What do you think?
Rate this book
In the Haunted House
"This is the house where the scary ones hide. Open the door and step softly inside."
What kind of a house can this be? And why does the person wearing the large sneakers seem to be more frightened than the one in the small pair?
What kind of a house can this be? And why does the person wearing the large sneakers seem to be more frightened than the one in the small pair?
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 1990
5 people are currently reading
511 people want to read
About the author
Eve Bunting
310 books407 followersAlso known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.
Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.
Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.
In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.
Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.
Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.
In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
October 19, 2018
The cover looks fun and it drew me in, but the book disappointed me.
A beginner book about some people walking through a Haunted House and all the creepy things they see. They must be very brave. The artwork seemed rushed and the story was simple. This is not my favorite book - let’s say.
I’ve read a few Halloween books this season. This would be very creepy for that 2-4 year old this is written for. I am looking for more tone or mood or something - maybe. It didn’t strike a chord with me
We did not let the niece read this as there are too many creepy things coming out to scare you. I know at the end, the kids are brave, but it’s not worth the niece not sleeping. The nephew thought it was good. He gave it 3 stars..
A beginner book about some people walking through a Haunted House and all the creepy things they see. They must be very brave. The artwork seemed rushed and the story was simple. This is not my favorite book - let’s say.
I’ve read a few Halloween books this season. This would be very creepy for that 2-4 year old this is written for. I am looking for more tone or mood or something - maybe. It didn’t strike a chord with me
We did not let the niece read this as there are too many creepy things coming out to scare you. I know at the end, the kids are brave, but it’s not worth the niece not sleeping. The nephew thought it was good. He gave it 3 stars..
October 9, 2018
Re-read this today after many years (we'll leave it at that ;) ). I was obsessed with spooky things as a child and love reading scary books. The pictures in this book are beautifully illustrated. Even as an adult I enjoyed everything about this one!
(Do children's books count towards the reading challenge? Oh well!)
(Do children's books count towards the reading challenge? Oh well!)
October 11, 2018
Prolific children's author Eve Bunting, whose
Scary, Scary Halloween
offered a delightfully spooky holiday poem, delivers another rhyming picture-book thriller with In the Haunted House. "This is the house where the scary ones hide. / Open the door and step softly inside. / An organ is playing a funeral air. / It's playing and playing, but nobody's there." And so begins the tour of the haunted house, with creepy attractions - from peeping mummies to seraphically smiling vampires - galore! The artwork depicts two sets of feet coming and going throughout the tale, and at the end it is revealed just who these feet belong to - and which one, of the two, was most frightened.
With an engaging text just made for reading aloud, and appealing illustrations by Susan Meddaugh - of Martha fame - In the Haunted House would make an excellent Halloween story-hour selection. The ending, in which it turns out that , will tickle young readers' funny bones, with its reversal of traditional roles. All in all, a sweet little Halloween tale, one recommended to young readers with a taste for spooky (but not too spooky) fare!
With an engaging text just made for reading aloud, and appealing illustrations by Susan Meddaugh - of Martha fame - In the Haunted House would make an excellent Halloween story-hour selection. The ending, in which it turns out that , will tickle young readers' funny bones, with its reversal of traditional roles. All in all, a sweet little Halloween tale, one recommended to young readers with a taste for spooky (but not too spooky) fare!
October 28, 2009
This is a fun story for Halloween. It has a slightly "old fashioned" feel (as in, from 1990, haha! Made me nostalgic for my childhood) and there is nothing remarkable about it, but it's a fun, enjoyably-spooky tour through a haunted house. There is a little "mystery" as to who is actually going through the house as all we see are two pairs of legs, the rest of the people just out of sight, until the "surprise" ending (which was fun and kids should enjoy the result!)
