The general premise was good but it's a middle grade and it has swearing in it. Seriously?!?!? If it has swearing it shouldn't be a middle grade. Yvette is a celebrity and should therefore be a role model. I found that quite disgusting. I don't care about swearing being in books but NOT in middle grades.

I was really excited for this book and it does have some great moments where it did give the spooky factor, but the truth is I didn’t get on with it at all and at times just put it down for longer than I would want with a book. I found the writing style really hard to get through. It seemed to jump all over the place with a lot of telling rather than showing, and sometimes it just felt quite inappropriate for the target age range.

I should’ve known Yvette Fielding would write a perfectly creepy book. This was brilliant! Had a stranger things feel to it and I couldn’t put it down.

Not sure how I felt about this book to be honest. I enjoyed it but I wanted a little more from it. However it is a great YA spooky ghost story. Some parts I was like ohhhh what’s going to happen next, but the it would happen and I’d be like oh ok.
Overall I enjoyed it. I loved the characters and their dog. Ended up being a nice easy read.

This is a really quick and fun ghostly adventure for younger readers that had a bit of everything. Friendship, mystery, ghosts, ghost hunting and even a real emotional hit with the ghostly stories and the character’s histories.

It’s a solid start to a new series and I’m looking forward to seeing more adventures from Eve, Clovis, Tom and Uncle Rufus.

When I first heard of this, I was highly intrigued on this. I know of Yvette Fielding from Most Haunted so I went "OH, she's written a spooky middle-grade. This could be interesting as she has first hand experience of this!".

So, for those curious, this is the first book in a middle-grade/young clean YA following three young teens - Eve, Clovis and Tom - who decide that this Halloween will be spooky. They plan to go to a haunted house, in the middle of the woods, with a Ouija board, without telling their parents or guardians. And you can guess what happened next, can't you?

I don't know what I was expecting. I was expecting something because I picked this as it's October, Halloween is round the corner and it's so rare that I read spooky books during October and Halloween. And I knew going into this that this book couldn't be too scary due to its target audience. I completely get that.

So, why did I come away from this feeling "Well, that was a fun, easy read. A bit meh, but still, a nice easy read"?

Nothing wrong with this. I hoovered this within a few days while I was on holiday. Could have very easily read it on the plane to Edinburgh (aka one sitting) , but I felt a little underwhelmed. everything felt a tad flat and not fleshed out - I know, first book in a series, but still, it wasn't what I was hoping for.

Not a bad start to a series to creep out older middle-grade/young clean YA readers, but it could have gone a tad further...

Exciting, gripping and a with the right level of creep. I loved this fast paced stories, the well written characters and the world building.
It can be loved by people of all ages.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a creepy little story about three thirteen year olds, an eccentric scientist and a flatulent bulldog. One Halloween budding ghost hunters Eve, Clovis and Tom decide to take a trip to a spooky old house in the woods. It's a secret and none of the friends let on to their families where they are going as they know they would meet with disapproval, especially as the evening's fun involves the use of a Ouija board.

This is a fun ghost story for middle graders with a decent story and some quirky characters.

The House in the Woods is a novel about three young friends who decide to play with an Ouija board. In a derelict house. In the woods. At night. On Halloween... Not the best of plans, and scary events follow.

The book is nicely written, and Fielding has created three great protagonists in Tom, Eve, and Clovis; with a good supporting cast. The events move along quickly, and the book is an easy read.

What I like about this novel is that we know Fielding has extensive knowledge of hauntings, and it really shows. There are several instances where it is easy to imagine the writer used her own experiences to explain certain events in the narrative.

This is a decent novel, and I think kids at the target age will love it; I'd have adored this when I was 11. I can easily imagine this being the first of a successful series.

Many thanks to Yvette Fielding, NetGalley, and Andersen Press for this copy.

In the UK Yvette Fielding is a popular television personality best known for her Most Haunted series which has run for almost two decades and over three hundred episodes, as well as a host of other documentaries and programmes with a supernatural theme. If the endnotes Fielding claims to have had many genuine run-ins with ghosts and other supernatural, should this be the case then it’s a pity her debut children’s novel The House in the Woods does not have the same level of scares! However, it is a very solid and readable debut, but considering it was written by somebody connected with the supernatural for many years it came across as very safe with a familiar story. In a nutshell, three best friends mess around with an Ouija board on Halloween night and then something bad comes knocking. Interestingly, Amazon lists this as an 11+ book, I would pitch it a bit lower and it should not be mistaken for YA horror and would be good for children at the top end of primary and a solid Middle Grade read.

