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Spooksville #14
The Evil House
It is Halloween and Spooksville is either the best place to be, or the worst. It depends on how scared you want to get. Adam and his friends dress up in their costumes and set out for a fun night of trick-or-treating. But along the way they come across the Evil House, hear a stream from within, and feel obligated to see what is the matter.
116 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
1 person is currently reading
452 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Pike
262 books5,494 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2021
After a visit to Spooksville’s very own witch, Ann Templeton, on Halloween night, Adam and his friends investigate a spooky, abandoned house. Everyone knows the stories of how kids disappear in this house and never return, and even Watch and Sally don’t want to risk it. But when Adam sees a strange light and hears a mournful cry, he can’t resist trying to help. Is it possible that the kids who disappeared into the Evil House are still trapped there? Trigger warnings: child death (off-page), abduction, severe illness, violence, blood/implied gore, implied body horror, bullying.
I’ve been eagerly awaiting Halloween in Spooksville, and The Evil House doesn’t disappoint. It’s one of my favorites of the recent (for me) books, and I’m newly frustrated that there’s nowhere to stream the show right now because I have distinct memories of this episode. Pike is at his spookiest here with haunted houses, alternate dimensions, magicians, and, of course, Halloween, and it has pretty much all my favorite things in the series.
Adam is brave (sometimes stupidly brave), but it’s his heart that makes him the real hero of this series. He can’t walk away from someone in trouble, even if they’re a stranger, and wherever they go, he tries to make things better for the people there. (I also love that Adam is much more compassionate than Sally. Boys can be soft. Girls can be tough. Knock down those gender norms.) Pike also does a nice job developing the villain of this story, making him believable, and giving him a compelling backstory all in a few short pages. I will say that I don’t care for Bryce being a more permanent part of the group though. It didn’t really need a fifth wheel, and literally every function he serves in this particular book can be fulfilled by Sally or Adam. (I also just don’t find him that interesting… or trustworthy.)
Potential spoilers ahead! I’m still compiling evidence for my theory that Watch isn’t human/is from another time/dimension/outer space, so of course I loved the line about him only seeing stars in the crystal ball.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
I’ve been eagerly awaiting Halloween in Spooksville, and The Evil House doesn’t disappoint. It’s one of my favorites of the recent (for me) books, and I’m newly frustrated that there’s nowhere to stream the show right now because I have distinct memories of this episode. Pike is at his spookiest here with haunted houses, alternate dimensions, magicians, and, of course, Halloween, and it has pretty much all my favorite things in the series.
Adam is brave (sometimes stupidly brave), but it’s his heart that makes him the real hero of this series. He can’t walk away from someone in trouble, even if they’re a stranger, and wherever they go, he tries to make things better for the people there. (I also love that Adam is much more compassionate than Sally. Boys can be soft. Girls can be tough. Knock down those gender norms.) Pike also does a nice job developing the villain of this story, making him believable, and giving him a compelling backstory all in a few short pages. I will say that I don’t care for Bryce being a more permanent part of the group though. It didn’t really need a fifth wheel, and literally every function he serves in this particular book can be fulfilled by Sally or Adam. (I also just don’t find him that interesting… or trustworthy.)
Potential spoilers ahead! I’m still compiling evidence for my theory that Watch isn’t human/is from another time/dimension/outer space, so of course I loved the line about him only seeing stars in the crystal ball.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
July 2, 2015
Halloween has come to Spooksville, and if there's one thing this town knows how to do, it's frighten children and adults alike.
I appreciated that this installment in the Spooksville series read less like a sci-fi novel and more like a horror novel, reminiscent of works by authors such as R.L. Stine. In my opinion, it helped break the series out of the rut that it seemed to be falling into in previous books. As usual, Watch (or should I say Sherlock Holmes in this case) filled the role of the intellectually superior voice of reason, but he seemed to play a bigger part in The Evil House, which I enjoyed since Watch is my favorite character at this point.
I dare say this is the best book in the Spooksville series so far, and I hope that Christopher Pike continues in this direction.
I appreciated that this installment in the Spooksville series read less like a sci-fi novel and more like a horror novel, reminiscent of works by authors such as R.L. Stine. In my opinion, it helped break the series out of the rut that it seemed to be falling into in previous books. As usual, Watch (or should I say Sherlock Holmes in this case) filled the role of the intellectually superior voice of reason, but he seemed to play a bigger part in The Evil House, which I enjoyed since Watch is my favorite character at this point.
I dare say this is the best book in the Spooksville series so far, and I hope that Christopher Pike continues in this direction.
May 14, 2023
J'ai été agréablement surprise par ce tome quatorze de Spooksville. Après quelques petites déceptions passées, ici Christopher Pike nous offre de la nouveauté et l'auteur a été totalement à la hauteur avec cette histoire spéciale Halloween qui plus est ! Il faut dire aussi que l'apparition furtive d'Anne Templeton au début du tome avait déjà de quoi me faire grandement plaisir.
Après une rentrée plutôt mouvementée, les cinq amis se réunissent pour LA fête de Spooksville : Halloween. Connaissant la ville, on se doute que ce trente-et-un octobre ne va pas être de tout repos et que les ennuis ne vont pas tarder à arriver. Et ce n'est pas la visite au château de la sorcière qui va nous détromper. Mais le danger pourrait plutôt se trouver dans la rue du mort… où une étrange maison attire indéniablement Adam.
