The House Next Door

Haunted #1

by Joel A. Sutherland

"What could be scarier than moving next-door to a haunted house? How about a ghost horse? How about a ghastly murder or two? This book is CHILLING. Loved it!"
--R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps

Having grown up in the country with woods to explore and lakes to swim in, Matt isn’t exactly thrilled when his parents move to a new subdivision of cookie-cutter houses an hour east of Toronto. But he’s determined to make the most of the move. His little sister Sophie, on the other hand, is absolutely miserable. That is, until they discover that the house next door — an old stone farmhouse, whose owners have stubbornly refused to sell to developers — has a horse!

Sophie doesn’t care if the horse is past its prime; maybe whoever lives next door might even let her ride it if she helps care for it. Which would be a great plan . . . if only the horse and its owners weren’t already dead!

Haunted is a series of standalone middle-grade fiction, perfect for fans of Goosebumps and Haunted Canada! Packed with action, genuine chills, and some healthy doses of humour to cut the tension, these novels are set in towns and cities across Canada. Prepare to scream!

Genres: Horror, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Thriller, Ghosts, Canada

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2017

About the author

Joel A. Sutherland is the Silver Birch and Hackmatack Award-winning author of Be a Writing Superstar, numerous books in the Haunted Canada series, and Summer's End. His new series, Haunted, including The House Next Door, Kill Screen, Night of the Living Dolls and Field of Screams, has been praised by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine. Joel's short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and magazines, including Blood Lite II & III (Pocket Books) and Cemetery Dance Magazine, alongside the likes of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.

He is a two-time juror for the Bram Stoker Award, the John Spray Mystery Award, and the Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction & Fantasy. He is also the founder of the DarkLit Fest, a literary event that has welcomed Guests of Honour Kelley Armstrong and Joy Fielding.

Joel appeared as "The Barbarian Librarian" on the Canadian edition of the hit television show Wipeout, making it all the way to the third round and proving that librarians can be just as tough and crazy as anyone else. He has a Masters of Information and Library Studies from Aberystwyth University in Wales and lives in southeastern Ontario with his family, where he is always on the lookout for ghosts.

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

J’avais vu plusieurs comparaisons avec les Chairs de poules et c’est ce qui m’avait attiré vers ce roman. Je n’y ai pas trouvé grand-chose d’intéressant. Je suis certes plus vieux que le public cible et n’ayant pas lu ce livre en bas âge comme les Chairs de poules, je n’ai pas ressenti la même nostalgie. Une histoire d’horreur pour enfants/préados qui ose un certain niveau d’horreur, ce que j’ai apprécié, mais qui offre une qualité «littéraire» assez banale.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très bon, stressant et tiens bien jusqu'à la fin.
Mais je demanderais un peu petit!

[Sandrine Boisjoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Histoire d'horreur qui se lit très rapidement avec de courts chapitres et beaucoup d'actions. J'ai un peu moins aimé l'histoire assez clichée et les stéréotypes. L'univers geek m'a aussi déplu. J'aurais préféré que le personnage continue de se fier aux séries de fantômes plutôt qu'à Batman. Dans tous les cas, ce serait un très bon roman pour des jeunes de 8-10 ans.

[Neraami Balakumaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this books so much. Every chapter keeps you in suspense. I definitely recommend this book.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story did remind me of the Goosebumps series as other reviewers noted but I liked it better than that series. When I read middle years books I am always uncomfortable with the idea of children going off on their own trying to solve dangerous problems. It just seems to encourage that behaviour in real life. But I also try to remember that they are stories, entertainment, fiction - so I try to push those thoughts from my mind when I read this genre.

I thought this was a great haunted story for middle years readers, the characters were realistic and modern - and very bold, brave and clever. The storyline had a good mystery to follow and a bit of twist at the end and it flowed very well. The twist at the end could be viewed as pretty scary for some readers but it did seem to work for the story.

[Casey Drieling · Rating 3 out of 5]

📚Book Review📚
The Nightmare Next Door by Joel A. Sutherland

Book88/23 was 3⭐️… I’m 99% sure this is a kid’s book because I found it at school, but I wanted to read it any way 🤣

It was really interesting, up until the ending, which became so far fetched, it was hard to grasp. So no… I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader 🤣🤣🤷🏼‍♀️

Anyway, I wish I would have realized sooner there are other genres out there. I HATED AR and forced reading growing up. I didn’t start liking voluntarily reading a book until college, when I discovered so many genres.

