Wind on the Haunted Hill

by Ruskin Bond

Whoo-whooo-whoooo cried the wind as it swept down from the Himalayan snows
The menacing wind rattled windows, choked chimneys and blew away clothes as it loomed over the little village next to Haunted Hill, where Usha, Suresh and Binya lived. It was even more ominous the day Usha was on her way back from the bazaar. A deep rumble echoed and a sudden flash of lightning lit up the hill as heavy pellets of rain came down in quick succession. Usha was forced to take shelter in the ruins of Haunted Hill that stood before her, grim and forbidding. As the tin sheet above groaned and clattered and streaks of lightning lit up the walls, Usha saw two small figures crouching in the disused fireplace.

Then everything was dark again . . .

A gritty, hair-raising story about friendship, courage and survival from India's favourite teller of tales, this stunning edition is an absolute must-have to introduce young readers to the magic of Ruskin Bond's craft.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, India, Supernatural, Short Stories, Childrens

43 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2018

About the author

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.

Reviews

[Pallavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

****4.0****

A lovely spooky tale. I couldn't stop remembering my childhood days where I heard similar stories and shared similar fear :)


Happy Reading!!!

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories of Ruskin Bond always make me wonder about their simplicity yet make me enjoy. This book for the young readers is a story from his collection with color illustrations.

[Neeti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky and warming.

[Neerja · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute children's book with beautiful illustrations. It was short and sweet. I read it in one sitting and it was a great time.

[Sheetal Maurya - Godse (Halo of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustration and a good story.

[Anil Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really not haunted. Though,
It was a good story📖...

[Rida Fatma Hossain · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spoiler Alert
Despite the title, The Wind on Haunted Hill doesn’t go in the direction of “haunted” the way you’d expect—and that surprised me in a good way.
I received this book on 23rd December as my very first Christmas book gift, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. I picked it up expecting a spooky ghost story, but what I got instead was something much more subtle and understated.
The hill isn’t haunted by ghosts; it’s haunted by fear, imagination, and human greed. Ruskin Bond creates atmosphere beautifully through the wind, isolation, and darkness, letting the reader’s imagination do most of the work. There are no jump scares or dramatic supernatural twists—just a quiet, slowly building tension.
What I liked most was the idea that sometimes the scariest things aren’t spirits, but people and the choices they make. That said, while the story was thoughtful and enjoyable, it didn’t fully linger with me emotionally, which is why this lands at a 3-star read for me.
Overall, it’s a cozy, slightly unsettling short read—perfect for a winter evening. It may not be haunted in the literal sense, but it has its own quiet presence. 🎄📖🤍

[Abhishek Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a horror story. This story is about Usha who is the main character and how she shows great qualities like friendship, courage, and survival. Anyone can read them but kids will especially love this book. Check this article about 40 Best Ruskin Bond Books!! https://dailybugle.in/ruskin-bond-boo...

[sais · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is such a simple and cute story for kids. I bought this for my nephew when he was four years old. Now, he is seven and he always picks this book from the shelf and asks me to read it.
It is short but still make you feel nostalgic of you the spooky stories you heard in your childhood. And the pictures are so good.

[Antara Roy Oruganti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful as always

Ruskin Bond enchants again with a beautiful story set in the mountains. A perfect read for children and the illustrations do justice to the short and charming tale.

[Sreya · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is OK-OK..not so good actually it is good for children..not a creepy one ( maybe I hope for more) but I enjoy it for it's hillside scenario
I love Ruskin Bond for his simplicity and childishness but this time it failed

[Redwan Orittro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very very short read. This is actually a spooky short story by Ruskin bond with the target reading from the younger segment. I actually thought this is a collection whereas it's a short 30page book

[Aayushman Regmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is about a girl that was telling her friends to not go to the haunted hill and she went by herself and she got lost and did much adventures. and she found her friends if you were this young girl then what would you do?

[Dhwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's spooky and warm at the same time. I had a good time.

[Srishti · Rating 2 out of 5]

it, of course, childish to say I love this book

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is good for 7 to 10 kids💜💜🙂

[Amlan Anmol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best

[Parul Sanadya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and simple

[Aaryan Saraogi · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow

[Francisco Falvo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nada especial...super sencillo y lineal...lectura ligera para un viaje corto.

[Sujata Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended

Recommended to try out. Not the best from Ruskin Bond but still pretty good. The horror element was somewhat missing.

[Srutirupa Acharya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Himalayan short spooky story studded with all the glories of Bond's writing. A perfect one for a cold windy rainy night - Just perfect!

[Divya Saini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little friendly story usha suresh binaya

[Roxan Jennifer Borges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute children’s horror. Very light and fun to read in between heavy novel’s.

[MountainKid ED · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming stories by Ruskin sir. Loved this one too! 💝💖

[Aditya Anand · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short and spooky story book that leaves a lot to be desired. I wish this was longer as it could have been quite an interesting read.

[Pranav · Rating 4 out of 5]

They wanted to make it spooky but could not achieve their goal properly. Very small book.

[Krittika · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a story about three brave kids. It shows loving and caring relationship between brother and sister. The story has an important message- If we are together, we can overcome any fear.

[Ritika Devender · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great book for kids. I read this book for my little brother who also really enjoyed it. The descriptive text and characters were suitable for children to learn and understand.

[Nandani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is for children and i read it in 10 minutes but must say its well written and story is something which scares you at one point. I loved this and the way it was written.