I highly recommend this book!
July 15, 2016
I was lucky to read an ARC of The Haunted House Project.
Beautiful story about loss and hope. Main character Andie is so easy to love--her yearning for her mother and for a time when everything was okay is heartbreaking and, ultimately, uplifting.
I can't wait to pass this book along to students.
Beautiful story about loss and hope. Main character Andie is so easy to love--her yearning for her mother and for a time when everything was okay is heartbreaking and, ultimately, uplifting.
I can't wait to pass this book along to students.
January 12, 2019
The Haunted House Project is a very fascinating book. I loved it. Andie's family is ripped apart when her mom dies. She tries to help by pretending her mom's ghost is still around and she haunts her family. She gets new friends and finds and learns new things. This book is a must read!
June 2, 2019
Ghosts stories aren't really my genre, but picked this up since it is a Young Hoosier award winner. Will definitely be recommending this to my fifth graders next year in the library. Sweet and fun read.
August 14, 2016
Such a poignant story about loss, transitions, and hope. I loved Andie and her desperation and determination.
October 23, 2016
Full review to come.
September 15, 2016
A really moving book about the bonds of family and grief. Loved the friendships in this one, too!
April 7, 2019
4/7/2019 ~ Andie's mother died in a sudden traffic accident, and now, a year after her mother's death, her family has pretty much fallen apart. While this is a story about Andie's actions to remind her dad and sister of her mother (by leaving ghost-like signs around the house), it's also a story of Andie's life at middle school - friend drama, making new friends, finding a way back to hope through a science project. I teared up a few times, but felt hopeful for Andie and her family after reading the epilogue.
The first few pages reminded me of the futility of asking, "Are you okay." Clearly, sometimes people aren't okay. Rather than asking, just do something small and concrete to help (buy lunch, get some groceries, etc.)
The first few pages reminded me of the futility of asking, "Are you okay." Clearly, sometimes people aren't okay. Rather than asking, just do something small and concrete to help (buy lunch, get some groceries, etc.)
April 28, 2019
Read this Young Hoosier pick after my 11-year old recommended it to me and he predicted correctly — I cried (a lot)! This book especially hit home because I could closely identify with family and personal struggles after loss of a parent. If you’ve lost a loved one or had tough family challenges, this book will tug on your heart, regardless of age. Or if you know someone who has experienced this, it’s a good read. (I.e. Don’t be a Becki to them!) I have a feeling this will be a book that sticks with me for a long while. I hope we have more to come from the author because I loved these characters!
February 19, 2021
Even though I loved this book, it was very sad. I thought it was just so sad when there were flashbacks of when Andie's mom was alive. It was also very hard to think about how sad and how much Andie and her sister, Paige and her father are. This book was very sad, but also heartwarming. I think I was actually expecting that her mother would communicate with them or send some kind of message, but the book's ending still was very good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2022
This was such a sweet little book. This was such a creative story of how a child can deal with grief and how to cope with the grief of others as they all share and experience the same loss. Though there were a few sad parts, it was a heartwarming story that made me fall in love with the main character, Andie. Great read that gets you in the feels but also warms your heart.
November 7, 2016
This book takes on some very heavy topics in an age appropriate way. You'll find yourself routing for Andie and her family as they work through their grief and you'll cheer Andie on as she navigates the social morass of middle school. So many great characters and lessons in this book!
August 19, 2018
This book had me reminiscing about my childhood and my parents. I was fortunate enough to have both of my parents. I could still empathize with Andie, the main character. The story tugs at your heart strings. Anyone who has lost a parent will be able to appreciate this book.
October 18, 2018
I'm conflicted about this one. On the one hand, it dealt with grief and coming-of-age friendship issues in a really well-written way. On the other, it was a BIT heavy to be a middle-grade young Hoosier nominee. Not sure I want my kiddos to read this one.
July 10, 2017
3/7 Me hizo llorar u.u
Una historia de superar la perdida de un ser querido y la evolución del personaje principal a través de los problemas que se presentan.
Muy linda historia.
Una historia de superar la perdida de un ser querido y la evolución del personaje principal a través de los problemas que se presentan.
Muy linda historia.
March 26, 2018
A heartbreaking yet honest middle grade novel about grief, loss, friendship and middle school issues. A lot of people will be able to relate to this story to some extent. Loved this book.
June 20, 2019
Such a great book! A unique story and love the author's writing! Hope she writes more!
October 3, 2021
So sad.
February 19, 2024
It's not often that you see a kids book about grief in which the remaining parent is completely checked out. A frustrating read, but compelling nonetheless. This one really got me.
November 18, 2016
Check out this and other reviews on my young adult book blog, Here's to Happy Endings!
I am a true sucker for middle grade books. Not only are they really great reads, but they are full of raw emotion that creates these heavy stories that are written with real heart and feelings, that sometimes can't quite be captured in YA or adult novels because of all kinds of other things going on.
Also, it's rare for me to give a book a 5 star rating, but The Haunted House Project deserves more than 5 stars. It deserves to be on every shelf in every library, school, and middle grade (and adult!) bookshelf. This book will teach you to appreciate what you have, and remember that your loved ones matter more than anything else.
The Haunted House Project doesn't try to be upbeat, and it doesn't try to cover up emotions with other things that are going on in the book. Instead, it allows the main character, and her family, to experience the pain and grief that accompanies loss. In this book, you're going to experience these emotions right along with Andie - sadness, anger, desperation, confusion, and loneliness.
Andie is a thirteen year old girl who lost her mother. When her mother died in a car accident, her entire family and world fell apart - her big sister had to start taking extra shifts at her job as a waitress in order to help make ends meet and give Andie money to buy lunch in school, while her father is either absent most of the time - losing jobs left and right, gambling, and drinking away his emotions. The three of them feel completely lost without the glue that held the family together - and they begin to fall apart, both alone and from each other.
While she usually finds solace by being around her friends, she even notices herself drifting away from them. The things that they care about and that are important to them aren't the same things that are important to Andie anymore - after all, their families are still the way they always were, and they're slowly getting tired of dealing with Andie being depressed and lost without her mother.
When Andie pairs up with the class nerd, Isaiah, for a science project, they decide to work together on a project based on paranormal activity. This allows Andie to step outside the ghost novels she loves to read, and try to bring her family back together by convincing them that her mother's ghost is still around and watching them - wanting them to stop living their separate lives and become a strong family again. So Andie gets to work - she sprays perfume, puts sunscreen on her sister's purse, and even leaves messages in the steamed up mirrors in the bathroom, just so that her family might realize that they need her mother around. Andie is crushed without her...and she is tired of suffering alone...so she does what she can to make sure that her family remembers, and that they come together again.
When Andie's friends start making fun of her for wanting to spend time with Isaiah, and their friendship deteriorates even more, Andie has to learn who her true friends are, and what's really important to her in life. Meanwhile, Andie finds comfort in other friends - friends who care about more than just trivial things.
This book made me cry in several spots, I'm not going to lie - it's achingly beautiful and heartfelt, and the author definitely has a flair for writing. Watching a young girl painfully deal with the loss of her mother, and without her father or big sister around most of the time to grieve with...it's no wonder she decided to try and bring her family close together again by pretending to be her mother's ghost and remind her family of what's important.
In this book, Andie also comes across her mother's journals, which allow her to get to know her mother on a more personal level. Of course, this is a bittersweet discovery for Andie, and while it is painful to read her mother's thoughts, she also realizes that she doesn't want to stop reading them, because it's like she's spending time with her mom, even though she's gone.
(Seriously, some heartbreaking stuff here, right?)