This was a good book, but I feel like with all the death factors in this particular book, it would be much higher than a 5th/6th grade level 🤷🏼‍♀️

As always,
Happy Reading! 💕

[Uschi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, it's cliché. No, it's not perfect. No, it's not that scary. But, it can actually, quite surprisingly be grossly disturbing at times. When it comes to younger readers, this can easily give them nightmares for weeks. But, what kind of ruins it is how the characters are just stupid and the plot is insane. However, a majority of what was written disturbed me and ruined my appetite for a while. It wasn't all that bad!

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel that would appeal to Middle Grade students who loved the Goosebumps series. Matt and Sophie are the new residents of the neighbourhood and see what appears to be a horse in the field next door. AS they begin to meet other kids, they find out that the house next door is haunted and has a violent past. Fast paced and a thrilling climax is a sure fire win for young readers!

[Sophie lit ça · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lire la critique complète : http://sophielit.ca/critique.php?id=2259

S’il est écrit pour les 9 ans et plus, ce récit peut quand même effrayer les plus âgés, parce qu’il joue avec le possible (si on est prêts à croire aux fantômes) et que le désir de vengeance lié à une vieille histoire est particulièrement bien traité.

[PJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, it had a lot of humor...there were times, however, where things were stated that I pieced together without needing the exposition...That's my biggest complaint...that I wish there was less of that. Other than that, it was fine. Not amazing, but something to pick up when you want a mystery.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting because it was my daughter's first experience with the horror genre. It's a creepy story about some kids who move into a house and begin to believe the house next door is haunted. It has its scares, but the characters aren't quite as well developed as I would have liked, even for a kids' book.

[Kilgallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoyed this spooky little gem. An awesome recommendation for a middle grade reader looking for something a little creepy. The chapters were short and expertly crafted to leave each one a bit of a cliff hanger. Perfectly crafted to entice even the most reluctant of readers to keep turning pages.

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved "Summer's End" and you can never go wrong with Haunted Canada, but I really didn't enjoy this one as much. It was an OK story, but maybe it's because I'm older but all I kept thinking was "There is NO WAY kids would get away with all that." My parents would have been onto me in a minute!

[Cocoontale · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5
Une lecture qui m'a fait penser à un Chair de Poule en un peu plus glauque et "effrayant" (je vous rassure, à part si vous êtes très sensible au genre horrifique, il vous procurera au mieux quelques frissons). Je le conseillerai pour la période d'Halloween à un pré-ado, à partir de 11 ans.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is intense, full of action, and incredibly suspenseful, especially for the age group it's aimed at, and well written. Matt and Sophie embark on a mystery next door, getting more than they bargained for.

[JoAnne Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my. Kept me guessing! Looking forward to reading more in the series!

[TJL · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note to self, change this version to the isbn 9781728225883 one once Goodreads has a record of it)

[Dawn Kaplan-Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute kids book.

[briannaa💗 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Gayle Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple story about ghosts

[kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t really remember but I think it was good

[Esmeralda Serrano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was cheesy , but I think if I was younger I would like it more

[Bronwen Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is the most amazing book ever. read this authors books

[Stéphanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Un court roman d'épouvante dans la veine d'un Chair de Poule. Les personnages sont peu creusés et l'intrigue va trop vite. Pas fou et pas franchement effrayant...
Une histoire de fantômes orientée pour les pré-ado.

[Jennifer Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt and Sophie have moved into a new neighborhood over school break. The house next to them looks like a run down farm. They see a horse in the field and someone in the window, but no one will come to the door. As Matt and Sophie meet some neighbors they learn the past of their house and the house next door. The horse they see is dead. The man they see is dead. The boys who lived in their house are dead. As they try to help the ghosts move on, they become involved in ways they did not anticipate.



Another great horror story. Quick read.

[Vanessa Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 9 year old son enjoyed this book. We read it over a few nights. It was his first book of this genre.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! It had An amazing plot twist too!