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Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful
Nine short stories featuring haunted houses, by such notable authors as Elizabeth Coatsworth, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Mark Twain.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Alfred Hitchcock
1,145 books774 followersSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.
Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.
Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.
Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.
Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
April 11, 2021
Note, April 11, 2021: I edited this review just now, in response to a constructive criticism, to make one statement less absolute.
Earlier, I'd read (and reviewed) Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery, which --though aimed at YA readers-- was appreciable by adults; the stories selected there were kid-friendly, but not written intentionally for children. When I saw this volume on sale last summer at a yard sale, I expected more of the same. I was particularly drawn in by discovering, in the table of contents, that it included a story by Manly Wade Wellman (my favorite supernatural writer), AND one I read as a kid in some otherwise long-forgotten anthology and still recalled fondly, though I'd never memorized the author's name: "The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall."
Though set in England, that story was the work of an American, John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922 --I got the dates from Wikipedia; this volume provides no contributor information beyond the names). It was as good as I remembered, highly original both in its haunting and in its ghost- busting denouement, and flavored with a current of dry humor (if "dry" is an adjective you can connect with the tale of a ghost who drowned herself, and who can thoroughly saturate any room she haunts :-)). An added enjoyable jaunt down memory lane came with the discovery that "Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons" by Walter R. Brooks (who seems to have been a favorite of Hitchcock's; his work also appears in the Ghostly Gallery) was another well-liked and still remembered yarn I'd read in grade school. Both of these stories deal with ghosts and haunted houses --though the latter is humorous, and its ghost is a sympathetic figure. (Just because ghosts happen to be dead doesn't mean they have to be malevolent! :-))
Unfortunately, these were the only supernatural stories (!) out of the nine, by ten authors (the Peatties were a writing team). Most of the selections were simply mystery (though not murder mystery) stories, in the mold of the Hardy Boys' adventures; and some didn't even feature a house --the Twain selection, for instance, turned out to be an excerpt from Tom Sawyer, dealing with hidden treasure in a cave. (The inclusion of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story, "The Red-Headed League," was a particular head-scratcher!) Even worse, though Elizabeth Coatsworth's "The Forgotten Island" managed to be genuinely suspenseful, with a good use of Maine wilderness ambiance and just the right touch of exoticism, several of the tales included were not only written for children (and apparently for children younger than those envisioned as the readers for the Ghostly Gallery book), but by authors who thought literature for that audience has to be "dumbed down." (I disagree completely!) That entails writing with thin plots, cardboard character development, limited vocabulary, and no texture. I think that even some children reading this book would feel gypped --especially if he/she had been attracted by the bogus promise of nine ghost stories. Hitchcock's usual ability at story selection deserted him miserably (for the most part) here, and it shows!
Note: the Bangs story apparently appeared in that author's 1894 story collection The Water Ghost, and Others. That might be a volume worth looking into.
Earlier, I'd read (and reviewed) Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery, which --though aimed at YA readers-- was appreciable by adults; the stories selected there were kid-friendly, but not written intentionally for children. When I saw this volume on sale last summer at a yard sale, I expected more of the same. I was particularly drawn in by discovering, in the table of contents, that it included a story by Manly Wade Wellman (my favorite supernatural writer), AND one I read as a kid in some otherwise long-forgotten anthology and still recalled fondly, though I'd never memorized the author's name: "The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall."
Though set in England, that story was the work of an American, John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922 --I got the dates from Wikipedia; this volume provides no contributor information beyond the names). It was as good as I remembered, highly original both in its haunting and in its ghost- busting denouement, and flavored with a current of dry humor (if "dry" is an adjective you can connect with the tale of a ghost who drowned herself, and who can thoroughly saturate any room she haunts :-)). An added enjoyable jaunt down memory lane came with the discovery that "Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons" by Walter R. Brooks (who seems to have been a favorite of Hitchcock's; his work also appears in the Ghostly Gallery) was another well-liked and still remembered yarn I'd read in grade school. Both of these stories deal with ghosts and haunted houses --though the latter is humorous, and its ghost is a sympathetic figure. (Just because ghosts happen to be dead doesn't mean they have to be malevolent! :-))
Unfortunately, these were the only supernatural stories (!) out of the nine, by ten authors (the Peatties were a writing team). Most of the selections were simply mystery (though not murder mystery) stories, in the mold of the Hardy Boys' adventures; and some didn't even feature a house --the Twain selection, for instance, turned out to be an excerpt from Tom Sawyer, dealing with hidden treasure in a cave. (The inclusion of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story, "The Red-Headed League," was a particular head-scratcher!) Even worse, though Elizabeth Coatsworth's "The Forgotten Island" managed to be genuinely suspenseful, with a good use of Maine wilderness ambiance and just the right touch of exoticism, several of the tales included were not only written for children (and apparently for children younger than those envisioned as the readers for the Ghostly Gallery book), but by authors who thought literature for that audience has to be "dumbed down." (I disagree completely!) That entails writing with thin plots, cardboard character development, limited vocabulary, and no texture. I think that even some children reading this book would feel gypped --especially if he/she had been attracted by the bogus promise of nine ghost stories. Hitchcock's usual ability at story selection deserted him miserably (for the most part) here, and it shows!
Note: the Bangs story apparently appeared in that author's 1894 story collection The Water Ghost, and Others. That might be a volume worth looking into.
January 15, 2020
This book was a huge part of my childhood. It was on a shelf at my grandparents house when I was growing up and I'd read from it every time we visited. The inside cover illustration is especially inspiring and I used to make up crazy and complex stories just from looking at the picture.
When I finally read it all the way through as an older reader, I found that the stories were only mildly spooky and not nearly and scary as the stories I had made up from the pictures. But it's still so charming and fun. My grandmother's copy lives at my house now and my kids have loved to read it, too.
When I finally read it all the way through as an older reader, I found that the stories were only mildly spooky and not nearly and scary as the stories I had made up from the pictures. But it's still so charming and fun. My grandmother's copy lives at my house now and my kids have loved to read it, too.
September 30, 2025
This book was a favorite of mine back in the days of the elementary school library visits made once every week. The stories are mostly mystery stories for young readers with only two being actual ghost tales. A ghost story purist may be disappointed since the cover clearly depicts a haunted house but I can forgive the compilers because the stories are as good as I remember.
December 11, 2024
I was given this book for Christmas when I was a kid, probably the year it came out, and I really loved it. My original copy is now long gone, but fortunately I came across the title online and was able to buy it again. "Haunted Houseful” isn't a strictly accurate description of the anthology, but that's never particularly bothered me - I always figured it was just a convenient "hook" on which to hang the collection, and never took it ultra-literally. To my mind a book of stories where every tale is about a haunted house would get monotonous fairly quickly. The lack of emphasis on ghostly characters made this book seem geared more toward readers who were a little older and savvier (although Hitchcock - or, perhaps, appropriately, his ghostwriter? - does poke fun at people who don't believe in ghosts in the introduction, which is a highlight).
The stories are more creepy and spooky than outright scary, but I still find them very enjoyable. Only two of them feature actual ghosts and hauntings - the rest are more in the realm of adventure stories, with an emphasis on mystery and suspense. Most of them feature young protagonists that the target reader demographic can relate to. Fred Banbery's terrifically eerie blue and black illustrations are a major contribution to the volume, admirably capturing moments from each individual tale as well as creating a vibe for the book as a whole. A mixed bag of quite distinguished authors is represented, with writings spanning almost a century, from the 1870's to the 1950's. The works included are:
"Let's Haunt A House" by Manly Wade Wellman - A “Hardy Boys”-type outing, in which a prank planned by members of a boy scout troop inadvertently leads one of them to the solution of a mystery involving a scoutmaster’s vanished car. There is an old deserted house in the woods, and some well-handled danger and suspense. IMO this story could have been a bit longer, with more of a setup at the start and a less abrupt ending.
"The Wastwych Secret" by Constance Savery - A new acquaintance leads three impressionable young siblings to believe there might be something sinister about their grandmother, with whom they live. Another relatively short story, this is a cautionary tale which benefits from a strong sense of atmosphere and locale, taking place in a Victorian house near some forbidding marshes where there is a "will-o'-the-wisp".
"Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons" by Walter R. Brooks - This has a plot that seems geared more toward younger readers than the other stories, involving a boy who resolves to investigate and discredit claims that a ghost is haunting an empty house belonging to his aunt. It's kind of silly but fun, with a definite sense of humor and irony which will also appeal to adults. A "warm and fuzzy" ghost story.
"The Mystery Of Rabbit Run" by Jack Bechdolt - One of the longer stories here. A brother and sister and their younger cousin are spending part of their summer at a relative's country home in Pennsylvania, but their visit is dampened by strange goings-on from the moment they arrive. This one has a lot of action, with some colorful characters (including a dog!) and a good number of unsettling occurrences. A very satisfying adventure, with a believable mystery and a nicely unfolded resolution. A standout in the collection.
"The Forgotten Island" by Elizabeth Coatsworth - Another long-ish entry, but less frenetic and more languid than the previous story. Set in Maine, it's also about a brother and sister on summer vacation, who make an unexpected and intriguing discovery not far from their parents' brand new lake cabin. The writer excels at conjuring vivid sensory descriptions of the idyllic environment, while combining a faraway connection and a local mystery to create an aura of suspense. Probably my favorite story in the book.
"The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" by John Kendrick Bangs - The shortest story here, and my least favorite. The only other bona-fide ghost story besides “Jimmy”, it has a novel premise that’s cleverly handled by the author, but there just isn't much to it. I never feel invested in the characters, and the ending, ostensibly a happy one, comes off as almost mean-spirited.
"The Red-Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - My very first Sherlock Holmes story! (I’ve since read them all.) This one is great, and deservedly famous, but it's a little unclear why it was chosen to be in this anthology, since it features neither ghosts, nor hauntings, nor spooky or scary places or events (except near the end, briefly) - and there's not a kid in sight. It's basically a straight-ahead crime puzzle. Still, with such a unique setup and ingenious solution, I can't complain. Definitely the most "adult" story in the bunch.
"The Treasure In The Cave" by Mark Twain - This is not a short story at all, but rather an excerpt from "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer", and a very long one at 61 pages. It does have the elements to fulfill the loose theme of the anthology, but as with the previous entry, its inclusion is puzzling - Twain's "A Ghost Story", which actually IS a short story, might have been a more logical choice. The plot here is engrossing, with strong action and characterization, but although we do get Twain's satirical style and POV, this is honestly not one of my favorites in the group.
"The Mystery In Four-And-A-Half Street" by Donald and Louise Peattie - Getting my vote for best title, this bookends the volume nicely with the first story, the two having some similarities action-wise. Here a high school grad decides to quit his job as clerk in a seedy city pawn shop, only to get into trouble by being too conscientious. Despite its brief length this story is the most viscerally scary of the set, conveying a real sense of danger and dread. A great way to finish out the "Haunted Houseful".
The stories are more creepy and spooky than outright scary, but I still find them very enjoyable. Only two of them feature actual ghosts and hauntings - the rest are more in the realm of adventure stories, with an emphasis on mystery and suspense. Most of them feature young protagonists that the target reader demographic can relate to. Fred Banbery's terrifically eerie blue and black illustrations are a major contribution to the volume, admirably capturing moments from each individual tale as well as creating a vibe for the book as a whole. A mixed bag of quite distinguished authors is represented, with writings spanning almost a century, from the 1870's to the 1950's. The works included are:
"Let's Haunt A House" by Manly Wade Wellman - A “Hardy Boys”-type outing, in which a prank planned by members of a boy scout troop inadvertently leads one of them to the solution of a mystery involving a scoutmaster’s vanished car. There is an old deserted house in the woods, and some well-handled danger and suspense. IMO this story could have been a bit longer, with more of a setup at the start and a less abrupt ending.
"The Wastwych Secret" by Constance Savery - A new acquaintance leads three impressionable young siblings to believe there might be something sinister about their grandmother, with whom they live. Another relatively short story, this is a cautionary tale which benefits from a strong sense of atmosphere and locale, taking place in a Victorian house near some forbidding marshes where there is a "will-o'-the-wisp".
"Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons" by Walter R. Brooks - This has a plot that seems geared more toward younger readers than the other stories, involving a boy who resolves to investigate and discredit claims that a ghost is haunting an empty house belonging to his aunt. It's kind of silly but fun, with a definite sense of humor and irony which will also appeal to adults. A "warm and fuzzy" ghost story.
"The Mystery Of Rabbit Run" by Jack Bechdolt - One of the longer stories here. A brother and sister and their younger cousin are spending part of their summer at a relative's country home in Pennsylvania, but their visit is dampened by strange goings-on from the moment they arrive. This one has a lot of action, with some colorful characters (including a dog!) and a good number of unsettling occurrences. A very satisfying adventure, with a believable mystery and a nicely unfolded resolution. A standout in the collection.
"The Forgotten Island" by Elizabeth Coatsworth - Another long-ish entry, but less frenetic and more languid than the previous story. Set in Maine, it's also about a brother and sister on summer vacation, who make an unexpected and intriguing discovery not far from their parents' brand new lake cabin. The writer excels at conjuring vivid sensory descriptions of the idyllic environment, while combining a faraway connection and a local mystery to create an aura of suspense. Probably my favorite story in the book.
"The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" by John Kendrick Bangs - The shortest story here, and my least favorite. The only other bona-fide ghost story besides “Jimmy”, it has a novel premise that’s cleverly handled by the author, but there just isn't much to it. I never feel invested in the characters, and the ending, ostensibly a happy one, comes off as almost mean-spirited.
"The Red-Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - My very first Sherlock Holmes story! (I’ve since read them all.) This one is great, and deservedly famous, but it's a little unclear why it was chosen to be in this anthology, since it features neither ghosts, nor hauntings, nor spooky or scary places or events (except near the end, briefly) - and there's not a kid in sight. It's basically a straight-ahead crime puzzle. Still, with such a unique setup and ingenious solution, I can't complain. Definitely the most "adult" story in the bunch.
"The Treasure In The Cave" by Mark Twain - This is not a short story at all, but rather an excerpt from "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer", and a very long one at 61 pages. It does have the elements to fulfill the loose theme of the anthology, but as with the previous entry, its inclusion is puzzling - Twain's "A Ghost Story", which actually IS a short story, might have been a more logical choice. The plot here is engrossing, with strong action and characterization, but although we do get Twain's satirical style and POV, this is honestly not one of my favorites in the group.
"The Mystery In Four-And-A-Half Street" by Donald and Louise Peattie - Getting my vote for best title, this bookends the volume nicely with the first story, the two having some similarities action-wise. Here a high school grad decides to quit his job as clerk in a seedy city pawn shop, only to get into trouble by being too conscientious. Despite its brief length this story is the most viscerally scary of the set, conveying a real sense of danger and dread. A great way to finish out the "Haunted Houseful".
October 8, 2024
O poveste simpatica, tinerii au idei multe si totusi fantomele sunt fantome.
September 24, 2018
An enjoyable collection of stories, mostly mysteries with children as protagonists. The best part of this collection is the artwork by Fred Banbery. If I ever stumble across another copy, I will buy it just to cut out the illustrate to hang.
August 10, 2015
My kids love these simple tales with some mystery and exciting spins. We are simple people though so perhaps this book isn't action packed enough for all. My eight year old is very tuned into the consequences of events. Enjoyable.
October 15, 2025
3 stars.
I'm mixed about this collection of short stories. Based on the cover and title I was expecting a bunch of horror haunting stories or haunted house.
For the most part, that's what I got. But unfortunately, and the reason why this book is 3 stars from me and not 4, is because the last few stories were neither horror, haunting or about a haunted house. It felt so strange as to why they were there. They were mystery stories and not about something scary or a scary house. Except, the last one I suppose could have been somewhat twisted to slightly fit this but that's a big maybe. I mean, it involves an abandoned house. But that's it.
I couldn't get past the mismatch of this.
But on a positive note, the rest of the book was good. The stories I enjoyed and fit the subject matter. It was created for younger readers (approx 10 yrs+) as we get a message from Hitchcock himself in the beginning explaining why.
Not sure I would recommend it but it's also not bad. 3 stars from me means 'good'. So take it with a pinch of salt to decide if you want to read it or give it a miss.
I'm mixed about this collection of short stories. Based on the cover and title I was expecting a bunch of horror haunting stories or haunted house.
For the most part, that's what I got. But unfortunately, and the reason why this book is 3 stars from me and not 4, is because the last few stories were neither horror, haunting or about a haunted house. It felt so strange as to why they were there. They were mystery stories and not about something scary or a scary house. Except, the last one I suppose could have been somewhat twisted to slightly fit this but that's a big maybe. I mean, it involves an abandoned house. But that's it.
I couldn't get past the mismatch of this.
But on a positive note, the rest of the book was good. The stories I enjoyed and fit the subject matter. It was created for younger readers (approx 10 yrs+) as we get a message from Hitchcock himself in the beginning explaining why.
Not sure I would recommend it but it's also not bad. 3 stars from me means 'good'. So take it with a pinch of salt to decide if you want to read it or give it a miss.
March 25, 2017
i could remember reading this book when I was a kid and loving it. When I came across it online I was thrilled. It was fun for nostalgia's sake to read it again but it wasn't half as good as I remembered it being. I think most things from our childhood end up being that way.
May 30, 2020
Stars: 4.5 / 5
Recommendation: A thoroughly entertaining set of stories that definitely give you shivers when you come across things that go bump in night, yet keeps the stories at a young reader level so they don’t get too much scared and run screaming.
Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful is the second book in the series Alfred Hitchcock created for young readers. The book was originally published in 1961. It is a collection of nine stories by famous authors that Hitchcock compiled together for young readers.
Each short story had been written by someone famous, some decades ago while some in the recent past of the time the book was published in. The illustrations were done by Fred Banbery, the first of his works for Hitchcock. He did three more books in the series after this for Hitchcock - Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery: Eleven Spooky Stories for Young People (originally published in 1962) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery (originally published in 1962) and Hitchcock Solve-Them-Yourself Mysteries (originally published in 1963).
I normally don’t read horror books or don’t watch a lot of horror movies either. However when I had been to a book sale last year, two of Hitchcock's books captured my eye. In fact from Hitchcock's portfolio I must have seen a handful of his movies - 1935 film The 39 Steps (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), 1938 film The Lady Vanishes (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...). 1951 film Strangers on a Train (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), 1954 film Rear Window (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), 1958 film Vertigo, 1959 film North by Northwest and 1960 film Psycho.
So when I saw those books, on a whim I bought them, and also they were coming for a very low price. Despite watching a few movies, it still took almost a whole year for me to get the courage to finally read the books. Here goes my review of the first book I purchased.
The first short story, Let's Haunt A House, was written by Manly Wade Wellman, originally published for Boy's Life Magazine for Boy Scouts of America. The original year of publishing I couldn’t find. This short story revolves around three Boy Scouts Homes "Sherlock" Hamilton, leader of the Hound Patrol, Doc Watson, Assistant Patrol Leader and Max Hinkel, a boy scout, who take it upon themselves to find out what's going on with a supposed haunted house near a scouts trail.
The second story, The Wastwych Secret, was written by Constance Savery, first published in October of 1935 as an illustrated stand-alone book. After a little google search I found that this is the only short story by Savery that is still in print. The story revolves around three children - Tawny, Nonie & Estelle - who try to stop a secret to get out about their Grandmamma.
The third story, Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons, was written by Walter R. Brooks, first published in Story Parade in 1950. But later was published as it's own illustrated book in 1965. The plot revolves around Jimmy Crandall who tries to help his aunt by facing up to the ghost that was haunting his grandfather's house.
The fourth story, The Mystery Of Rabbit Run, was written by Jack Bechdolt, first published in Story Parade in 1946 and 1947. The plot revolves around three kids - John Carpenter, his sister Madge and their cousin Oliver Mead - who encounter an unexpected mysterious adventure while they are vacationing at Rabbit Run, the country place in New Hope, Pennsylvania, owned by their Aunt Judith.
The fifth story, The Forgotten Island, was written by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth, first published as a Story Parade adventure book in 1942. The plot is set on a secluded cove on Green Pond where the Lane family - Father James, Mother Janet and kids John and Jane - build their own log cabin to spend their outings. And one of their outings the kids find another island with a deserted house, that leads them to an adventure of lifetime.
The sixth story, The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall, was written by John Kendrick Bangs, first published in 1894. It is a classic 15-minute ghost story in which the ghost, for decades, appears to the owner of the Harrowby Hall every Christmas Eve for an hour and leaves them drenched in water. Now it is upto the current descendent of the Harrowby Hall to outwit the ghost and put them all out of this misery year after year.
The seventh story, The Red-Headed League, was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in Strand Magazine as an illustrated version in August of 1891. This was also part of the book The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that Doyle published a year later along with 11 other stories. I have seen or heard several adaptations of this story by Doyle and had thoroughly enjoyed and charmed by it. No need to give a synopsis for such a famed tale, I suppose! :P
The eighth story, The Treasure In The Cave, was written by Mark Twain, is an excerpt from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer published first in 1876. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry "Huck" Finn gather their spades and shovels and picks to go on a summer adventure to dig around and find treasure.
The ninth and the final story, The Mystery In Four-And-A-Half Street, was written by Donald and Louise Peattie, first published in 1931 and later in 1959 before it graced this book. In this, Chuck Ames a clerk at the curiosity shop, decides to quit his job, but becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding the shop on his last day at work.
According to the preface that Hitchcock leaves in the book, he had compiled a similar book for adults. And now he was compiling one for kids. Other than that I couldn’t find anything else about how the idea of this series was conceived or how many more books he compiled hereafter.
One thing I did notice in the book though. The illustrations of the supposedly ghostly characters in most stories looked eerily similar to Alfred Hitchcock himself. For instance, in the third story, Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons; Or in the fourth story, The Mystery Of Rabbit Run; Or the descendent of the Harrowby Hall in the sixth story, The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall, whose face looks so similar to Hitchcock's, or the portly structure he dons when facing the ghost; Or the face of Dr. Watson in the seventh story, The Red-Headed League, in one scene.
The book was a quick read for me, hardly took more than a few hours to finish it. It is catered to young readers so I assume it would be different for them. As the title suggested, Hitchcock kept pretty close to the theme of "haunted houses" in all stories except for two.
One was The Red-Headed League tale by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I was surprised to see it in there since there was no ghostly element or a haunted house involved. I can only guess that Hitchcock couldn’t resist to add a story by one of his favorite authors.
The second one being The Treasure in the Cave by Mark Twain. This simply ended being an excerpt from the larger book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, as opposed to be a true short story by Twain himself like the other 8 stories in the book. In fact this excerpt is actually from Chapter 25 thru the end of the book. It was rather disappointing to see so much of that book in here. Would have loved to see another short story instead.
Although one thing stopped me to think twice. I had read Adventures of Tom Sawyer a long time ago, and seen adaptations of it. But I never thought that Tom had a dark-side of his mind where he wanted to become a robber, kidnap people, kill them for ransom, and if it were women keep them forever but kidnapped in a secret location. OMG, Tom could have very well be one of those serial killers or psychopaths or sociopaths when he grows up. I wonder why Twain drifted his character towards that side in the end of the book.
A thoroughly entertaining set of stories that definitely give you shivers when you come across things that go bump in night, yet keeps the stories at a young reader level so they don’t get too much scared and run screaming. Hitchcock's compilation is a must read for any young reader. I have to remember to suggest this to my nephew once he is old enough to read such books.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. The going rate of a diamond in 1876 is $20 per diamond, per Tom Sayer's story in the book.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. In the first story, Let's Haunt a House, the character Holmes "Sherlock" Hamilton, uses a method used in one of the Sherlock Holmes story where he evades the bad guys by creating a misdirection. I wonder which Holmes story was the author referring to here.