If you're going to read a middle grade novel this year, let it be this one. It's sweet and full of raw emotion, and it will make you appreciate the family that you have.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I am a true sucker for middle grade books. Not only are they really great reads, but they are full of raw emotion that creates these heavy stories that are written with real heart and feelings, that sometimes can't quite be captured in YA or adult novels because of all kinds of other things going on.
Also, it's rare for me to give a book a 5 star rating, but The Haunted House Project deserves more than 5 stars. It deserves to be on every shelf in every library, school, and middle grade (and adult!) bookshelf. This book will teach you to appreciate what you have, and remember that your loved ones matter more than anything else.
The Haunted House Project doesn't try to be upbeat, and it doesn't try to cover up emotions with other things that are going on in the book. Instead, it allows the main character, and her family, to experience the pain and grief that accompanies loss. In this book, you're going to experience these emotions right along with Andie - sadness, anger, desperation, confusion, and loneliness.
Andie is a thirteen year old girl who lost her mother. When her mother died in a car accident, her entire family and world fell apart - her big sister had to start taking extra shifts at her job as a waitress in order to help make ends meet and give Andie money to buy lunch in school, while her father is either absent most of the time - losing jobs left and right, gambling, and drinking away his emotions. The three of them feel completely lost without the glue that held the family together - and they begin to fall apart, both alone and from each other.
While she usually finds solace by being around her friends, she even notices herself drifting away from them. The things that they care about and that are important to them aren't the same things that are important to Andie anymore - after all, their families are still the way they always were, and they're slowly getting tired of dealing with Andie being depressed and lost without her mother.
"I'd be happy to have my mom back in any form. She doesn't have to be a dog, even. She could be a rat, and I'd let my ghost rat follow me around. She wouldn't have to defend me or scare people with her beady red eyes. She'd just have to hang out and whisper words of encouragement sometimes."
When Andie pairs up with the class nerd, Isaiah, for a science project, they decide to work together on a project based on paranormal activity. This allows Andie to step outside the ghost novels she loves to read, and try to bring her family back together by convincing them that her mother's ghost is still around and watching them - wanting them to stop living their separate lives and become a strong family again. So Andie gets to work - she sprays perfume, puts sunscreen on her sister's purse, and even leaves messages in the steamed up mirrors in the bathroom, just so that her family might realize that they need her mother around. Andie is crushed without her...and she is tired of suffering alone...so she does what she can to make sure that her family remembers, and that they come together again.
When Andie's friends start making fun of her for wanting to spend time with Isaiah, and their friendship deteriorates even more, Andie has to learn who her true friends are, and what's really important to her in life. Meanwhile, Andie finds comfort in other friends - friends who care about more than just trivial things.
This book made me cry in several spots, I'm not going to lie - it's achingly beautiful and heartfelt, and the author definitely has a flair for writing. Watching a young girl painfully deal with the loss of her mother, and without her father or big sister around most of the time to grieve with...it's no wonder she decided to try and bring her family close together again by pretending to be her mother's ghost and remind her family of what's important.
In this book, Andie also comes across her mother's journals, which allow her to get to know her mother on a more personal level. Of course, this is a bittersweet discovery for Andie, and while it is painful to read her mother's thoughts, she also realizes that she doesn't want to stop reading them, because it's like she's spending time with her mom, even though she's gone.
(Seriously, some heartbreaking stuff here, right?)
If you're going to read a middle grade novel this year, let it be this one. It's sweet and full of raw emotion, and it will make you appreciate the family that you have.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 9, 2016
Middle schooler Andie’s had to deal with more than her fair share of misery and loss over the past year. Her mother’s death has left Andie and her father and older sister reeling. When Andie attempts to revive her falling-apart family with made-up messages from the grave, she creates more havoc than help on the homefront. But at least her efforts create an opening for healing and new beginnings. This heartfelt story draws the reader into Andie’s plight with expert storytelling. The reality of young grief is explored with tender care. This is a story of hope and endurance! Sweet and satisfying.
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