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Haunted Houses
25 tales of haunted buildings
125 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 31, 2017
This is a great read for older elementary readers. It covers ten different stories about ghosts, poltergeists, and a few spooky haunted places. It does contain some illustrations, but the majority are artistic in nature. This is an old one from 1969, but very educational!
October 8, 2019
I got this from one of the old Scholastic Book Clubs we had maybe in 8th grade (89-90). So if one reads from a kids point of view it's rather good. Back in those days they'd have competitions on how many one got read. Well one of these tiny books counted. For how short it is even half way thru it's well worth it. And Also the print is smaller than many books today so it could in theory be longer.. I actually can't believe good reads actually listed this book. Good for them !
October 29, 2025
I agree with one of reviewers of Haunted Houses that some of the accounts of hauntings seem disturbingly realistic. A lot of miscellaneous details which adds nothing to the atmosphere or settings of the accounts; just the facts. Unsettling.
September 5, 2012
I thought it was a great book. I love books on ghost.
January 28, 2026
Haunted Houses is a pleasant, light collection of spooky stories that doesn’t try to overwhelm the reader. The chapters are short, self-contained, and completely independent of one another, which makes the book easy to pick up and put down at any time. Each chapter introduces a different haunted house or eerie situation, with no ongoing storyline tying them together.
The horror here is very mild. It leans more toward atmospheric and curious than truly terrifying, making it suitable even for younger readers who are beginning to show interest in ghost stories or spooky themes. Nothing is overly graphic or disturbing, which gives the book a gentle, almost cozy horror feel.
The language is simple and straightforward, not too complex, and easy to follow without constantly reaching for a dictionary. Because of its short length and accessible writing style, it works well as a casual read rather than something that demands deep focus.
Overall, this is a nice, uncomplicated book with bite-sized scares. It may not satisfy readers looking for intense horror, but it’s a solid and enjoyable collection for light spooky reading.
The horror here is very mild. It leans more toward atmospheric and curious than truly terrifying, making it suitable even for younger readers who are beginning to show interest in ghost stories or spooky themes. Nothing is overly graphic or disturbing, which gives the book a gentle, almost cozy horror feel.
The language is simple and straightforward, not too complex, and easy to follow without constantly reaching for a dictionary. Because of its short length and accessible writing style, it works well as a casual read rather than something that demands deep focus.
Overall, this is a nice, uncomplicated book with bite-sized scares. It may not satisfy readers looking for intense horror, but it’s a solid and enjoyable collection for light spooky reading.
January 12, 2018
This is a slender volume of stories that is a relic of some book fair or garage sale find from my childhood. The stories within all have the feel of collected hauntings from an oral tradition put to paper. They tend to be told straightforwardly, the creepypasta of yesteryear. Occasionally I got the impression of an M.R. James story put to paper after a couple rounds of the telephone game.
Maybe it was Stockholm Syndrome, but I was entertained by the last two stories. One was a surprise vampire story in a book full of chain-rattling ghosts, the other had a seriously malevolent ghost. And yet, the frame they were presented in sucked all the dread and tension from the stories. This book is a curiosity, or maybe useful as story writing prompts, but not particularly noteworthy.
Maybe it was Stockholm Syndrome, but I was entertained by the last two stories. One was a surprise vampire story in a book full of chain-rattling ghosts, the other had a seriously malevolent ghost. And yet, the frame they were presented in sucked all the dread and tension from the stories. This book is a curiosity, or maybe useful as story writing prompts, but not particularly noteworthy.
May 25, 2024
25 SHORT TALES OF VARIOUS “HAUNTED HOUSES”
This 1972 book contains stories of about 25 different ‘Haunted Houses,’ intended for younger readers. Most of the accounts are only a few pages long—sufficiently long to be read as ‘spooky stories’ before a group (e.g., at a campfire).
There are no footnotes, or documentation of where the stories come from. But they are well-told and entertaining.
This 1972 book contains stories of about 25 different ‘Haunted Houses,’ intended for younger readers. Most of the accounts are only a few pages long—sufficiently long to be read as ‘spooky stories’ before a group (e.g., at a campfire).
There are no footnotes, or documentation of where the stories come from. But they are well-told and entertaining.
July 11, 2022
Great cozy creepy ghost stories!
July 19, 2017
I definitely read this in elementary school at some point! I stumbled on a copy at a garage sale in my home town that was withdrawn from the local library and presumably bought at a book sale. My copy is from 1965!