October 8, 2011
I picked up this kit at our local library, figuring it would be a good tape to listen to in the car with our girls. They couldn't wait and wanted me to read the story right away. It's a fun, rhyming tale, with not-too creepy pictures (love the Picasso-like painting!) And the ending shows that while haunted houses can be scary, they are fun, too. We liked this book and are looking forward to listening to it narrated on audiocassette. The library catalog lists the readers as "S. Levy" and "A. Vigoda." I'm not sure who S. Levy is, but if the other reader is Abe Vigoda, then I'm sure we're in for a treat.
Update: We just listened to the tape today (8 October) and I'm not sure who the narrators are, but neither sounded like the venerable actor. Still, with the creepy haunted house sound effects, it was fun to listen to this book read aloud on tape.
Update: We just listened to the tape today (8 October) and I'm not sure who the narrators are, but neither sounded like the venerable actor. Still, with the creepy haunted house sound effects, it was fun to listen to this book read aloud on tape.
November 5, 2013
I wanted to like this more because it's Eve Bunting, but it was just ok for me. Kind of fun, and a cute idea about the dad being more scared than the little girl, but that's a bit over the kids' heads. They did like looking at all the spooky stuff, though, and I like how at the beginning it looks like a genuine haunted house, but then on their way out of the house, you start to notice things like the record player next to the organ that is supposedly playing by itself.
October 24, 2021
Told in rhyme, Bunting's Halloween classic features a trip inside a spooky dwelling, though the visitor who is most afraid is not the one you might expect. Fun to read aloud, and share with kids of all ages.
Read
January 14, 2015This was my younger brother's when he was a kid, and I found it today along with a stack of other books of his, so I saved em from the trash pile and snagged em up for my kiddo's collection.
July 12, 2015
This is perhaps the best haunted house picture book that I've ever read.
To me, the strength of In the Haunted House is the fact that it reads very similarly to what it's like to actually go inside a commercial haunted house, complete with all the uncertainty and nagging fears and insecurity that come with such a trip. Eve Bunting's writing, coupled with the illustrations of Susan Meddaugh, is very evocative of this experience, and how it really unfolds.
This is a pleasingly eerie book, the perfect read for Halloween.
To me, the strength of In the Haunted House is the fact that it reads very similarly to what it's like to actually go inside a commercial haunted house, complete with all the uncertainty and nagging fears and insecurity that come with such a trip. Eve Bunting's writing, coupled with the illustrations of Susan Meddaugh, is very evocative of this experience, and how it really unfolds.
This is a pleasingly eerie book, the perfect read for Halloween.
October 10, 2017
This one is the perfect amount of spooky! I couldn't read it for a story time at the library, but it would definitely suit a one on one storytime or be great for a kid's first haunted hayride or house experience.
October 23, 2017
This was a Halloween story from my childhood that I can remember. It provides a mysterious, eerie feeling as you go through a haunted house. It has a bit of a surprise at the end, that some students will get. I've liked this one for years and always put it out during this time of year.
October 25, 2018
I added this, thinking it might be ok, a cute story of an adult being more scared than the kid, but upon closer inspection at the cover, it didn't look that good. I'm glad the person who had this checked out finally turned it in, so I could read it before Halloween and then send it back to the library. I just wanted to get it off my to-read list.
The synopsis gave too much away, because it was words from the actual story. It should be a general overview of the book, not give away actual lines so that when you go to read, you've already heard several lines from the book.
There was dialogue in here, but it didn’t even say who said it.
I don’t know why their identities were kept secret. What was the big deal of why we couldn't see their identities or know that it's a little girl with someone older taking her to a haunted house? Before reading, it was obviously a kid and an adult. I think it ended up being her brother, although the book didn't even say, it was so lacking. Based on the shoes and outfit, it looked like her brother to me.
The mysteries should be what creatures they're going to see next, but the biggest mystery ended up being the identity of the people in the house, which was just weird not to reveal to readers.
The brother didn’t sound like a kid either:”Give me your hand, you’re as brave as can be! I know you’re not frightened, but stay close to me.”
“I know you’re not frightened, but still…we could go. No one would notice. ‘No,’ you say? ‘No’?”
This was a little spooky, but it was the only thing in the whole book that was: ‘an organ is playing a funeral air. It’s playing and playing, but nobody’s there.’
I liked this: ‘A mummy’s in bed and it’s dead as can be,
So why does its dead eye keep winking at me?’
I really don’t like writing like this: ‘rattling his bones in the gloom-gloomy-gloom?’
The illustrations look like a kid drew them, and none of the creatures were scary. The house didn’t look scary enough, just an old-fashioned design.
The werewolf is washing his snout in the sink, for goodness sakes.
The abstract painting of faces on the wall wasn’t scary at all. It was more cheerful because of how colorful it was.
One line ends with “look” and “spook” but those words don’t rhyme.
The ending was honestly confusing. It turns out to be a haunted house, and I was thinking really? So all those creatures were actually people dressed up? It didn’t even add up because many of those couldn’t be a costume, like the ghosts. And the bats in the house. The creatures looked too real to have a person inside them.
If it’s a haunted house, how come none of the creatures were scaring the kids? Besides the skeleton jumping out, why wasn’t Frankenstein popping out from the box, or the mummy off the bed? The mummy is just lying there and Dracula is smiling in the bathtub, and the werewolf is at the sink in jeans and a shirt! Many times it seems like the kids were passing the creatures by the time they exposed themselves. Like they didn't even know who/what was following them, because they didn't reveal themselves until the children had passed.
If it had showed the kids being scared throughout the house, we could have went on the journey and gotten scared with them.
The ghost is weirdly holding out an umbrella as the kids leave the house.
It ends up being a girl and her older brother(I think based on his attire). So it turns out he was more scared. But we don’t get to hear any dialogue from them after.
I thought that the last two pages were of the same scene, them leaving the haunted house and them on the sidewalk walking away. I saw two girls in the same outfit and thought they were twins. I thought the page on the right was the girl with her dad who had picked them up, because he was much taller.
I realized the boy had the same outfit on as the ‘dad’ so I realized it was the same boy, her brother. In one drawing he’s shorter than the fence, on the next page, the scale doesn’t add up, with him being about a foot taller than the fence. The sister is also about a foot taller. So the scale completely changed.
The brother is pulling her arm, trying to walk away, while she’s standing still with her finger to her cheek. What is she thinking? Is she going back to the house? This is when dialogue would be a good thing, because I don't know what's going on.
The last page is her back in the house, smiling with her hands to her face, while the ghosts smile. Did she go back in the house or was that her entering the house the first time?
This wasn’t enjoyable to me at all. It needed more dialogue, more story, better illustrations. This was too simple, not enough meat to the story. It would have been nice to have dialogue and get to know the characters, so we could find out why the brother was so scared, why the little girl wasn't scared, their thoughts going through the house. Had this been fleshed out more, it could have been a much better story.
The synopsis gave too much away, because it was words from the actual story. It should be a general overview of the book, not give away actual lines so that when you go to read, you've already heard several lines from the book.
There was dialogue in here, but it didn’t even say who said it.
I don’t know why their identities were kept secret. What was the big deal of why we couldn't see their identities or know that it's a little girl with someone older taking her to a haunted house? Before reading, it was obviously a kid and an adult. I think it ended up being her brother, although the book didn't even say, it was so lacking. Based on the shoes and outfit, it looked like her brother to me.
The mysteries should be what creatures they're going to see next, but the biggest mystery ended up being the identity of the people in the house, which was just weird not to reveal to readers.
The brother didn’t sound like a kid either:”Give me your hand, you’re as brave as can be! I know you’re not frightened, but stay close to me.”
“I know you’re not frightened, but still…we could go. No one would notice. ‘No,’ you say? ‘No’?”
This was a little spooky, but it was the only thing in the whole book that was: ‘an organ is playing a funeral air. It’s playing and playing, but nobody’s there.’
I liked this: ‘A mummy’s in bed and it’s dead as can be,
So why does its dead eye keep winking at me?’
I really don’t like writing like this: ‘rattling his bones in the gloom-gloomy-gloom?’
The illustrations look like a kid drew them, and none of the creatures were scary. The house didn’t look scary enough, just an old-fashioned design.
The werewolf is washing his snout in the sink, for goodness sakes.
The abstract painting of faces on the wall wasn’t scary at all. It was more cheerful because of how colorful it was.
One line ends with “look” and “spook” but those words don’t rhyme.
The ending was honestly confusing. It turns out to be a haunted house, and I was thinking really? So all those creatures were actually people dressed up? It didn’t even add up because many of those couldn’t be a costume, like the ghosts. And the bats in the house. The creatures looked too real to have a person inside them.
If it’s a haunted house, how come none of the creatures were scaring the kids? Besides the skeleton jumping out, why wasn’t Frankenstein popping out from the box, or the mummy off the bed? The mummy is just lying there and Dracula is smiling in the bathtub, and the werewolf is at the sink in jeans and a shirt! Many times it seems like the kids were passing the creatures by the time they exposed themselves. Like they didn't even know who/what was following them, because they didn't reveal themselves until the children had passed.
If it had showed the kids being scared throughout the house, we could have went on the journey and gotten scared with them.
The ghost is weirdly holding out an umbrella as the kids leave the house.
It ends up being a girl and her older brother(I think based on his attire). So it turns out he was more scared. But we don’t get to hear any dialogue from them after.
I thought that the last two pages were of the same scene, them leaving the haunted house and them on the sidewalk walking away. I saw two girls in the same outfit and thought they were twins. I thought the page on the right was the girl with her dad who had picked them up, because he was much taller.
I realized the boy had the same outfit on as the ‘dad’ so I realized it was the same boy, her brother. In one drawing he’s shorter than the fence, on the next page, the scale doesn’t add up, with him being about a foot taller than the fence. The sister is also about a foot taller. So the scale completely changed.
The brother is pulling her arm, trying to walk away, while she’s standing still with her finger to her cheek. What is she thinking? Is she going back to the house? This is when dialogue would be a good thing, because I don't know what's going on.
The last page is her back in the house, smiling with her hands to her face, while the ghosts smile. Did she go back in the house or was that her entering the house the first time?
This wasn’t enjoyable to me at all. It needed more dialogue, more story, better illustrations. This was too simple, not enough meat to the story. It would have been nice to have dialogue and get to know the characters, so we could find out why the brother was so scared, why the little girl wasn't scared, their thoughts going through the house. Had this been fleshed out more, it could have been a much better story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2020
Yeah, I know Halloween is long over, but I had this on my to-read list and on hold with the library. It just took until yesterday for it to arrive. It's a cute book about a visit to a haunted house. It's not scary, just Halloweeny.
September 25, 2023
Cute Halloween picture book with a fun twist at the end! 👻
January 30, 2023
Loved the glittery ghosts, though.
October 3, 2018
This was super cute! I like that at the end it's a dad and his daughter at a haunted house :)
September 4, 2011
This is my favorite Halloween read aloud! Deliciously creepy, but not too scary. Wonderful rhyming text. Pictures that help you imagine being in a haunted house. It celebrates that perfect feeling of loving to be scared, but knowing you're really safe.
While it's fine for 1st/2nd graders, I think that 4th/5th graders will have fun at the rhythm & rhyme. The pictures seem a little young for older kids, but my sense is they'll like it. Any thoughts reading this with 10 year olds?
While it's fine for 1st/2nd graders, I think that 4th/5th graders will have fun at the rhythm & rhyme. The pictures seem a little young for older kids, but my sense is they'll like it. Any thoughts reading this with 10 year olds?
October 16, 2012
Notes: Good book to read in October around Halloween. It introduces what a haunted house is.
