The Partridge Family: The Haunted Hall

The Partridge Family #2

by Michael Avallone

Michael 1stNumber Of 128Release 01-12-1970 It's a real spook 9780502050048 PaperbackItem UsedAcceptable

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Tv, Young Adult, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Also wrote Nick Carter: Killmaster series under Nick Carter alias with others

Michael Angelo Avallone was a prolific American author of mystery and secret agent fiction, and novelizations based on TV and films. He claimed a lifetime output over 1,000 works, including novels, short stories, articles, published under his own name or 17+ pseudonyms.
His first novel, The Tall Dolores 1953 introduced Ed Noon PI. After three dozen more, the most recent was 1989. The final volume, "Since Noon Yesterday" is, as of 2005, unpublished.
Tie-ins included Man from U.N.C.L.E., Hawaii Five-0, Mannix, Friday the 13th Part III, Beneath the Planet of the Apes and even The Partridge Family. In late 1960s novellas featured U.N.C.L.E.-like INTREX. He is sometimes cited incorrectly as the creator of Man from U.N.C.L.E. (as in the January 1967 issue of The Saint Magazine), or having died March 1.
As Troy Conway, Rod Damon: The Coxeman novel series 1967-73, parodied Man from UNCLE. An unusual entry was the novelization of the 1982 TV mini-series, A Woman Called Golda, the life of Golda Meir.
Among the many pseudonyms that Michael Avallone used (male and female) were: Mile Avalione, Mike Avalone, Nick Carter, Troy Conway, Priscilla Dalton, Mark Dane, Jeanne-Anne dePre, Dora Highland, Stuart Jason, Steve Michaels, Dorothea Nile, Edwina Noone, John Patrick, Vance Stanton, Sidney Stuart, Max Walker, and Lee Davis Willoughby.
From 1962-5, Avallone edited the Mystery Writers of America newsletter. Personal Life:
He married 1949 Lucille Asero (one son; marriage dissolved), 1960 Fran Weinstein (one son, one daughter); died Los Angeles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_...
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/tri...

Reviews

[Edwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A single mother and her five children fight for survival in a house long abandoned by an insane arsonist, a man who intends to reclaim his property - in flames! The story focuses on eldest daughter Laurie, who's sexual obsession with Duke, leader of a violent band of young squatters, and Jerry, a heroic film actor, drive the tight plot, as the musical family prepares to perform at at an outdoor concert event. In general I found the novel rather juvenile, and clearly intended for a younger audience. The short book has a distinct "Goosebumps" vibe, but with a startling amount of dated American slang and pop culture references. Rating this on the "Goosebumps" scale, I give this three stars. Your milage may vary.

[girl writing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gets four stars not for any stellar writing or excellent plot and character development, but for the nostalgic fun it provided. I stumbled on a collection of these books in a used bookstore I'd driven by forever but had never gone into. In this book, written in 1970, some of the writing is pretty painful with a lot of 'hippie speak'. And Laurie Partridge kept going goo-goo eye dreamy over every guy she met. But the book took me back to happy childhood memories like ordering Scholastic books in grade school. We'd get the order sheet, pick our books, bring the money to school and then endure the agonizing wait for them to arrive. I discovered and ordered the first book in this series (and still have it). In the pre-Internet days, the idea that I could have more Partridge Family than what was on TV thrilled me.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was bad, but it being about the Partridge Family made it all ok.

[Dean Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might have given this book one star if I was going on quality, but I gave it five based on the pleasure it gave me. Part of the pleasure came from blogging the book chapter by chapter, not just reviewing the plot, but also the searing social commentary found in the book. To see that blog, go to the late June and early July entries of http://deanaanderson.blogspot.com/201....

[Bryan Frazier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more for the nostalgic factor if for nothing else . The book has the feel of having been written quickly , and without much thought behind the story . I am a fan of the Partridge Family TV series , and enjoy the books as well . This book had several right at the exact moment coincidences , and wrapped up in far too neat a bow . It was as if the writer decided " There's my required page count !! Time to finish this book !! " The main problem with this book is that it is supposed to be Laurie's story !! She is on the cover , and it is seen from her viewpoint . But , neither Laurie nor the other Partridge Family ( Most of whom are barely seen !! ) have much to do with the story itself . The wrap up is all done by another character . I like this book due to a fondness for both the Partridge Family , and the era in which they inhabit !! If you are the same , then by all means -- read this book . It is like having another episode of the Partridge Family .

[Aimée · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say... I was in love with David Cassidy and watched the Partridge Family every week. It was fate that I would read the books too.

[David Merrill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had this book when I was a kid and bought it in a lot on Ebay. Hurricane Sandy had me reading some weird stuff. It turned out the Partridges are stuck staying in an old mansion with no electricity. How appropriate, since I was sitting there reading this with an Eveready lantern with no power myself! It's a very quick read, thank God, because it's pretty poorly written, no surprise. Avallone sometimes refers to one character's helicopter as an airplane. Is this normal? I'm not sure I've ever seen these words used interchangeably before. Descriptions of the concert are pathetic. As someone who spent a few years on the outskirts of the rock scene writing concert reviews and photographing them, it's pretty obvious this guy didn't go to many concerts, if any, and didn't do any research. So, the end of the book is just awful. Unless you grew up watching the Partridge Family and want a nostalgic walk through your childhood, I would stay very far away from this book. It's only the nostalgic walk that garnered it the second star in my rating.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, same writer as the first book. He was a tiny bit better with this one. At least he stopped calling Laurie's diary a daybook, but he still uses full names nearly every time, still has the horrible habit of using incomplete sentence, is still obsessed with describing Shirley as a sex symbol, didn't learn that 2 members play keyboards and don't just sit there and sing, and continues using odd sayings such as "Christmas tiger" (probably better known in England, but not in the US where the Partridge Family was popular). The error that got most under my skin was him referring to a helicopter as a "plane".

As for the story, this one was better than the first book. A haunted house is always a good subject for a book like this. So I'm going with 2 out of 5 instead of 1.

[Arwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is part of a very strange habit that I don't even know why I have. For some reason every time I see a Partridge Family book I have to buy it. I was never a big fan of the TV show, but for some reason I feel compelled to read the books.

[Arlene Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still have volumes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 11, plus a few comics. Think they're worth anything?

[Dalaina Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reminds me of a Scooby Doo episode lol 😂 they were all over the place why did it be burnt what house why did they get mixed up?

And Jerry Jingo reminds me of Elvis Presley. Laurie falling for Duke the Jerry. Then boom they are both gone. Not caring for the ending. If someone tried to kidnap me I wouldn’t fall in love with him…

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this one, it felt like I was reading an episode of The Partridge Family! Overall this was a quick, enjoyable read, but it did have a good handful of errors that were hard to overlook.

[Amanda Yuzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading back through a bunch of books I read as a kid and this is one that doesn't stand up. 2 stars for the nostalgia and familiar characters, but the story is crazy and the author doesn't seem to have been that familiar with the TV show in the way the characters are portrayed.

[JenJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the dumbest things I have ever read you dig?

[Carol Roote · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember nothing about this, except that I absolutely loved it when I was a young kid.

[Rob Paczkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a flash back. Lots happening in a short book. People complain about politics or cultural issues being in mainstream literature but this was a choreographed show ( just watched the 1st one on Axis) that was supposed to be in the middle America. But like the Monkees show before them, they didn't have a problem stepping on a few toes although in The Partridge Family they tread a bit more carefully. The book takes it a step farther but it is hidden under the wholesome banner. I love it.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Partridge family are faced with mysterious apparitions and occurrences as they visit a supposedly haunted mansion. While it may seem silly, at the time,I found humor and suspense as the Partridges navigated through spooky encounters while trying to uncover the truth behind the ghostly sightings in this entertaining and lighthearted mystery. It was a fun romp with my favorite 1970s TV family.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watched re-runs of this show with my sister when we were little so the nostalgia factor probably weighs heavily here but for what it is, it's easy to read and light-hearted. The references to the late-60s were kind of fun. Sadly, or maybe fortunately, there was very little actual haunting or encounters with "ghosts".