The blurb notes “Stranger Things meets Point Horror” but this is an easier read than most of those books and I would pitch it slightly above the Goosebumps books. I enjoyed the fact that the story was set in East London, with a nicely diverse group of three best friends, Clovis, Eve and Tom, who are all very different but stick together. Eve lost her parents the previous year and lives with her uncle, Clovis comes from a Caribbean family, whilst Tom is very sporty but does not get on with his dad. Combined the three characters carry the story nicely, ably supported by the eccentric inventor uncle and a dog called Boris which farts all the time. After fooling around with the board the kids quickly realise whatever they summoned has followed them home and there were some nice poltergeist style scenes when they realise something is trying to contact them from the other side which is both distressed and determined, perhaps not necessarily trying to harm them. This novel is being billed as the Ghost Hunter Chronicles book 1 and I would suggest that if it is going to succeed then Yvette Fielding needs to ramp up the fear factor. Children enjoy being scared and although this was an enjoyable first effort from the “First Lady of the Paranormal” older kids might find it slightly mild, but the story moves along at a nice pace and catches the imagination. Scare us Yvette; I dare you! AGE RANGE 10-12.

This was a fun read, there isn't a lot to take about so this will be a short review.

First of all, it isn't too long which is great as it didn't drag on. Suitable for all ages, which is good for people who dont enjoy very scary books.

On the other hand, for a book set in England there are a lot of Americanisms - I feel like the author should have just set it in America. For example, in the first few pages the school is called a 'high school' and Halloween decorations are mentioned.

Another thing, it was hard for me to get invested in this - though whether that's on me or the book I don't know.

Essentially, this is an average book - good for the target ages. I can't quite tell whether or not I want to recommend this.

Eve, Tom and Clovis are best friends who decide to do something spooky on Halloween - find a haunted house and try out a ouija board.  Only they don't realise what they are in for.  A ghost makes contact with them with a simple message "HELP ME" and follows them home - are they ready to be ghost hunters?


Well, I understand this is classed as a children's book but I want to enthusiastically say that if your child is not as brave as a Knight then perhaps this isn't for them! I'm 31, I've had some paranormal experiences in my life and I love creepy history but I was crapping myself.  I love Yvette Fielding and I was an enthusiastic viewer of Most Haunted, especially those live episodes over a few days at Halloween, so when I see that the Queen of Ghost Hunting had written a book I had to request it! 

I love every character, well, maybe not the dude in the mask, but everyone was loveable, especially little Boris! There wasn't anything that I didn't enjoy about this book so it's a sure 5 star read for me.  And my one parting gift to you, in the voice of Yvette, is her famous ending - 'Sleep tight...'

This was a great super spooky read, and totally perfect for all ages.

I loved the friendships in here Clovis, Eve and Tom are just a great trio and Eve's Uncle was just so lovely too. There was definitely a few super spooky moments and the abandoned haunted house setting is just brilliant. A great ghost hunting adventure and I'll definitely be continue with this series as I think it will only get better and better.

Thank you so much to the publishers at netgalley for providing me with an E-arc in exchange for an honest review

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but actually I really really enjoyed it. I loved the characters, the story, it’s quick paced so you don’t get bored, the story itself is exciting and interesting and really well told! I finished it in a few hours and couldn’t put it down.
I do think it needs a little bit more horror, however I am aware it’s probably more aimed at middle schoolers. I will definitely be reading the next book!

On Halloween night Eve, Tom and Clovis make plans to visit an old abandoned house in Epping Forest to carry out their first 'ghost hunt'. They don't think any harm can come from using a ouija board to contact spirits but when a spirit follows them home, chaos follows. With the help of Uncle Rufus, the group investigate further.

I have to start by saying I am a huge fan of Yvette Fielding and I was so excited to read this book. Thankfully I was not disappointed. This has the feel of those old Point Horror books I used to read under the covers as a kid, I really enjoyed it!!

The abandoned house is the perfect creepy setting for this story and features some really freaky ghosts (does anyone else have an irrational fear of a ghost in a gas mask?? Just me???).

For any 'Most Haunted' fans, this book features all the gadgets and that opening chapter...well, you can hear Yvette reading it to you in your head.

I honestly look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy!!

Eve, Clovis and Tom decide to liven up their Halloween night by visiting an old, abandoned house in the forest with a Ouija board. They get more than they anticipated when it becomes clear that something has followed them all home. What follows is a series of crazy events and a journey into ghost hunting.

A thrilling and exciting tale of ghosts and ghost hunting that would appeal to both young and old audiences. Reminds me a bit of the old point horror ghost stories, but with more of a ghost hunting element to it. A good read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.