The illustrations are completely adorable, and the stories refreshingly new -- yes, I'd seen pictures of the Brown Lady, but hadn't heard the music teacher's ghostly tale. The theories and stories about poltergeists were boringly familiar (I mean, I have read this before, I'm pretty sure) but there was an entirely refreshing theoretical section about the nature of time and space, and their dimensions, etc. The author was obviously well-researched and credits some paranormal researchers affiliated with institutions of learning in the forward. A lot of his information seems to come from the famed parapsychology lab at Duke University.
I'll be keeping this copy for my daughter to read someday. It was so cool to imagine ghost hunts and research taking place in the '50s-'60s with their limited technological equipment (like in The Conjuring) and none of the flashy ghost hunting TV show bull**** that invites people to try and fake results or wear too much Ed Hardy (yes Ghost Adventures I am calling you out).
The illustrations are completely adorable, and the stories refreshingly new -- yes, I'd seen pictures of the Brown Lady, but hadn't heard the music teacher's ghostly tale. The theories and stories about poltergeists were boringly familiar (I mean, I have read this before, I'm pretty sure) but there was an entirely refreshing theoretical section about the nature of time and space, and their dimensions, etc. The author was obviously well-researched and credits some paranormal researchers affiliated with institutions of learning in the forward. A lot of his information seems to come from the famed parapsychology lab at Duke University.
I'll be keeping this copy for my daughter to read someday. It was so cool to imagine ghost hunts and research taking place in the '50s-'60s with their limited technological equipment (like in The Conjuring) and none of the flashy ghost hunting TV show bull**** that invites people to try and fake results or wear too much Ed Hardy (yes Ghost Adventures I am calling you out).
June 5, 2015
A favorite from childhood.
Very short and very easy. Includes some nice theories like
*all time existing at once and normally we only see the present and
*poltergeist activity possibly being subconscious telekinesis powered by excessive emotion.
The picture of the Tulip Staircase ghost (seen on both covers and twice inside) is so dark that I grew up thinking that I was supposed to be looking at the bright oval of light, never noticing the figure below it.
It is nearly impossible to assign a Goodreads star-rating to this. It is a cheaply-made, simple book for children . . . yet beloved by me.
Very short and very easy. Includes some nice theories like
*all time existing at once and normally we only see the present and
*poltergeist activity possibly being subconscious telekinesis powered by excessive emotion.
The picture of the Tulip Staircase ghost (seen on both covers and twice inside) is so dark that I grew up thinking that I was supposed to be looking at the bright oval of light, never noticing the figure below it.
It is nearly impossible to assign a Goodreads star-rating to this. It is a cheaply-made, simple book for children . . . yet beloved by me.
January 26, 2026
some of these stories where creepy others not so much. 14-4 stars, 8-5 star and the rest three star ratings so gave it four stars.
the animal ones where my favorite and where the ghost helped the people or people got the ghosts to find peace.
most the stories was set outside the USA though.
reading it August 28th 2020 I change the rating because some of the stories just one of the sparse they used to be to me that's why I dropped it to a three star rating.
I used this for the category of A haunted House book and this was book 3 of summerween.
the animal ones where my favorite and where the ghost helped the people or people got the ghosts to find peace.
most the stories was set outside the USA though.
reading it August 28th 2020 I change the rating because some of the stories just one of the sparse they used to be to me that's why I dropped it to a three star rating.
I used this for the category of A haunted House book and this was book 3 of summerween.
September 19, 2018
I read this book waaaay back in the 1970’s in elementary school. I must have checked it out of the library at least 7 times in 4th and 5th grades. The stories shared: The Brown Lady, The Tulip Staircase ghost, and more! But wait - there are p h o t o s!
If you have (or you are) a grade schooler who enjoys reading spooky tales, this is a keeper! It will not disappoint.
If you have (or you are) a grade schooler who enjoys reading spooky tales, this is a keeper! It will not disappoint.
January 3, 2020
Very similar experience to reviewer Kelly. I read this book in 4th or 5th grade and remembered the story of the ghost of Anne Boleyn and some of the photos! I couldn't remember the title or author and was thrilled to find it at a used book store in Rockaway, NJ. Only took 48 years to find it!!
Great stories!!
Great stories!!
July 26, 2021
One of my favorites from childhood. Must have checked it out at the school library dozens of times. For me to remember it all these years later, it obviously made an impression on me. I actually went looking for a copy and was thrilled when I found one.
April 3, 2015
I must have read this book twenty times or more it is so interesting. A Scholastic classic!
January 19, 2016
Good book.
April 6, 2018
The first book on a paranormal subject that I recall ever reading. Ir was an excellent place to begin. :)
June 11, 2018
I have owned this book for 20 plus years and I've finally read it. A good book for people just getting interested in hauntings.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews