Missouri Madhouse

American Chillers #10

by Johnathan Rand

Amber, Courtney, and Scott enter a bizarre world when they decide to investigate a mysterious old house in Missouri.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction

215 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Christopher Wright is the author of dozens of horror fiction books for children and young adults. He writes under the pseudonyms Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight. Almost all of Wright's books (save American Chillers) take place in his home state of Michigan.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who knew a basement sleepover would lead to exploring a haunted house, putting eleven-year-olds Amber DeBarre and Courtney Richards in mortal jeopardy? It begins with the girls watching a movie at Amber's house in Blue Springs, Missouri. Courtney hasn't lived in the city for long, but she and Amber both enjoy scary shows. The one they're watching tonight is subpar, so Amber jokingly suggests they visit a local horror landmark, an abandoned house at the end of a lonely, unpaved road. Kids and adults avoid the "Madhouse", where strange incidents have been reported for years. Amber has no intention of actually going there, but Courtney's adventurous spirit takes hold and soon the girls are standing in front of the decrepit old house, trying to ignore the fear creeping over them both. It's just an abandoned building, right? Nothing horrible waits within.

After running into Scott Palmer, a friend from school, the three peer inside an open window of the Madhouse and are astounded to see a colorful, noisy carnival, full-sized rides extending up into a blue sky. Magic is at work here, but Courtney sees no reason for fear. She climbs through the window and joins the carnival fun, reluctantly joined by Amber and Scott. Time is suspended inside the house, a boy named Tony assures them; they can stay as long as they like without worrying their parents. It's a dream come true...until other kids at the carnival indicate no one is ever allowed to go home. Tony admits to Amber, Courtney, and Scott that the Madhouse was created by a wizard named Jeffrey. It's a center of endless fantasy realms, and the only hope of leaving is to track the wizard to his home and demand he release them. Amber, Courtney, and Scott follow Tony through a series of fantastic mindscapes, in and out of danger, as they trek toward Jeffrey, desperate to earn an audience with the wizard. Will they be the first kids who escape the Madhouse, or end up trapped in its halls of illusion for eternity?

Missouri Madhouse is more silly than scary. Dwayne Harris's cover art for the edition I read depicts a house of menace, but Jeffrey's illusions tend to be playful, even whimsical. The story has little to do with a haunted house; the Madhouse is just the conduit for a variety of adventures in fantasy lands, more comparable to L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz than one of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books. I suppose I'd consider rating Missouri Madhouse one and a half stars, but if you want more pep in your juvenile horror, Terrible Tractors of Texas and Florida Fog Phantoms are better options in the American Chillers series. Johnathan Rand at his best is an effective storyteller.

[Taylor Fedewa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Missouri Madhouse by Johnathan Rand is about this house in Missouri. Courtney and Amber start to investigate this house what they find out is that there is something strange about that house but their only question was why!? Courtney and Amber decided that they needed to know what was going on inside this house so they did. What happened in that house was unexplained and really really strange. Amber and Courtney barley made it out alive! Read the book to figure out how they made it out, and what was really inside the "Madhouse". This along with more of Johnathan Rand's books is filled with excitement, adventure, and mystery, if you like those kind of books this would be one for you!

[Derick C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a really good but also weird at the same time.

[Lucas Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is gud

[Wolverinefactor · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book jumped the shark, took a hard right and died in its own stupidity. Good lord that final realm…

[Keshaun Harris]

The Missouri Madhouse by Johnathan Rand was a creepy mouth dropping book. Amber and Courtney were watching a lame scary movie on the couch one night then decided to go do something else.So Amber decided to start talking about this madhouse that was down the street from them that existed for a couple years and was very scary even though she never went in it. She began talking and said that once you have entered there is NO COMING OUT! Courtney was very excited and wanted to go, so the two of them went down the road and through some bushes and arrived at the madhouse. As soon as they arrived Amber was scared and nervous but did not want to let Courtney think she was afraid. So when they arrived they started looking at the house and the house was very mysterious it looked like a face. Then they were looking at this window and saw a face and Amber Courtney turned around and saw that it was their friend Scott. Then Courtney was very anxious to go inside the house but Amber wasn't, but before she could stop Courtney… she was already in the house. All three friends arrived in the mysterious house but it wasn't mysterious, it was fun!In the madhouse it was a carnival with lots of people and food so the 3 friends decided to enjoy the fun rides and eat cotton candy.After a while they were tired and thought it was time to go back home. That’s when they ran into Tony and he told them that they couldn't go home and that they should stay there and enjoy the fun.They asked how they could get out and Tony said the only way to get out is to find Jeffery. So Tony took them through these different portals with dinosaurs and Santa Claus and Living trees, then once they were at the last place they found out that Tony created all of these portals and there was no Jeffery and he made all of this up because he had no friends.So the 3 of them told Tony to shut the madhouse down and to let the people return home. Also Amber said they will come visit him sometime since he had no friends.
Missouri Madhouse by Johnathan Rand was a very interesting book, I like the book because it was very uprising and a book that you couldn't stop reading.I recommend this book because it is a good book and very interesting, also I recommend it to any people who like fiction or fantasy.

[Dallas · Rating 5 out of 5]

American Chillers book 10
The reading level for this book is 4.5 it is a scary book or it supposed to be. The author is Johnathan Rand. Kids go into a house and they can not leave and time in the real world stops. Kids go through different realms to try and find the wizard to let them out. They meet a kid along the way and there is a secret about him!


Lesson of the book is don't go where you don't belong.
I think it was a very good book theme of the book is finding the way out. The kids go into the house first to help a friend. Lora was just on a roller coaster. The inside of the house is a theme park. Then they go through different realms.


I would only read if you don't really like reading or just want something fun to read. I liked the book because i got me to like reading more. It is pretty easy to follow and easy to find whodunit. Pretty good book it is shorter than any other chapter book but still gets through all it needs to say. Plus in this series you dont half to read the next book you could go in any order you want to.And The book was predictable






I think this is a book to read to just start out or if you do not like reading. I liked the book because it kinda got me to like reading. And it made so i would challenge myself. Was the book hard to follow? No it was easy to follow. The book was predictable and kinda easy to read the ending was good because it ends happy. The author like’s to be funny and kinda scary at the same time. He likes to give a chill to your day. There is some roasts in the book if u know what those are.

[Dakota Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it had a lot of adventure. The book had a lot of mystery in it too. It got really weird because it had something about Santa Claus that was really weird but kind of funny. Sometimes when they were traveling it did not make sense about how they got to different places called realms. Which is what Jonathan used to mean dimension. But one character I liked was named Amber and I liked her because she was kind of smarter or more cautious than the other characters. I rated the book four stars because it was really good and I liked the confusion but it was like an amazing book so I rated it a four. I would recommend this book to people who like adventure and confusion.

[Dallas Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is very good it's about two girls amber Courtney and her friend Scott. They go to a abandoned house called the Missouri mad house they looked through the window and there was a whole other world they went in and it was a carnival in the house and there was a little boy there he told them to play so they did no time goes by when they are in the house when they get tired of playing they try and go home but the little boy tells them that that can't go home the wizard who created this place won't let anyone go so the kids and the little boy goes on an adventure to find the powerful wizard so they can get home to Missouri.

[Devin Johnson]

the title of the book is the missiori madhouse

Johnathan rand

I really liked this book because it stated out all of the stuff that accually happened in real decripions

the main stting was pretty much everything from child hood memories

Scott Amber and Courtney

The three characters get caught up in this crazy mad house and try to get home but they cant so hey go thru a series

I would definetly recommend this because it really cool story and it states out the whole information

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a very random and unexpected, I personally didn’t like it and it does have a predictable ending. The book did not have that much depth in explaining the characters but did explain the settings well for the many places in the book. I can see that there is a lot of anticipation to connect with the horror genre. I would recommend this book to people that always want the unexpected and anticipation. There is nothing else really to say other than that it’s an easy read.

[Dj · Rating 5 out of 5]

When amber and her friends get trapped inside the "madhouse". It's up to them and Tony to find Jeffrey, the only one who knows how to get out. But Who is Tony? Why does he know his way around so well? Could he be Jeffrey? My favorite part is when they're in the forest realm because they get chased by giant ants, An enormous eagle and they jump off a cliff into water... filled with...SHARKS!

[Afi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is prety cool and awesome at the same time becaues of a houes that has many kind of worlds and when the door closes the world out side stops! Amber and his freinds went thourth a door and went a different world where you are super small and very thing looks very big! when they went thorgh this different door and they got sucked in to a tornado!

[Jose-nery Santiago]

Missouri Madhouse
By: Johnathan Rand
this is Jose personaly i didnt like the book it was pretty cheesy. I dont like books that start like if you are reading this you must be a really good friend. The main setting is the missouri madhouse.the main character in the book is Amber. the conflict is that there is a madhouse. I wounldnt reconmend someone read this

[J.Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

the mad house is a strange house that is a rumor to the kids of blue springs missouri it is said to have a kid to be traped in the house. two girls live to get a good scare the go to see the mad house they meet thier friend and look , they migt just get [sucked] in

[Chase A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty good considering theirextremely hard journey to find Jeffery,the wizard ,only to find out that he was the boy,"Tony",guiding them!!!!!and everything turned out O.K.!!!

[Rachel P]

this was good but basicly the same thing monster house the movie

[Roberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sucks but i did not get the point of it!

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was REALLY good!

[Zoey M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love John

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was realy good and amazing and some kind of fun sometimes i think the author is realy good on this book

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

awsome

[Jayden Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

[John Soroka]

Very good book.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book because there is so much that happens that it keeps the reader wanting to read more.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought this was a good book this haunted house comes to life and does weird things what does it do......

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad as far as these types of books go. Off to listia with this copy. =)

[Netta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wildy entertaining. Not much chilling but really freaky and creepy.

[Max Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of Spider-Man 3. It's like a drug. It can take you over, and before you know it...turn you into something ugly.

But the power of this book..it feels good.

See ya chump.

[Jacey Mingerink · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could I would rate this a more than 5 stars. This is a MUST read!!!