Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York : Scholastic Inc., [2010], c1992.
Description
Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. HTML: Classic Goosebumps! 11-year-old Josh and 12-year-old Amanda just moved into the oldest and weirdest house on the block�??the two siblings think it might even be haunted! But of course, their parents don't believe them. You'll get used to it, they say. Go out and make some new friends. But the creepy kids are not like anyone Josh and Amanda have ever met before. And when they take a shortcut through the cemetery one night, Josh and Amanda learn why. It's our thirteenth fan-favorite companion to R. L. Stine's blockbuster Goosebumps HorrorLand series. Now with all-new bonus features including an author interview, bizarre trivia, grotesque activities, and more!
User reviews
LibraryThing member the_hag
Amazon lists the age range for this series at 4-8, but I cannot imagine a 4-6 year old who would really be able to enjoy this on their own...or would really want this read to them, this stories are more involved and require a slightly higher level of sophistication on the part of the reader. I'm
This is our first encounter with the Goosebumps series (my daughter is 8) and I'll probably hold off for another year (ish) before I hand these over to read. I understand that Welcome to Dead House is one of the better (and more creepy) books in the series, and while I think it's a fine kick off for a series of horror stories aimed at 3rd-6th graders, this is a little much for my child this year. She's reading her way through the Mostly Ghostly series, which is slightly simpler in presentation while still maintaining the same horror flavor that Stein seems to be famous for.
This particular volume, we meet Amanda and Josh (and their parents of course) who have just inherited a big old house in Dark Falls (love the town name), from an Uncle they didn't know they had. Dark Falls is a town that where no one ever seems to be out and about in the day and where there always seems to be lingering shadows. Right from the start Amanda notices things that seem off about the house and the town, but no one else seems to notice. Slowly over the summer, they make friends with the local kids...or so they believe. As the summer draws near Amanda and Josh learn something quite gruesome about the other residents of Dark Falls and just how they came to live in the dead house!
This is quite creepy and does contain a few genuine thrills and chills, I found myself wanting to keep turning pages, hooked on finding out what happened next (and I'm 35). It's not as well written as some other horror I've read, but Steins style is certainly not the worst either. I think Welcome to Dead house is a promising start to this series and I'm looking forward to reading through it! Next year, when the Girl's reading level increases, we'll definitely be adding this series to her list!
Show More
thinking the best age range for this book (and probably the series) is 8-14, with the 10-12 age range being ideal. This is our first encounter with the Goosebumps series (my daughter is 8) and I'll probably hold off for another year (ish) before I hand these over to read. I understand that Welcome to Dead House is one of the better (and more creepy) books in the series, and while I think it's a fine kick off for a series of horror stories aimed at 3rd-6th graders, this is a little much for my child this year. She's reading her way through the Mostly Ghostly series, which is slightly simpler in presentation while still maintaining the same horror flavor that Stein seems to be famous for.
This particular volume, we meet Amanda and Josh (and their parents of course) who have just inherited a big old house in Dark Falls (love the town name), from an Uncle they didn't know they had. Dark Falls is a town that where no one ever seems to be out and about in the day and where there always seems to be lingering shadows. Right from the start Amanda notices things that seem off about the house and the town, but no one else seems to notice. Slowly over the summer, they make friends with the local kids...or so they believe. As the summer draws near Amanda and Josh learn something quite gruesome about the other residents of Dark Falls and just how they came to live in the dead house!
This is quite creepy and does contain a few genuine thrills and chills, I found myself wanting to keep turning pages, hooked on finding out what happened next (and I'm 35). It's not as well written as some other horror I've read, but Steins style is certainly not the worst either. I think Welcome to Dead house is a promising start to this series and I'm looking forward to reading through it! Next year, when the Girl's reading level increases, we'll definitely be adding this series to her list!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Sopoforic
Amanda's new house is spooky. Curtains seem to move, even when there's no wind, whispers come from empty rooms, and Amanda is sure she's seen people in her house who vanish when she tries to look for them. The house in Dark Falls was left to her father in his great-uncle Charles's will. Although,
It's not just the house, though--the whole town is spooky. The streets always seem empty, and when the sun comes out, the kids all run home. Still, a free house is a free house. Amanda's brother, Josh, seems set against the house, and their dog, Petey, doesn't like it much, either.
