The House with No Name

The House with No Name

P. Goodhart, illustrated by Brett Hawkins

Stone Arch, 2003

$22.60, LB

978-1598891034

February 13^th, 2012

Genre: Mystery, Horror

Age: 8+

Description: Jamie’s family is moving to a new house with a bad history. Years before it was the scene of a tragic explosion which killed a young boy. When Jamie’s new friend, Colin, begins acting weird and seems to know too much about Jamie’s family, Jamie begins to question his friend’s intentions. When his dad suffers a bad accident while repairing the house, Jamie begins to suspect if the House with No Name is more than just an old house.

Opinion: Stone Arch books are aimed at reluctant elementary and middle grade readers such as Orca books are aimed at reluctant high school readers. This book is a mystery but the story is wrapped up a little too easily in a little too many convenient coincidences. It turns out Jamie’s dad has more history with the house than he actually remembers himself. The illustrations are pretty blah and very misleading. The coolest part of the whole book is the creepy house with a face (made out of the windows and doors) itself, but the illustrations of the boys make them look like 18-year-olds instead of their actual 12-ish selves.