The Gathering (Shadow House, #1)

by Dan Poblocki

Some houses are more than just haunted . . . they're hungry.
Dash, Dylan, Poppy, Marcus, and Azumi don't know this at first. They
each think they've been summoned to Shadow House for innocent
reasons. But there's nothing innocent about Shadow House.
Something within its walls is wickedly wrong. Nothing--and nobody--can
be trusted. Hallways move. Doors vanish. Ghosts appear. Children
disappear.
And the way out?
That's disappeared, too. . . .
Enter Shadow House . . . if you dare.

• ISBN13: 9780545925501
• Publish Date: 1 September 2016 (first published 30 August 2016)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 15 May 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Scholastic US
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

Five different children from very different lives. One house with five different ghosts. Once the children get in, can they get back out again?

Shadow House is fairly standard fare. Innocent victims lured to a scary house with ghosts, must figure out a way to save themselves to get free. I don't want to give any spoilers for those who might want to read this, so I'll just leave it at that. It's not a great story, nor is it completely terrible. There was one moment where I was taken by surprise (again, no spoilers), so...there's that. But in general, it's just an ok sort of book. It's not terribly original or creative, but...for some kids...it might be right up their alley. It is a bit creepy without being outright terrifying, letting the younger reader bridge that gap between Goosebumps and hard-core horror. My recommendation? Get this first book from the library first. If it's liked, then you will know that purchasing the following books in the series (and it *is* a series - with a not-very-satisfying cliffhanger) will be the best move for you.

[limabean74]

The cover of this book is super creepy and I couldn't wait to get to this book. I wasn't sure what I expected when I started but what I didn't expect was how creepy it would be. I realize this book is set for MG but I would think that kids that aren't scared easy would really enjoy the scares in this book. I don't scare easily but this book had me wanting to keep the lights on and read during the day.

The story follows 5 kids Dash, Dylan, Poppy, Marcus and Azumi, each gets a letter asking to come to this house for different reasons. When each kid arrives they realize something isn't right. This book is a world wind of action. It is one scary moment after the next and it seems to go right up until the end. Lots of mystery and super creepy moments. The book has a really interesting twist that I think kids will be shocked about. I sort of figured it out and just had it confirmed at the end.

I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading the next one to see what happens next. The book also has an app that I strongly suggest downloading when you are finished with the book. It adds to the creepy and is totally creepy by itself. It's a choose your own adventure type of read but it's so much great to read a bit of the backstory of thing that go on in the book but download it after you finish the book.

Highly recommend, you will really enjoy this!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my review.

Have a great day and Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Because reading is better than real life