3. Grammatical / Historical / Location / Character Errors:
a. On Pg. 8, Line 6, it should be "…and a hornet's nest hung…"
b. On Pg. 112, it is clearly shown that the advertisement regarding the red-headed league was published in The Morning Chronicle on April 27, 1890. Holmes makes a point to say that it was two months ago to date the story begins. However on Pg. 119, it is shown that the Red-Headed League gets dissolved on October 9, 1890, which is four months after the date the story begins. Shouldn’t the dissolving date have been June 9 1890 instead?
Recommendation: A thoroughly entertaining set of stories that definitely give you shivers when you come across things that go bump in night, yet keeps the stories at a young reader level so they don’t get too much scared and run screaming.
Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful is the second book in the series Alfred Hitchcock created for young readers. The book was originally published in 1961. It is a collection of nine stories by famous authors that Hitchcock compiled together for young readers.
Each short story had been written by someone famous, some decades ago while some in the recent past of the time the book was published in. The illustrations were done by Fred Banbery, the first of his works for Hitchcock. He did three more books in the series after this for Hitchcock - Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery: Eleven Spooky Stories for Young People (originally published in 1962) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery (originally published in 1962) and Hitchcock Solve-Them-Yourself Mysteries (originally published in 1963).
I normally don’t read horror books or don’t watch a lot of horror movies either. However when I had been to a book sale last year, two of Hitchcock's books captured my eye. In fact from Hitchcock's portfolio I must have seen a handful of his movies - 1935 film The 39 Steps (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), 1938 film The Lady Vanishes (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...). 1951 film Strangers on a Train (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), 1954 film Rear Window (Review here: https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...), 1958 film Vertigo, 1959 film North by Northwest and 1960 film Psycho.
So when I saw those books, on a whim I bought them, and also they were coming for a very low price. Despite watching a few movies, it still took almost a whole year for me to get the courage to finally read the books. Here goes my review of the first book I purchased.
The first short story, Let's Haunt A House, was written by Manly Wade Wellman, originally published for Boy's Life Magazine for Boy Scouts of America. The original year of publishing I couldn’t find. This short story revolves around three Boy Scouts Homes "Sherlock" Hamilton, leader of the Hound Patrol, Doc Watson, Assistant Patrol Leader and Max Hinkel, a boy scout, who take it upon themselves to find out what's going on with a supposed haunted house near a scouts trail.
The second story, The Wastwych Secret, was written by Constance Savery, first published in October of 1935 as an illustrated stand-alone book. After a little google search I found that this is the only short story by Savery that is still in print. The story revolves around three children - Tawny, Nonie & Estelle - who try to stop a secret to get out about their Grandmamma.
The third story, Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons, was written by Walter R. Brooks, first published in Story Parade in 1950. But later was published as it's own illustrated book in 1965. The plot revolves around Jimmy Crandall who tries to help his aunt by facing up to the ghost that was haunting his grandfather's house.
The fourth story, The Mystery Of Rabbit Run, was written by Jack Bechdolt, first published in Story Parade in 1946 and 1947. The plot revolves around three kids - John Carpenter, his sister Madge and their cousin Oliver Mead - who encounter an unexpected mysterious adventure while they are vacationing at Rabbit Run, the country place in New Hope, Pennsylvania, owned by their Aunt Judith.
The fifth story, The Forgotten Island, was written by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth, first published as a Story Parade adventure book in 1942. The plot is set on a secluded cove on Green Pond where the Lane family - Father James, Mother Janet and kids John and Jane - build their own log cabin to spend their outings. And one of their outings the kids find another island with a deserted house, that leads them to an adventure of lifetime.
The sixth story, The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall, was written by John Kendrick Bangs, first published in 1894. It is a classic 15-minute ghost story in which the ghost, for decades, appears to the owner of the Harrowby Hall every Christmas Eve for an hour and leaves them drenched in water. Now it is upto the current descendent of the Harrowby Hall to outwit the ghost and put them all out of this misery year after year.
The seventh story, The Red-Headed League, was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in Strand Magazine as an illustrated version in August of 1891. This was also part of the book The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that Doyle published a year later along with 11 other stories. I have seen or heard several adaptations of this story by Doyle and had thoroughly enjoyed and charmed by it. No need to give a synopsis for such a famed tale, I suppose! :P
The eighth story, The Treasure In The Cave, was written by Mark Twain, is an excerpt from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer published first in 1876. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry "Huck" Finn gather their spades and shovels and picks to go on a summer adventure to dig around and find treasure.
The ninth and the final story, The Mystery In Four-And-A-Half Street, was written by Donald and Louise Peattie, first published in 1931 and later in 1959 before it graced this book. In this, Chuck Ames a clerk at the curiosity shop, decides to quit his job, but becomes embroiled in a mystery surrounding the shop on his last day at work.
According to the preface that Hitchcock leaves in the book, he had compiled a similar book for adults. And now he was compiling one for kids. Other than that I couldn’t find anything else about how the idea of this series was conceived or how many more books he compiled hereafter.
One thing I did notice in the book though. The illustrations of the supposedly ghostly characters in most stories looked eerily similar to Alfred Hitchcock himself. For instance, in the third story, Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons; Or in the fourth story, The Mystery Of Rabbit Run; Or the descendent of the Harrowby Hall in the sixth story, The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall, whose face looks so similar to Hitchcock's, or the portly structure he dons when facing the ghost; Or the face of Dr. Watson in the seventh story, The Red-Headed League, in one scene.
The book was a quick read for me, hardly took more than a few hours to finish it. It is catered to young readers so I assume it would be different for them. As the title suggested, Hitchcock kept pretty close to the theme of "haunted houses" in all stories except for two.
One was The Red-Headed League tale by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I was surprised to see it in there since there was no ghostly element or a haunted house involved. I can only guess that Hitchcock couldn’t resist to add a story by one of his favorite authors.
The second one being The Treasure in the Cave by Mark Twain. This simply ended being an excerpt from the larger book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, as opposed to be a true short story by Twain himself like the other 8 stories in the book. In fact this excerpt is actually from Chapter 25 thru the end of the book. It was rather disappointing to see so much of that book in here. Would have loved to see another short story instead.
Although one thing stopped me to think twice. I had read Adventures of Tom Sawyer a long time ago, and seen adaptations of it. But I never thought that Tom had a dark-side of his mind where he wanted to become a robber, kidnap people, kill them for ransom, and if it were women keep them forever but kidnapped in a secret location. OMG, Tom could have very well be one of those serial killers or psychopaths or sociopaths when he grows up. I wonder why Twain drifted his character towards that side in the end of the book.
A thoroughly entertaining set of stories that definitely give you shivers when you come across things that go bump in night, yet keeps the stories at a young reader level so they don’t get too much scared and run screaming. Hitchcock's compilation is a must read for any young reader. I have to remember to suggest this to my nephew once he is old enough to read such books.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. The going rate of a diamond in 1876 is $20 per diamond, per Tom Sayer's story in the book.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. In the first story, Let's Haunt a House, the character Holmes "Sherlock" Hamilton, uses a method used in one of the Sherlock Holmes story where he evades the bad guys by creating a misdirection. I wonder which Holmes story was the author referring to here.
3. Grammatical / Historical / Location / Character Errors:
a. On Pg. 8, Line 6, it should be "…and a hornet's nest hung…"
b. On Pg. 112, it is clearly shown that the advertisement regarding the red-headed league was published in The Morning Chronicle on April 27, 1890. Holmes makes a point to say that it was two months ago to date the story begins. However on Pg. 119, it is shown that the Red-Headed League gets dissolved on October 9, 1890, which is four months after the date the story begins. Shouldn’t the dissolving date have been June 9 1890 instead?
March 4, 2025
Haunted Houseful reminds me of the sorts of books I would enthusiastically grab by the armful on library excursions as a child. I swear the children's section didn't have a book written after 1978, but the antiquated covers and yellowing pages were almost as enticing as the stories contained within. It was as though I found myself in some Realm of the Forgotten, the shelves abounding with buried secrets and lost knowledge. (The contents of the books themselves, of course, rarely lived up to this promise, but I suppose I wasn't setting them up for success.)
Probably the most charming aspect of Haunted Houseful is the art style. As indicated by the cover, Hitchcock makes a "cameo" in the majority of the illustrations, even appearing as the young schoolboy protagonist of one story, which is a comically uncanny sight of the type we are now being flooded with thanks to generative AI. Unfortunately, my edition doesn't contain the phrase "nine cool stories", as glimpsed on the Goodreads cover thumbnail. I know "cool" as a slang term had already existed in the American lexicon for decades by the time this collection was published in the 1960s, but its use still feels like a shallow and transparently ridiculous attempt by old white guys to appeal to "the youths", like when characters on Netflix's Wednesday tell the title character she's like a "living Instagram filter". At least Hitchcock/Hitch's ghost writer doesn't express open contempt for the very audience he's trying to reach.
"Let's Haunt a House" by Manly Wade Wellman - Wellman's Silver John mythos is one of the most potent, though often overlooked, creations in the contemporary(ish) horror canon. His story here is just okay, involving all the typical cliches of what would become known as the Scooby Doo subgenre--a spooky house in the woods, holed-up thieves, and a plucky kid just itching to solve a mystery. There are even characters nicknamed Sherlock and Watson. It's not awful but a trifle too cutesy.
"The Wastwych Secret" by Constance Savery - The grand and innocent world of a child's imagination is typically spoken of with awe and reverence by adults, but I'm a sucker for stories about the potentially dangerous consequences their inability to distinguish reality from fantasy--Poison for the Fairies and The Reflecting Skin are two evocative illustrations of this concept. Revery's story, about a mean girl who convinces two naive younger children that their grandmother is a witch so they will give her their possessions to keep her from spilling the secret, never takes that final dark turn, but the ingredients are there.
"Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons" by Walter R. Brooks - The first of two bonafide ghost sightings. It's a ghost who isn't good at scaring people, which is an amusing trope I suppose, but there's nothing at all chilling here.
"The Mystery of Rabbit Run" by Jack Bechdolt - A boy viewed as a nuisance by his two older cousins vows to prove his worth by getting to the bottom of the mysterious events plaguing their grandfather. The best part of this story is the beginning, in which the three children are left with no choice but to haul their luggage through the forest when nobody arrives to pick them up from the train station. The actual mystery is a bit dull.
"The Forgotten Island" by Elizabeth Coatsworth - Some kids stumble upon an abandoned house on an abandoned island that's full of African treasure or whatever. For a story that evokes the concept of "adventure" so often, there's little proof of the concept.
"The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" by John Kendrick Bangs - I enjoy stories that explore the metaphysics of hauntings, and this story poses an enticing question: If a ghost is composed chiefly of water, what methods might you employ to rid yourself of it? The problem with this story is that the ghost herself is more tragic than evil, so you don't have much sympathy for the hero who is trying to disabuse himself of the haunting.
"The Red-Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Does this story belong in this collection? There's not even a plausibly deniable ghost a la "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Having said that, this did remind me that, while the popular interpretation of Sherlock Holmes these days is that of a socially maladjusted jerk who is only funny on accident, Doyle's version of the character is not bereft of compassion and actually has a pretty good sense of humor. There's a moment when a prospective client tells Holmes that his dazzling deductions seem a lot less impressive after he walks through the logic of his conclusions, and Holmes offhandedly says to Watson, "I begin to think...that I make a mistake in explaining."
"The Treasure in the Cave" by Mark Twain - Not a contained story, but an excerpt from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Not only does this goes on for 60 pages--the longest entry in the anthology--but it's basically the last quarter of the entire book. So you don't know who any of the characters are or what their conflicts have been up to this point, but you get to see how everything gets resolved. It's like if the last story in George Romero's Creepshow was just the prom scene in Carrie with absolutely no context.
"The Mystery in Four-and-a-Half Street" by Donald and Louise Peattie - I ended my reading journey last year by making my way through a dozen late '80s/early '90s YA horror novels, and I can draw a definite throughline from here to there; a lot of Point Horror feels like a mix of drive-in movies from the '50s through the '80s (the first Friday the 13th is a major influence on pretty much every Fear Street book set at camp) with exactly this sort of mundane mystery/adventure story that I imagine those writers grew up on. It's about a high school graduate who quits his job at an antique store in a huff, only to return reluctantly after hours as he is compelled by his sense of duty to make sure everything is stored properly and locked; a break-in ensues. It's all a bit silly and lightweight but I guess that's the fun of it, right?
Probably the most charming aspect of Haunted Houseful is the art style. As indicated by the cover, Hitchcock makes a "cameo" in the majority of the illustrations, even appearing as the young schoolboy protagonist of one story, which is a comically uncanny sight of the type we are now being flooded with thanks to generative AI. Unfortunately, my edition doesn't contain the phrase "nine cool stories", as glimpsed on the Goodreads cover thumbnail. I know "cool" as a slang term had already existed in the American lexicon for decades by the time this collection was published in the 1960s, but its use still feels like a shallow and transparently ridiculous attempt by old white guys to appeal to "the youths", like when characters on Netflix's Wednesday tell the title character she's like a "living Instagram filter". At least Hitchcock/Hitch's ghost writer doesn't express open contempt for the very audience he's trying to reach.
"Let's Haunt a House" by Manly Wade Wellman - Wellman's Silver John mythos is one of the most potent, though often overlooked, creations in the contemporary(ish) horror canon. His story here is just okay, involving all the typical cliches of what would become known as the Scooby Doo subgenre--a spooky house in the woods, holed-up thieves, and a plucky kid just itching to solve a mystery. There are even characters nicknamed Sherlock and Watson. It's not awful but a trifle too cutesy.
"The Wastwych Secret" by Constance Savery - The grand and innocent world of a child's imagination is typically spoken of with awe and reverence by adults, but I'm a sucker for stories about the potentially dangerous consequences their inability to distinguish reality from fantasy--Poison for the Fairies and The Reflecting Skin are two evocative illustrations of this concept. Revery's story, about a mean girl who convinces two naive younger children that their grandmother is a witch so they will give her their possessions to keep her from spilling the secret, never takes that final dark turn, but the ingredients are there.
"Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons" by Walter R. Brooks - The first of two bonafide ghost sightings. It's a ghost who isn't good at scaring people, which is an amusing trope I suppose, but there's nothing at all chilling here.
"The Mystery of Rabbit Run" by Jack Bechdolt - A boy viewed as a nuisance by his two older cousins vows to prove his worth by getting to the bottom of the mysterious events plaguing their grandfather. The best part of this story is the beginning, in which the three children are left with no choice but to haul their luggage through the forest when nobody arrives to pick them up from the train station. The actual mystery is a bit dull.
"The Forgotten Island" by Elizabeth Coatsworth - Some kids stumble upon an abandoned house on an abandoned island that's full of African treasure or whatever. For a story that evokes the concept of "adventure" so often, there's little proof of the concept.
"The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" by John Kendrick Bangs - I enjoy stories that explore the metaphysics of hauntings, and this story poses an enticing question: If a ghost is composed chiefly of water, what methods might you employ to rid yourself of it? The problem with this story is that the ghost herself is more tragic than evil, so you don't have much sympathy for the hero who is trying to disabuse himself of the haunting.
"The Red-Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Does this story belong in this collection? There's not even a plausibly deniable ghost a la "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Having said that, this did remind me that, while the popular interpretation of Sherlock Holmes these days is that of a socially maladjusted jerk who is only funny on accident, Doyle's version of the character is not bereft of compassion and actually has a pretty good sense of humor. There's a moment when a prospective client tells Holmes that his dazzling deductions seem a lot less impressive after he walks through the logic of his conclusions, and Holmes offhandedly says to Watson, "I begin to think...that I make a mistake in explaining."
"The Treasure in the Cave" by Mark Twain - Not a contained story, but an excerpt from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Not only does this goes on for 60 pages--the longest entry in the anthology--but it's basically the last quarter of the entire book. So you don't know who any of the characters are or what their conflicts have been up to this point, but you get to see how everything gets resolved. It's like if the last story in George Romero's Creepshow was just the prom scene in Carrie with absolutely no context.
"The Mystery in Four-and-a-Half Street" by Donald and Louise Peattie - I ended my reading journey last year by making my way through a dozen late '80s/early '90s YA horror novels, and I can draw a definite throughline from here to there; a lot of Point Horror feels like a mix of drive-in movies from the '50s through the '80s (the first Friday the 13th is a major influence on pretty much every Fear Street book set at camp) with exactly this sort of mundane mystery/adventure story that I imagine those writers grew up on. It's about a high school graduate who quits his job at an antique store in a huff, only to return reluctantly after hours as he is compelled by his sense of duty to make sure everything is stored properly and locked; a break-in ensues. It's all a bit silly and lightweight but I guess that's the fun of it, right?
June 13, 2016
I originally read this when I was a kid, and recently found a copy of the 1961 edition. With lush thick pages and lots of moody illustrations by Fred Banbery, the book is a pleasure to read. "Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons" by Walter R. Brooks is the gem of this collection. It's a funny little story about a brave kid who visits a haunted house and befriends a ghost. When I read this story at age ten, I couldn't imagine anything more wonderful than having a ghost teach me to vanish. Actually, I still can't. "The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" by John Kendrick Bangs is another charmer about a particularly annoying and drippy British spirit.
The other stories in the book are pleasant to read (if occasionally somewhat dated), but many don't involve ghosts or haunted houses. I think I'll hide it on my bookshelf and wait till Halloween. Then I'll go back to the haunted house and take another vanishing lesson.
The other stories in the book are pleasant to read (if occasionally somewhat dated), but many don't involve ghosts or haunted houses. I think I'll hide it on my bookshelf and wait till Halloween. Then I'll go back to the haunted house and take another vanishing lesson.
October 27, 2013
One of my favorite books when I was a kid, I've been lugging it from house to house since 1962.
October 25, 2019
I ordered this one off Bookstagram and I was expecting a slightly creepy and slightly goofy book. It mostly didn't disappoint, however there were a few stories I could have supplanted for others. There were also some suspect morals delivered.
Let's Haunt a House: This started the collection out very well. Very much a Scooby Doo vibe. The writing itself led a bit to be desired, but the story was pretty fun.
The Wastwych Secret: A fun story with a really terrible person involved. There was a bit of a happy ending, but yeesh.
Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons: This is the first story with the strange moral turn. There are quite a bit of really terrible kids, who end up being the heroes of these stories.
The Mystery of Rabbit Run: One of the best stories of the entire book. Very Scooby Doo vibish, and a ton of fun, as well as spectacularly told.
The Forgotten Island: This was pretty slow moving, but a very fun story. Many of these are a bit more of a mystery than terror stories and this one is the ultimate example of that.
The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall: This was a really fun story, but dang...Yet again...another really terrible character.
The Red-Headed League: A Sherlock Holmes story, but it's just a straight mystery. Doyle has a number of really creepy stories, and I was dissapointed that one of those were not here in this place. Still, this is one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes stories.
The Treasure in the Cave: I really have no idea why this story is here. In fact it's not even a story, it's an excerpt from Tom Sawyer. The issue is that you loose the point of the story, because you don't have the back stories of Huck or Tom. You just get a few damaged boys doing things they shouldn't, with no redemption arc. This was better left off. Dont get me wrong, I love Twain, and I love Tom's story, I just dont know why they didn't just find a better story to fit into a "haunted" story collection.
The Mystery in four-and-a-half-street: This was a bit creepy with the action at the end, but it...again...is just a mystery story. Fun and a good overall story, but I really wanted a bit of a haunted house story.
Let's Haunt a House: This started the collection out very well. Very much a Scooby Doo vibe. The writing itself led a bit to be desired, but the story was pretty fun.
The Wastwych Secret: A fun story with a really terrible person involved. There was a bit of a happy ending, but yeesh.
Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons: This is the first story with the strange moral turn. There are quite a bit of really terrible kids, who end up being the heroes of these stories.
The Mystery of Rabbit Run: One of the best stories of the entire book. Very Scooby Doo vibish, and a ton of fun, as well as spectacularly told.
The Forgotten Island: This was pretty slow moving, but a very fun story. Many of these are a bit more of a mystery than terror stories and this one is the ultimate example of that.
The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall: This was a really fun story, but dang...Yet again...another really terrible character.
The Red-Headed League: A Sherlock Holmes story, but it's just a straight mystery. Doyle has a number of really creepy stories, and I was dissapointed that one of those were not here in this place. Still, this is one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes stories.
The Treasure in the Cave: I really have no idea why this story is here. In fact it's not even a story, it's an excerpt from Tom Sawyer. The issue is that you loose the point of the story, because you don't have the back stories of Huck or Tom. You just get a few damaged boys doing things they shouldn't, with no redemption arc. This was better left off. Dont get me wrong, I love Twain, and I love Tom's story, I just dont know why they didn't just find a better story to fit into a "haunted" story collection.
The Mystery in four-and-a-half-street: This was a bit creepy with the action at the end, but it...again...is just a mystery story. Fun and a good overall story, but I really wanted a bit of a haunted house story.
September 20, 2019
Thanks, Tarryn, for this great collection of stories from Hitchcock! You know how much I love watching him on Hulu! In this collection (1961) are some authors I know (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain) and some I don't (Manly Wade Wellman, Donald and Louise Peattie among others). I liked "The Mystery of Rabbit Run" by Jack Bechdolt, because it takes place in New Hope, Pennsylvania, close to the Jersey border and the train route to New York City. It kind of was a trip back home!
August 6, 2017
I loved this when I was a kid, but it is a different experience to read it as an adult. There are some fun stories in here, but only one story that actually has a ghost in it. I remember that being a bit of a disappointment even as a kid. I had been promised a haunting, and all the rational explanations were sort of a downer.
April 23, 2021
This was a fun and spooky read. More spooky than scary...but still enjoyable. I liked most of the stories and they were interesting and intriguing. There's varied personalities, different writing styles, suspense and overall a good campfire tingly feeling. Good for the family (maybe pg-13 and up). Enjoy!
October 8, 2023
I wanted to read this book because I remembered seeing it in a bookshop when I was a kid and loved the illustrations in it but reading it as an adult was not the greatest experience. Although they are all well written stories they are clearly geared towards younger children but it was a nice easy read.
February 1, 2023
Another fun and spooky collection edited by Alfred Hitchcock. My favorite stories were:
Let's Haunt a House
The Wastwych Secret
Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons
The Mystery of Rabbit Run
The Forgotten Island
The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall
Let's Haunt a House
The Wastwych Secret
Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons
The Mystery of Rabbit Run
The Forgotten Island
The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall
July 26, 2017
Fun to read, but most of the stories weren't supernatural at all. I was hoping for more ghosts and mystery and spookiness.
September 27, 2019
A lot less hauntings than the title suggest but a cute selection of stories none the less. ‘Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons’ and ‘The Water Ghost Of Harrowby Hall’ were particular favourites.
April 15, 2021
Great for a children's library. Would like more books like this.
November 4, 2021
I was hoping there would be at least a couple spooky stories... there was not. Most of the stories were really boring.
November 30, 2021
Thrilling stuff for young readers and still entertaining for adults.
October 15, 2023
Too juvenile for adults and too high level for kids. Awesome artwork and language.
December 27, 2023
Like famous five with some fear of ghosts. Very much a children's book of the 50's, with the sexism and racism of the era.
August 25, 2024
Amazing, haunted, and spooky bestest kids ghost book ever! I read it in my 40s and looooove it! The seaweed ghost won all ghost competitions😍
April 24, 2025
a brilliant book
by an amazing author
loved every story
kept me going
through every page
by an amazing author
loved every story
kept me going
through every page
December 1, 2025
I love the layout of this collection and the artwork, but the collection is just average. It includes some authors I've never read before, as well as some favs like Twain and Doyle.
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