The Most Haunted House in America: A Picture Book

by Jarrett Dapier, Lee Gatlin (Illustrator)

Overview

A rollicking, spooky-fun trip through the most haunted home in America: the White House!

It was late October, the moon was pale,
late in October when it came by mail:
a letter, a missive, a kind invitation
to drum at THE MOST HAUNTED HOUSE IN THE NATION!

When the Skeleton Drummers receive an invitation from the first lady to perform at the biggest Halloween party of a lifetime—or afterlife—the band must pack their instruments, rise from the earth, and prepare to rock the White House. With gusto and bone-rattling beats, the skeletons

BOOM! BANG! and CLANG! as the crowd of trick-or-treaters dance on the president’s lawn. But when the party moves inside, something’s not quite right: There’s a chill in the air and a prickle of fright. There’s one thing you might not know: The White House is haunted from top to toe!

With rhyming, rhythmic text from Jarrett Dapier and wonderfully macabre illustrations from Lee Gatlin, The Most Haunted House in America is a musical picture book tour of the country’s most famous home, full of spooky surprises at every turn.

Includes a history of ghost sightings at the White House!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419752469
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,136,127
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jarrett Dapier is a writer, librarian, and lifelong drummer. His books include Jazz For Lunch!, which received a starred review in Kirkus, and Mr. Watson’s Chickens, which received multiple starred reviews and was named a Best Picture Book of the Year by BookPage and a Best Book of the Year by NPR. He lives in Evanston, IL with his family and their many pets.


Lee Gatlin has been drawing for as long as he can remember. He is the illustrator of the picture book Monster School by Kate Coombs and Shout Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding. He was born and raised in south Alabama, but he makes comics and art in Athens, Georgia, where he lives with his wife, three children, and two cats.

Editorial Reviews

08/22/2022

Based on personal experience drumming in costume at an Obama-presidency White House Halloween party, Dapier imagines a crew of google-eyed skeleton percussionists invited to a similar event. Though they know that “The White House is HAUNTED from top to toe!” even the squat skeletons are surprised by the plethora of resident ghouls, introduced in unevenly metered rhyming couplets: “Back in the hall and more spirits arrive:/ They step out of paintings like something ALIVE!/ Abe Lincoln appears in his stovepipe hat,/ scratching the chin of a giant-sized cat.” As Gatlin’s digitally enhanced pencil and ink drawings depict a cheerily eerie, off-the-chain soiree that sprawls from the White House’s lawn and interiors, the Obamas are shown welcoming everyone to boogie down, from costumed people of varying skin tones to Abigail Adams’s ghost. An extensive afterword discusses “consistently reported and verified ghost sightings” at the residence. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"The text’s rhythm and rhyme capture the Skeleton Drummers’ beat, while the cartoon illustrations are a riot of movement and detail forged in Halloween hues."

Booklist

"No bones about it. This book has pep, drive, and the perfect vibe for the Halloween season." —Kirkus Reviews

"The illustrations and narrative surrounding the most haunted house in America are more than enough to keep readers entertained."—School Library Journal

"Gatlin’s digitally enhanced pencil and ink drawings depict a cheerily eerie, off-the-chain soiree that sprawls from the White House’s lawn and interiors."—Publishers Weekly

"The text’s rhythm and rhyme capture the Skeleton Drummers’ beat, while the cartoon illustrations are a riot of movement and detail forged in Halloween hues."—Booklist

From the Publisher

06/01/2022

Gr 2–5—In 2009, Dapier was invited to play the drums at the White House during the Obamas's first Halloween celebration. This engaging, rhyming story inspired by that event begins with the Skeleton Drummers receiving an invitation to perform. The cleverly illustrated book, with its pencil, ink, and digitally colored illustrations, includes historical political figures portrayed as dancing ghosts. The Obamas themselves are standout illustrations, coupled with the Skeleton Drummers jamming throughout the event along with the trick-or-treating children. Overall, the lively illustrations add to the lighthearted nature of the story. The vocabulary includes music-related terminology that could be unfamiliar to some, as well as words that are not a part of the average child's lexicon, such as waltz and gloam. However, the musical terminology and unfamiliar vocabulary provide the possibility for further learning opportunities. An author's note describing the lore surrounding ghosts that haunt the White House as well as Dapier's personal experience of playing the celebration add to the book's appeal. Additional back matter includes a list of books and online resources about White House ghosts and hauntings. VERDICT The illustrations and narrative surrounding the most haunted house in America are more than enough to keep readers entertained.—Katie Loomis

School Library Journal

2022-05-25
Patriotic fare gets a scary vibe in this bouncy tale of “a Halloween din.”

Three little skeleton drummers receive an important invitation. They have been invited to play at the White House, aka the most haunted house in the nation, on Halloween. The three lose no time getting their act together, soon playing on the front lawn for a diverse group of dressed-up children and Barack Obama himself, with Michelle at his side! It’s only when they go inside that they encounter a roll call of all the spirits that haunt the home, from a giant cat to Abigail Adams to ghostly pets of all shapes and sizes. Though spirited (pun intended), occasionally the rhymes stumble a little in their scansion (“So come along, join us, as we make our way / to America’s capital, where we’ll play”). Readers may hardly care as Gatlin’s cheery skeletal crew (like a bonier version of Alvin and the Chipmunks) is full of verve. An author’s note lists the reported hauntings that have occurred at the White House (almost all of whom appear in the text and art throughout the book) and even mentions how Dapier himself dressed up like a skeleton at the Obamas’ first Halloween celebration. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

No bones about it. This book has pep, drive, and the perfect vibe for the Halloween season. (books, websites) (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews