It’s not often you find a book about a haunted house that is based on something that actually happened. This is not your typical haunted house book! The Most Haunted House In America was inspired by an event that took place at the White House in 2009.
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The event that inspired the book
Jarrett Dapier and two other drummers were part of a group of musicians that were invited by President and Mrs Obama to play their instruments, dressed as skeletons, on the White House lawn on Halloween night. They performed for 2 hours while children and their favorite adults came trick-or-treating. Jarrett used his personal experience to create this haunted house tale about Halloween at the White House.
About the book
The Most Haunted House in America is written in a playful rhyme about skeleton drummers that come out on Halloween night to play their drums on the lawn of the white house. Wizards and witches and robots, their moms and their dads dance to the beat. Then the first couple hands out halloween treats. The party moves into the White House and there are references to stories about the ghost of Abe Lincoln and more. Is it really a haunted house?
Author’s Note
At the end of the book there is an author’s note that gives reasons why the White House is considered by some historians and ghost experts to be the most haunted house in America. Jarrett Dapier includes some of the ghost stories associated with the White House in his note.
A Fun Halloween Read-Aloud
The Most Haunted House In America is a creative halloween story with a bit of history mixed in. Young children will enjoy the rhyming text and colorful, playful illustrations by Lee Gatlin. The ghost stories included in the author’s note will probably be of interest to older listeners. I love to read books like this to my grandchildren that combine a personal experience, a bit of history, a cute story and fun illustrations.
The Author: Jarrett Dapier
You can learn more about Jarrett Dapier and his books on his website. He also has a link for some photos from that Halloween night at America’s most haunted house and some podcast interviews about the experience and his book.
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