One night, while Amanda and Jason are looking for Petey in a cemetery, they discover an amphitheatre nearby, and learn a terrible secret about the town of Dark Falls.
Welcome to Dead House is the first book in the _Goosebumps_ series by R. L. Stine. Back in the nineties, these books took the world of children's literature by storm, selling four million copies a month. According to the American Library Association, Goosebumps books were the fifteenth most frequently challenged books during the nineties, a list headed by the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. The series spawned a television adaptation, several games, and numerous other spin-offs.
(Spoilers removed. The full review, including spoilers, is available here.)
Welcome to Dead House is a fairly strong start for the Goosebumps series, so it's worth reading for children interested in horror stories, or grown-up fans of the series looking for some nostalgia. There's a Kindle edition of this one available, as number 13 in the Classic Goosebumps series, so you can pick it up (along with, it seems, the rest of the Classic Goosebumps series) as an ebook, if you like.
Show More
he doesn't remember having an Uncle Charles...It's not just the house, though--the whole town is spooky. The streets always seem empty, and when the sun comes out, the kids all run home. Still, a free house is a free house. Amanda's brother, Josh, seems set against the house, and their dog, Petey, doesn't like it much, either.
One night, while Amanda and Jason are looking for Petey in a cemetery, they discover an amphitheatre nearby, and learn a terrible secret about the town of Dark Falls.
Welcome to Dead House is the first book in the _Goosebumps_ series by R. L. Stine. Back in the nineties, these books took the world of children's literature by storm, selling four million copies a month. According to the American Library Association, Goosebumps books were the fifteenth most frequently challenged books during the nineties, a list headed by the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. The series spawned a television adaptation, several games, and numerous other spin-offs.
(Spoilers removed. The full review, including spoilers, is available here.)
Welcome to Dead House is a fairly strong start for the Goosebumps series, so it's worth reading for children interested in horror stories, or grown-up fans of the series looking for some nostalgia. There's a Kindle edition of this one available, as number 13 in the Classic Goosebumps series, so you can pick it up (along with, it seems, the rest of the Classic Goosebumps series) as an ebook, if you like.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JennysBookBag.com
"Such a dark world we had entered."
Josh and Amanda's family inherits a house from their father's great uncle Charles. The house is located in Dark Falls, a small town four hours away. Josh and Amanda don't want to leave the only home they've ever known and don't want to be four hours away from
It's a quick read that you can finish in an hour or two, but I found it entertaining. The sentence structure was repetitive at times making it a little too formulaic even for a children's story. It has likable characters, but the story is predictable. It's not too scary for a child if that's a concern.
Josh and Amanda's family inherits a house from their father's great uncle Charles. The house is located in Dark Falls, a small town four hours away. Josh and Amanda don't want to leave the only home they've ever known and don't want to be four hours away from
Show More
their friends. When they arrive at their new house, they notice it seems cold, dark and creepy. Their little dog Petey doesn't seem to like anybody in town and for good reason. The kids start to see people in their house, but they're not sure if they're real or if it's just their overactive imaginations. It's a quick read that you can finish in an hour or two, but I found it entertaining. The sentence structure was repetitive at times making it a little too formulaic even for a children's story. It has likable characters, but the story is predictable. It's not too scary for a child if that's a concern.
Show Less
LibraryThing member carebeargirlie5187
In this book a family inherits an old home from an annonymous family member in a creepy town. The family's two children Josh and Amanda know there is somthing strange about the townspeople but their parents wont listen to them until its too late.
I realy enjoyed this book. It took me back to my
In a classroom this story would not be apart of my curriculum but I would like to have it available to my students in the classroom. R>L> Stine books are fun and will be enjoyable to children and hopefuly help them build reading skills while they have fun.
I realy enjoyed this book. It took me back to my
Show More
elementary school days. Whenever I had the opprtunity to choose my own book I reached for an R.L. Stine book.In a classroom this story would not be apart of my curriculum but I would like to have it available to my students in the classroom. R>L> Stine books are fun and will be enjoyable to children and hopefuly help them build reading skills while they have fun.
Show Less
LibraryThing member t1bclasslibrary
This is the first book in the series, so I'll begin by talking about the Goosebumps series as a whole. Early on, Goosebumps was a pretty good series- not all the books were excellent, but there were some with good plots and interesting ideas (Welcome to Dead House being one of them). As the series
Welcome to Dead House is definitely one of the better stories. A family "inherits" a house from their great uncle and moves in. The house is large, but seems to be haunted and the town is kind of... dead. The kids get together with the other kids every day, but the kids disappear every time it gets sunny. A trip to the cemetery reveals the problem- all the kids are dead! Everyone in town, it seems, is a member of the living dead, and they need one family a year to feed on. The kids escape them, and expose the whole town to sunlight by knocking over a tree, killing all the undead and freeing their parents. The clincher is when the daughter tells the people moving into her house, "I used to live in your house."
Show More
progresses, however, the ideas get more weird and silly than just scary. Rather than gain depth, it gets shallower as R. L. Stine puts out about one Goosebumps a month in addition to writing Fear Street and various other works at a furious pace. Every book we meet up with the same pairing of two kids, a boy and a girl. Our narrator is always freaked out but trying to act cool, the main character is always dumb about telling their parents about weird phenomena (which generally goes especially poorly because the characters tend to be jokers), and, overall, many of the main characters simply aren't likeable. Goosebumps does not have the depth that many other ghost stories achieve either in the stories or in the character backgrounds, so it really needed to not get into plot ideas that were just silly, as in many of the later books. I read Goosebumps 1-50, so those will all be appearing here as I reread them.Welcome to Dead House is definitely one of the better stories. A family "inherits" a house from their great uncle and moves in. The house is large, but seems to be haunted and the town is kind of... dead. The kids get together with the other kids every day, but the kids disappear every time it gets sunny. A trip to the cemetery reveals the problem- all the kids are dead! Everyone in town, it seems, is a member of the living dead, and they need one family a year to feed on. The kids escape them, and expose the whole town to sunlight by knocking over a tree, killing all the undead and freeing their parents. The clincher is when the daughter tells the people moving into her house, "I used to live in your house."
Show Less
LibraryThing member Heather19
The first R.L. Stine book I ever read, and also one of the first really scary stories I ever read, this book had me very alert and creeped out the entire way through. Awesome book!
LibraryThing member NikkiHearts
This is actually the first goosebumps book I ever read! And boy was I caught off guard when I started.
The plot, the characters, and the twists really amazed me the most!
Truly a book worth reading!(I'll never forget how scared I was when I finished! I honesty believed the book was real!)
The plot, the characters, and the twists really amazed me the most!
Truly a book worth reading!(I'll never forget how scared I was when I finished! I honesty believed the book was real!)
LibraryThing member mesmericrevelation
Reader beware, you're in for a scare.
I loved Goosebumps when I was a little kid, and I have decided to re-read them. I read this in a few hours and I can't believe it has taken me this long to do so.
This one didn't scare me but it did give me the creeps. I guess that's what I get for reading it in
The plot is amazing, and the characters are great. I loved it just as much as I did when I was a kid and I can't wait to read the next book.
I loved Goosebumps when I was a little kid, and I have decided to re-read them. I read this in a few hours and I can't believe it has taken me this long to do so.
This one didn't scare me but it did give me the creeps. I guess that's what I get for reading it in
Show More
the middle of the night, while I was home alone.The plot is amazing, and the characters are great. I loved it just as much as I did when I was a kid and I can't wait to read the next book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Tropic_of_Cancer
I loved these books when I was 9, 10 years old :)
LibraryThing member RevWiss
Two preteen siblings are put into mortal danger when their parents fail to realize that their inheritance of a house from an unknown uncle in an ominously-named town sounds eerily like a contrived premise for a children’s horror novel.
Amanda and Josh move with their parents into a home they have
This novel set the standard, or perhaps template is a better word, for other R.L. Stine Goosebumps books to follow: one male and one female protagonist move to a strange location, they make new friends, and discover their new friends are actually dead (e. g. Goosebumps #10: Ghost Beach). Nevertheless, the story should be sufficiently gripping for a young reader who does not mind a predictable plot. This book is a decent introduction to the genre for children interested in the paranormal.
Amanda and Josh move with their parents into a home they have
Show More
inherited from their great uncle that none of them ever knew. When they arrive in Dark Falls, the kids find their house to be creepy and the town a bit odd. The town was always deserted when the sun was out, their good-natured dog growled at any townsfolk it met, and it seemed as if everyone in the town had previously lived in their house. Not long after Amanda and Josh befriend the local children, they learn in the cemetery that their new friends have been hiding something terrible. Josh and Amanda must find and rescue their parents if they want to leave Dark Falls alive.This novel set the standard, or perhaps template is a better word, for other R.L. Stine Goosebumps books to follow: one male and one female protagonist move to a strange location, they make new friends, and discover their new friends are actually dead (e. g. Goosebumps #10: Ghost Beach). Nevertheless, the story should be sufficiently gripping for a young reader who does not mind a predictable plot. This book is a decent introduction to the genre for children interested in the paranormal.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Alexis.Goodro
This book is about two kids Amanda and Josh and how they moved to this old, house. They dislike the house and everything around it. They grass and trees were dead and there was know life except crows. The was worse on the inside, the noises and the cob webs. The kids want to move out. The only nice
I liked this book because all the events leding up the end. The trick at the end was also pretty good. I realy got me thinking if the sells man was realy alive.
Show More
thing so far was the sells men. He was nice and very helpful. They soon got a little used to things until they start seeing kid everywere in the house. Dead kids. The scary thing was they looked like there group of kids they met. They thought it was inposible until they saw all there friends names on tomb stones in the cemetary, and even worse they need there blood. The head of it all was the nice sells man. He tricked the family, and now wanted there blood. Then they found out the ghosts can only live when there is no sun. So the kids tricked to ghosts and burned them all. All on there way out of the house, they saw a car pull up, a family stepped out and looked at the house. As they drove of, Amanda thought she the evil sells man, but she knew it was impasible, or was it.I liked this book because all the events leding up the end. The trick at the end was also pretty good. I realy got me thinking if the sells man was realy alive.
Show Less
LibraryThing member KylieBrigham
The first book in his hugely-successful "Goosebumps" series, R. L. Stine writes about a boy and girl and their horrifying adventures after they are uprooted from their home and taken to a new town. Combining the perfect amount of suspense and creepiness, "Welcome to Dead House," despite being a
Show More
fast-paced, easy read, is probably best-suited to more mature readers and upper elementary school students. The chapters are short and the book flows nicely, so it is a nice transition to chapter books for readers who may not be familiar with longer books. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jiraiya
Now that I'm writing this review months later than having read it, I can proclaim that Welcome to Dead House has survived the test of time(not all of it though, just a fragment). I liked the first installment of Goosebumps. The story had to be strong to allow for such a prolific sequelitis. The
Show More
ending is very well written, particularly when one of the zombie girls looks at us sadly before dying. Better than expected. Show Less
LibraryThing member lkmuir
They're baa-aack The 25 most popular titles in the bestselling children's series of all time return w/ a fresh new look...to scare a new generation of readers. Reader beware--you're in for a scare
Just when you thought it was safe....the 25 top-selling titles in the series that revolutionized
This spine-tingling series sparked a licensing phenomenon & made R.L. the #1 author in the U.S.--and it's STILL the "must have" collection for true horror fans. Now a whole new generation will discover the thrill of reading ...and they'll never be the same again.
Just when you thought it was safe....the 25 top-selling titles in the series that revolutionized
Show More
horror for kids are back w/ a fresh new look. The updated design will make you scream. The original artwork will give you nightmares. And the classic bone-chilling stories from the master of horror will just kill you. This spine-tingling series sparked a licensing phenomenon & made R.L. the #1 author in the U.S.--and it's STILL the "must have" collection for true horror fans. Now a whole new generation will discover the thrill of reading ...and they'll never be the same again.
Show Less
LibraryThing member martensgirl
I probably shouldn't be reviewing a YA book as an adult, but here goes. I liked the idea of the plot, although I did pick what was going on pretty early on. I think the story would have worked better as a full length book as the characters were fairly nondescript and needed developing.
LibraryThing member diovival
And thus began my long affair with the goosebumps series and anything else horror.
LibraryThing member JaredOrlando
I never thought that at age 30 I’d be writing a review for an adult reread of a Goosebumps book, but here I am.
What surprised me the most about Welcome to Dead House this go round was that this story is actually pretty scary, for a kid as well as an adult. Sure, it is written in a simple English
What surprised me the most about Welcome to Dead House this go round was that this story is actually pretty scary, for a kid as well as an adult. Sure, it is written in a simple English
Show More
a child could understand, but the creep factor is there and it resonates. Show Less
LibraryThing member SumisBooks
#1 "It will just kill you."
The old house that Amanda and Josh just moved into with their parents is not haunted... Or is it? Things get crazy in this ghostly tale of the ominous haunted house.
As the first book in the series of the Goosebumps franchise, while not my favorite, I'd have to say it's
The old house that Amanda and Josh just moved into with their parents is not haunted... Or is it? Things get crazy in this ghostly tale of the ominous haunted house.
As the first book in the series of the Goosebumps franchise, while not my favorite, I'd have to say it's
Show More
still one of the great ones. Show Less
LibraryThing member MoonLibrary
idk why but i never read these books as a kid even though i remember finding their covers enticing at the book fair. i eventually ended up reading two of the choose your own adventure ones and watched some of the tv series, but it was nice to finally actually sit down and start reading them.
i get
i get
Show More
that this isn't shockingly good or anything? it's just nice to finally get around to these, and to be fairly satisfied thus far. Show Less
LibraryThing member funstm
Unrealistic plot. Kinda weird. Didn't really enjoy it. But it's middle grade and I'm hardly the target audience.
LibraryThing member funstm
Unrealistic plot. Kinda weird. Didn't really enjoy it. But it's middle grade and I'm hardly the target audience.
LibraryThing member Koralis
This just doesn’t have the same feel to it as it did when I was a kid. I remember reading this series everywhere and being so excited to finish it in a day. I do plan on continuing the series because I don’t think I read all the original books.
As an adult I noticed a lot of things I missed as a
Can’t wait to read book #2!
As an adult I noticed a lot of things I missed as a
Show More
kid. The parents clearly aren’t good decision makers because who moves to a town on a whim without checking out the school? Why not sell the house for some cash? You still have to pay taxes and utilities. Also, who leaves a 12 year old and a 11 year old home alone? No sitter? Finally, Josh was an idiot. Can’t wait to read book #2!
Show Less
LibraryThing member CaroPi
I already read this book and almost all the collection of Goosebumps many years ago. I am glad I found them again and start to read them . These are nice easy readings for teenagers that are interested in horror. The books are well written the story is simple and effective. Is a nice easy reading
Show More
that does not required a lot of time to be read if you are an adult and you can still enjoy the stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member lisa211
RL Stine is one of the must read author while you are growing up. Focusing on horror genre, this book is the start of it all. I wasn't really interested in jumping on the RL Stine's wagon at first but after reading this, I changed my mind.
Moving away from the home you've have been living in since
Moving away from the home you've have been living in since
Show More
you've been born is pretty hard. Worse, when you'd realized the house you're moving to looked creepy and mysterious, in the town that would make you feel like you're the only one alive there. Amanda was the one of the first, who noticed something else was not right in their new home, next to Petey, their family dog, who noticed things, actually people in this case, were not as normal as they seem. Next to hearing voices and giggles in her own room and experiencing apparitional appearances, Amanda and her brother Josh, managed to make some friends, but they were a bit queer with the way they keep looking at them. In the town itself, there's a cementary that would answer all the questions that came up since they've moved there. Show Less
LibraryThing member ZetaRiemann
The second half of this was a lot better than the first half, I tend to get frustrated with the whole "my parents don't believe me!" sections of these books... The second half was really good and spooky though. My only other issue is that she mentions how fat her dad is way too much... it's just
Show More
not funny Show Less
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 1998)
Language
Original publication date
1992
Physical description
97 p.; 19 inches
ISBN
0545158885 / 9780545158886