Il y a pour moi un tournant avec ce tome. Déjà, j'ai trouvé que Christopher Pike était moins caustique vis-à-vis de ses héros, et qu'il leur donnait ici l'occasion de se montrer sous leur meilleur jour en exploitant leurs qualités. Ensuite, l'ambiance horreur est carrément présente du début à la fin. Il y a même certains passages que j'ai trouvé un petit peu poussé, c'est pour dire. Parfait pour Halloween, donc, et en plus il y a de la nouveauté.
On avait déjà eu affaire à des fantômes dans les premiers tomes, mais ici, nous sommes à un autre niveau. Entre l'imagination d'un enfant quelque peu perdu et un monde parallèle, nos héros se retrouvent face à plusieurs problèmes, et ils vont devoir compter sur l'intelligence de Tic-Tac pour les sortir de ce très mauvais pas. Sans compter quelques petites transformations qui vont obliger les cinq amis à dépasser leurs limites. On sent l'étau se resserrer, les enjeux plus que vitaux, l'angoisse qui monte crescendo. C'est très bien amené et j'ai clairement pris plus de plaisir à lire La maison du mal que d'autres tomes de la saga.
Avec toujours la même dose d'humour noir, et une ville qui décidément n'a rien vraiment pour elle, le quatorzième tome de Spooksville réussit son pari de nous faire frissonner. Je regrette par contre toujours autant les fins vraiment très abruptes que l'on a depuis quelques temps, même si elles offrent tout de même une bonne conclusion.
Après une rentrée plutôt mouvementée, les cinq amis se réunissent pour LA fête de Spooksville : Halloween. Connaissant la ville, on se doute que ce trente-et-un octobre ne va pas être de tout repos et que les ennuis ne vont pas tarder à arriver. Et ce n'est pas la visite au château de la sorcière qui va nous détromper. Mais le danger pourrait plutôt se trouver dans la rue du mort… où une étrange maison attire indéniablement Adam.
Il y a pour moi un tournant avec ce tome. Déjà, j'ai trouvé que Christopher Pike était moins caustique vis-à-vis de ses héros, et qu'il leur donnait ici l'occasion de se montrer sous leur meilleur jour en exploitant leurs qualités. Ensuite, l'ambiance horreur est carrément présente du début à la fin. Il y a même certains passages que j'ai trouvé un petit peu poussé, c'est pour dire. Parfait pour Halloween, donc, et en plus il y a de la nouveauté.
On avait déjà eu affaire à des fantômes dans les premiers tomes, mais ici, nous sommes à un autre niveau. Entre l'imagination d'un enfant quelque peu perdu et un monde parallèle, nos héros se retrouvent face à plusieurs problèmes, et ils vont devoir compter sur l'intelligence de Tic-Tac pour les sortir de ce très mauvais pas. Sans compter quelques petites transformations qui vont obliger les cinq amis à dépasser leurs limites. On sent l'étau se resserrer, les enjeux plus que vitaux, l'angoisse qui monte crescendo. C'est très bien amené et j'ai clairement pris plus de plaisir à lire La maison du mal que d'autres tomes de la saga.
Avec toujours la même dose d'humour noir, et une ville qui décidément n'a rien vraiment pour elle, le quatorzième tome de Spooksville réussit son pari de nous faire frissonner. Je regrette par contre toujours autant les fins vraiment très abruptes que l'on a depuis quelques temps, même si elles offrent tout de même une bonne conclusion.
December 10, 2021
Evil house by Christopher Pike is a middle grade short book, set on Halloween in the town of Springsville - which the kids called spooksville.
I can fully see how this is perfect for young readers. It's fast paced, has a scary but not sinister plot line and fun characters.
Our main characters, Watch, Adam, Cindy, Sally and Bryce go trick or treating. They meet the witch of the town and then move on, realizing that they are at a spooky house where people have known to go missing. When a lone cry comes out, Adam, who is the newest of the group refuses not to go and help.
What follows is a mysterious box with stairs and a carnival. I really enjoyed reading about this little mystery and can see alot of thought has gone into the halloween characters.
They even have a two headed lady which is a tribute to a real life person. A good read for young kids as it has an element of fantasy and horror.
I can fully see how this is perfect for young readers. It's fast paced, has a scary but not sinister plot line and fun characters.
Our main characters, Watch, Adam, Cindy, Sally and Bryce go trick or treating. They meet the witch of the town and then move on, realizing that they are at a spooky house where people have known to go missing. When a lone cry comes out, Adam, who is the newest of the group refuses not to go and help.
What follows is a mysterious box with stairs and a carnival. I really enjoyed reading about this little mystery and can see alot of thought has gone into the halloween characters.
They even have a two headed lady which is a tribute to a real life person. A good read for young kids as it has an element of fantasy and horror.
April 16, 2019
It’s truly a great Halloween story!
July 8, 2020
DIMENSIONES 💙😍😭🌈✨ EXCELENTE PLOT TWIST!!! Amo a Ann Templeton y Watch :,) fav, misterios.
"You will only get stuck if you're afraid of getting stuck" 👀
🖖🏼
"You will only get stuck if you're afraid of getting stuck" 👀
🖖🏼
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews