Title: The Mystery
of the Haunted House (Sycamore Street Mysteries #1)
Author: Willow
Night
Illustrator:
Elizabeth Leach
Publisher: Willow
Night Press
Pages: 116
My GoodReads
Rating: ⭐⭐
Sixth-grader
Noah and his fourth-grader brother Josh are excited about a supposedly haunted
house in their neighbourhood and the single word, Beware, that has been painted
high above on one wall.
While Josh is
free to indulge his curiosity about the haunted house, Noah feels the weight of
his age. Poor boy! As a sixth-grader, he has too much Math homework to do.
Soon, they learn that they aren’t the only kids who are interested in the
house. There is a girl called Olivia, a new girl in Noah’s class, who is just
as keen to know more about it.
The kids decide
to join hands in the investigation and it helps that Olivia knows a lot about
cameras and electronic bugs and how to spy on the house. But when Josh
disappears, Noah and Olivia are forced to act quickly to save Josh. There’s no
doubt that he is trapped in the haunted house. How will they ever manage to get
him out?
The story is
written in the 3rd person omniscient PoV.
WHAT
I LIKED:
Olivia is very
tech-savvy, and it is really good to see a girl in such a role. She knows a lot
about computers and cameras, how to shoot, record and post the evidence to the
authorities.
The
illustrations by Elizabeth Leach were very nice.
WHAT
I DIDN’T:
The book ended
very abruptly. There should have been some hint that there would be another
adventure in the future, or that they couldn’t wait to do some more
investigations. Some kind of a cliffhanger to invite young readers to join the
kids on their next adventure.
Instead, we are
told that the doughnuts were very delicious. I thought it was the end of the
chapter, but no, it was the end of the book.
WHAT
DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:
The flat ending.
Also, the
mystery was quite insubstantial. The kids weren’t in any real danger. It is
hard for readers to feel invested in characters who are not in danger.
ALL
SAID AND DONE: The book might be of interest to young kids who are
first-time readers.
(I read this
book on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.)
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