Book Review: Eve Bunting takes you through an exciting journey through a haunted house with two children. Susan Meddaugh does a great job with the illustrations and has you wait till the end to see that it is children who are going through the haunted house as you can only see their feet through most of the book.
Recommend: I would recommend this book to students in grades 1-3.
Book Review: Eve Bunting takes you through an exciting journey through a haunted house with two children. Susan Meddaugh does a great job with the illustrations and has you wait till the end to see that it is children who are going through the haunted house as you can only see their feet through most of the book.
Recommend: I would recommend this book to students in grades 1-3.
October 12, 2013
Two sets of feet enter the haunted house and we follow them throughout until one of them has enough. Kids love to watch for the feet and try to guess what it all means: who is more scared and who wants mor fun!
K -3rd thought it was super scary - so fun to watch their faces. One kinder got up from sitting at my feet and moved to the back of the group and put his head down on the table - too scary for him!
K -3rd thought it was super scary - so fun to watch their faces. One kinder got up from sitting at my feet and moved to the back of the group and put his head down on the table - too scary for him!
October 27, 2016
The text in this storybook was such a delight to read out loud to my 3 year old granddaughter. It was full of witches, ghosts, gouls etc. So it 'may' scare a young child. My granddaughter from time to time acted like she might have been scared but my tone I used and then making it fun she finished the book and even giggled through some of the pages. In the end it's a little girl walking through a haunted house with a grown up.
Read
October 31, 2012This book is great. It is about a little girl and her dad who go through a haunted house but it is not too scary for children and the fun pictures make it appealing to all ages. It shows that it can be fun to do spooky things like go in a haunted house and they don't always have to be really scary, they can be fun too. It gives a fun playful spin on haunted houses.
September 29, 2014
A father and daughter enter a spooky house filled with bats, ghosts, witches and so much more!
This is a really enjoyable Halloween picture book. I love the illustrations. They are not scary, but a bit creepy and I really, really like them.
The story is fun, too. A father and daughter explore a haunted house filled with many creepy things. I liked this book.
This is a really enjoyable Halloween picture book. I love the illustrations. They are not scary, but a bit creepy and I really, really like them.
The story is fun, too. A father and daughter explore a haunted house filled with many creepy things. I liked this book.
October 17, 2009
A Kindergarten/Grade 1 read aloud for October. More fun if the children think of all the scary things that might be inside the haunted house before reading the story. They will probably be right.
The ending is clever too; Guess who is most scared?
The ending is clever too; Guess who is most scared?
July 23, 2014
Halloween rhyming book.
Excerpt from the book:
"This is the house where the scary ones hide.
Open the door and step softly inside.
An organ is playing a funeral air.
It's playing and playing, but nobody's there."
Excerpt from the book:
"This is the house where the scary ones hide.
Open the door and step softly inside.
An organ is playing a funeral air.
It's playing and playing, but nobody's there."
January 4, 2012
This was my all-time favorite book when I was in K-2nd grade. I cannot even begin to guess how many times I checked it out from our library in the Primary building during school. Although it is not as colorful as some books today, it is a great classic that I cannot get enough of! :)
December 26, 2014
This is a fun little Halloween book, that you aren't complexly certain about until the last page. The dad's expression on the last page is hilarious. Kids will like it. Still not a huge fan of Eve Bunting but I liked this book!
October 12, 2014
This year for Halloween I decided to give the girls some books instead of candy. I think they will love this book that I picked for them. There are fun flaps that can be lifted and the illustrations by Susan Meddaugh are very cute! This will be a fun book to read with them on Halloween.
February 15, 2009
For me personally this would get 3 stars, but my son enjoys this book the most out of all the Eve Bunting books we have, so I am giving it 4 stars for him.
September 20, 2012
I didn't think this story was very imaginative and didn't love the pictures.
November 23, 2015
Love Eve Bunting! Pretty illustrations and a really funny visual punchline that I didn't expect. Some nice Easter eggs to discover in the illustrations too!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews