The Haunted Hotel

A to Z Mysteries #8

by Ron Roy, John Steven Gurney (Illustrator)

Help Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve mysteries from A to Z!

There’s a ghost in Green Lawn! Strange sounds and even stranger sights are terrifying guests at the Shangri-la Hotel. More and more people are being scared away. Will Green Lawn turn into a ghost town? Or can Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stop this spook?
 
Kids love collecting the entire alphabet and super editions! With over 8 million copies in print, the A to Z Mysteries® have been hooking chapter book readers on mysteries and reading for years. Now this classic kid favorite is back with a bright new look!
 

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Audiobook, 2nd Grade

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

Ron Roy has been writing books for children since 1974. He is the author of dozens of books, including the popular A to Z Mysteries®, Calendar Mysteries, and Capital Mysteries. When not working on a new book, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog Pal, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books.

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it for my kid. And ratings are give considering age group. A smooth read. Interesting for kids.

Recommended

[~Silv (ilpianetadeilibri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

La primissima avventura di Dink, Josh e Rose che ho letto. Il mio migliore amico delle elementari aveva portato questo libro a scuola, ho perso il conto di quante volte lo abbiamo riletto. Che bei ricordi fuoriescono da queste pagine, anche se alcuni dettagli della storia li avevo dimenticati.
Basta, rivoglio la spensieratezza della mia infanzia. Quantomeno leggere questi libri mi sta aiutando!

[Bridgette · Rating 2 out of 5]

David Donald Duncan aka Dink,Josh,and Ruthrose have read the newspaper and found out the hotel is HAUNTED.They go to the hotel meet Mr. and Mrs. Spivets and they hire them to get rid of the ghost.
They stay up till midnight and see the ghost holding a SWORD and they saw the ghost left hair behind.They searched the Jeffersons room and find the fake sword the hair and other props .Then they ask Mr.Linkletter where the couple went.He said Ellies's Diner when they got there Ruthrose borrowed the pen pad from Ellie and gave it back to her told Ellie to give it to the Jeffersons .Then they started talking with the Jeffersons and The Jeffersons admitted that they were a ghost and someone aka Eatch ,Rail,and Roock hired them to scare people away because the were good at rehearsing and lied to the Jeffersons. That there was a movie and Mr.Linkletter and the Spivets knew about the movie that totally was going to be made but actually there was no movie and they tricked The Jeffersons .

[Aliyah Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books were my childhood, I’m so happy to re read my favorite one after all these years.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Fun for a kids book. The two bigger kids loved it. I’m going to guess the smallest one did too because he chortled. Also, no one should name their kid Dink. It’s hard to read that name out loud without slip ups.

[Vipanchika Tharun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super scary chilled cool....

[Nena · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 stars for me, but my son said 4, so 3 stars. I think this is the worst book of the A to Z Mysteries series.

[Kat V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was alright. Kinda obvious. Nothing special. 3 stars

[10TX · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previewed for my child.

Cute and age appropriate story. A little word play for the observant (Eb and Flo, etc). Not too spooky for the target audience. Some words may be difficult to pronounce for young children. Some parents may object to the kids sneaking out.

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

predictible, but kids would like it

[May͛a · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review contains spoilers and possible scary pictures for children under the age of 9

I think I once had a breakdown at school because of this book.

So basically, Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose read about a haunting at the Shangri-la Hotel in their town and they go investigate just like they do in every other book. Don't know who these kids are? Never read this series? You don't have a childhood.

I'm kidding.

The thing I like about this series is that it always jumps right into the puzzle/mystery/problem/whatever you call it and it's no time-waster. Why can't the other mystery books I read these days be like this? P.s. when I was first reading this series all I could think about was what on earth was I doing in school when these kids were running around saving the town. And then I thought 'oh wait, I'm still 7'.

BUT I remember being traumatized by the artwork in this book as a child...a decent amount of damage John Steven Gurney did. Last time I saw this book in my box, I remember shuddering and quickly putting it aside to look for whatever I was looking for. I suppose people would've grown out of these things by now, but the pictures still give me heebie jeebies. I guess It's just me.

"The ghost wore a long white gown. Its hair was white and stuck up in spikes. And there were just black empty holes where the eyes should have been!"

Because of this (silly) description, I paid reaaaaally close attention to things/people in white and immediately assumed they were ghosts. Because I was already scared, I broke into cold sweat just seeing this.

How embarrassing.

Maybe I should just come clean. Old people creep me out.

And this illustration made me think the ghost spotted them cuz who in their right minds would open a door that wide when you are hiding from a supposed paranormal being.


I wouldn't pick up a strand of ghost hair and keep it if I were you.



And finally, the illustration that effed me up so bad.


WHAT THE HELL.


What made me so scared I don't know but I still don't get how Ruth Rose didn't even flinch when they opened the wardrobe and this thing popped out.



Above every chapter caption comes with this freebie.

Scary Stupid silhouettes.

Every time I re-read this book I had to peel the next page over like a Band-Aid. All I can say is that I recommend this book to second or third grade readers who um like to read and solve mysteries I guess.

[Blue · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book: continuity errors and recycled plots without the decency to be better rewrites like when Orson Scott Card rewrote his original Ender's Game essay into a novel, and again in another novel.

Points of issue:
- Hotel guy (Mr. Linkletter) seems to have forgotten the entirety of book A, when he was reluctant to consider kidnapping and was either in on the plot or did not care about the children's suspicions. Now he immediately brings the children in on it not because he thinks they could do something but because his personality has dramatically shifted - from dour to everyone is friendly toward the children as though dour is just a mask not in recognition.
- The aunt and uncle gave up after only two nights? That close to Halloween it ought to have gotten the hotel booked solid, and two bad nights, even in the busy season, is not enough to close shop - weather can shut down towns for a week. Out of order but it might as well go here - with enough money for that reward, the hotel could have had a few bad weeks an been fine. It is also ironic that the reward neglects a hotel stay.
- The ending was . . . overly complicated and unnecessarily dramatic. All that was needed was for the guest-actors to tell the Spivitz's (aunt and uncle) and they could have just not signed the contract. They might have been guilted over wasting the time of the firm, but no signature = no sale. If it was about proof, the check the actors got with the firm's signature would have been enough.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute chapter book that tells the tale of three children who set out to find a mysterious ghost that is haunting their towns hotel. Although this is supposed to be a spooky book for this age group, I thought it might be too mild. Kids do like to be spooked even at a young age. The book is a bit predictable but it is targeted toward 2nd-3rd graders so, that is forgivable.

Overall, I think the book is okay and does remove the gore factor which I would not like, but still needs a little more boo.

This book is part of an alphabet mystery series of stand along books. I would like to read some more from this author.

3 stars.

Disclosure: I obtained this book from my local library. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. aka Naila Moon

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Haunted Hotel


The Haunted Hotel is of mystery and suspense, about 3 kids and their friend Mr. Linkletter the owner of Shangri-la, to find out the reasons why the guests are being scared away by some mysterious ghost. I myself have read a good number of books like this one but this is the best one I have ever read on mystery.

Westernport chapter club member
Kathy 11yrs old

[Snooka L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great! My sister read it to me and when I saw a pickture in the book I was sooo scared. But that was when I was 7 so now I'm not scared. This book is about 3 kids Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose they find out that a hotel is honted! They get right to the case. Even though this book was short I enjoyed it.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken]

Eleanor says: I love the ghost part. It was a fun book and I would love to check out more A to Z books at my school library. The ghost was actually a person, but we won’t say who because we don’t want to spoil it. The kids got to stay in the hotel and their families too. I just love the A-Z mystery books so much, they are so much fun.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My niece *and* my nephew both enjoyed this chapter book! Good read--scary without being overly so. The kids in the story are all great characters, and young children can easily relate to them.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 3 stars, but my kids liked it, so 4 stars it is.

The mystery was enjoyable- a ghost is haunting the hotel, and the kids need to figure out what's going on. There is a lovely list of possible ghost characters that will keep the kids guessing, and the ending is a lovely satisfying wrap-up in the classic mystery style.

What kept this book from being great for me was the bland writing. I remember having a similar writing-style in third grade. It's bland and has no artistic style- words are functional and there to convey a plot, not to provide ambiance, character building or flow. There is one delightful wordplay that is really a highlight (and got an "oooooh!" from the kids), and I wish Ron Roy had applied that wit to the rest of the book. Sometimes it feels like he's just writing for a paycheck.

[brielle mackrory · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★☆☆ - 3.0
I drove to thanksgiving with my cousins, and one of my youngest cousins insisted I read one of the books he brought (I told him I had my kindle but that didn't count apparently). I wouldn't usually count this as "a book I read" but I have comments so I will put them here.
Basically when I was about Gabe's age I read a ton of books similar to A to Z mysteries where it was nigh on countless books following the same characters (and the same plot but we won't discuss this) and every. single. one. reintroduced the characters and their family and pets and everything about them in each book, like the first chapter was identical from each book and that infuriated me, and this book did not do that which was lovely. As I read the eighth book only, I didn't know who a recurring character was and that brought me joy. That's all. Thank you.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hotel has ghost

Owner is pressured to sell hotel

Kids Scooby-Doo some shit

Owner forced to sign contract by noon on Columbus Day

Kids reveal ghost plot at noon on Columbus Day, just moments before ink touches paper

Bad guys slink away in defeat

Owner, IMMEDIATELY after tearing up the contract: "Thank you kids for solving the mystery! Here are three envelopes for you, each containing a typewritten note, tickets to Disneyworld, and $50!"

...WHY does he just HAPPEN to have personalised notes and Disney tickets in his pocket to give them?

[Anne Dulzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Mystery
Unique Characteristic: Something cool that the author did was use the letters of the bad characters's names to form words to describe them. The bad characters's names were Eatch, Rail, and Roock and when they were caught, the main character said that they should change their names to Cheat, Liar, and Crook. I found that this technique is called an "anasdfagram".
Grades: I would use this book in a 3rd grade classroom or at the beginning of the year in a 4th grade classroom just because although it was a pretty easy read, I think the idea of a mystery may be tricky for some readers and some of the writing techniques used would go over the inexperienced reader's head.

[Elina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange sounds and even strangers that are terrifying right guest at the Sri Lanka Hotel more and more people are being scared away why good question it's because you see there are these people who want to be actors but the but the peep the boss but the boss is saying that you have to scare the people in the Sri Lanka hotel to get your job why do they want to do that it's because they want to get to Sri Lanka Hotel I read in the book and it said that when they when all the people are going out of the hotel and stuff and all the other people were like oh I want to leave I want to leave and they were like what's the point of the hotel so read the book so that you can get more details

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6-year-old daughter says:
It was my favorite one so far. It was very very very very good because I liked the ghost and they figured it out.

My 4-year-old son says:
I didn't like the ghost. I liked the character Dink. In all the haunted hotel I liked Dink. There's just one girl and two boys. I don't know why.

Mom says:
This one has some pretty scary parts. But like earlier "haunted" A-Z Mysteries, there's a perfectly reasonable, non-supernatural explanation. These are fun family read alouds.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh, Dink and Ruth Rose hear about the Shangra-la, the local hotel, being haunted. They visit the hotel to get news and are asked by the owners to investigate the mysterious ghost encounters. They are offered to stay at the hotel with their families while they investigate. They encounter the ghost at midnight, which scares them but something is fishy. So, they do some investigating the next day and they get a break, a clue to who the ghost is. My son really loves these books. My hubby and I enjoyed reading then with him.

[Caroline Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a year ago..... I thought it was cool. The hotel is being haunted by someone and Dink, which is his nickname, Josh, and Rose are trying to figure out who is causing the hotel to be haunted and who is scaring all the visitors away............. if you want to find out, read it !!!!!
Scarlett Stewart

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read these books when I was a kid and greatly enjoyed them, figured I'd give them a second read for kicks.

I certainly recommend any young mysteries fan devote time to this series, it's certainly a grand adventure for a young mind, the imagery of Ron Roy's words and his settings and unique character descriptions and personalities really help kids imagine a whole movie in their heads as they read each exciting page.

[Truc 2JZGTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this series from my childhood! LOVED it! I read it all the time in elementary school. But now that I'm reading it as an adult, it's not as exciting hahaha. For a kid to read it; it's great. Cool artwork and good storyline. But as an adult; I'm so used to reading James Patterson books with murders & dark stuff, this just didn't hit the spot for me lol. Although, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it for kids.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun entry in the early chapter book series A to Z Mysteries. In this one, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are hunting for a ghost haunting the Shangri-La Hotel. Because of this, the hotel is forced to close after the ghost has scared all its guests away. But things aren't adding up. It's up to the three detectives to find out who the ghost is and just why it's haunting everyone away! I am enjoying this series and I think younger readers who enjoy a mystery will enjoy them too. My rating - 4/5

[Gwendolyn Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just a fun age appropriate kids chapter book read that conjures up all the fun of a scooby doo mystery but without characters who’s personality’s shine nearly as much.
The ending was a tad strange with a reward to the kids of tickets to Disney , it just seemed a little out of place and almost like product placement. But overall a good lil bit of not to spooky for little ones fun.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

" ... Ragazzi nessuno di quelli che abbiamo interrogato ha mai visto il fantasma. E allora, forse, non esiste nessun fantasma! ..."
La prima avventura dei " Piccoli investigatori" e non poteva essere più avvincente.
Decisamente consigliabile ai bambini che hanno iniziato ad amare il genere investigativo, ancora meglio leggerlo assieme a loro.