Sammy Baker is a quiet kid who wants to prove he can be brave. On Halloween night, he follows his friends to the Marple House, an abandoned mansion on the other side of town.
Just past midnight, he feels a cold tingle at the back of his neck. Soon, his whole head feels like a block of ice. He's about to scream - but the frigid sensation vanishes. Sammy doesn't realise that he has just met The Haunter... and that his nightmares are just beginning.
Plot
PROLOGUE - Sorry, Canada
We open with Sammy Baker, the protagonist, informing us that the school trip to a maple syrup farm has been cancelled... and replaced with the mayor coming in for a talk of some sort. As mayors do. (Closest that ever happened to me was when my local MP turned up to some lame assembly in year 6 and started dancing 4 or 5 years before Theresa May brought it into the mainstream) Anyway, the mayor shows up to do their speech, when Sammy feels compelled to start tap dancing on the stage. Well, this time it's not because "for some reason"; no, we're finally getting an explanation!
PART 1 - The Ballad of Rubin Rubino
We cut to 3 weeks earlier. The class's teacher, Mrs Flake (and her sister, Mrs Dairy Milk), divides the class up into groups for a special Halloween project. Because that is totally part of the curriculum. (If they even have that in America. The diversity of the subjects makes me question it) So, let's meet Sammy's group, shall we?
- Sammy. Yeah, we all know him partially by now.
- Bill "Buzzy" Buzzner. Sammy's best friend. His nickname is stupid, so I'm just going to call him Bill.
- Summer Macgee. Sammy's crush, so BACKSTORY TIME. He's liked her ever since year 4 when they made a volcano, the lava got on his shirt, and she ripped it off before he got burnt whilst Careless Whisper started playing in the background. Wait, why would the volcano be hot? Shouldn't they just be filling it with baking soda and vinegar?
- Rubin Rubino, probably Molly Molloy's soulmate and definitely Sammy's nemesis. TIME FOR BACKSTORY II - JUDGEMENT DAY. Rubin Rubino was showing off in front of a bunch of High School Girls (I should like to remind you that he's in year 8) on a skateboard, when Sammy came up and tripped him by accident, sending him flying and bloodying his nose. Hence, Rubin Rubino presumably stood in front of a burning house and yelled, "I will have my revenge! Sammy Baker!" He's been at Sammy's throat ever since.
- Shamequa Shannon and Todd Garcia. They contribute a grand total of nothing to the story.
(That's all you need to know really. The only other things that happen are a 7th member, Misty Rogers, shows up late, Sammy and Summer have a nice conversation, and Sammy's parents act waaay too enthusiastic about him, his crush, and the resident jerk hanging out unsupervised in an old abandoned house all night.)
(Also Dad acts like you can film ghosts on a GoPro.)
PART 2 - Knock Knock Knocking on Sammy's Door
So, in front of the Marple House on Halloween night, Sammy and Bill spy a shadow in an upstairs window, so they quickly film it with the GoPro. However, before they can watch the video, Sammy feels something smack his hand and smash the GoPro. The strange thing is that Bill didn't see anything other than Sammy chucking the GoPro on the floor. In all fairness, this entire section is genuinely creepy with a good sense of mystery to keep the reader engaged.
Rubin Rubino and Summer turn up, just as Sammy and Bill come to the conclusion that Rubin Rubino staged the whole thing, probably smashing the camera with, I don't know, the force or something. Anyway, Shamequa and Todd (*yawn*) show up, with an official ghost hunting kit. Oh yeah, I saw that in Tescos the other week: it was right next to the official guide to summoning Cthulu. Rubin Rubino tries to open the door, but he says that something's pushing against it. Except it isn't a jedi mind trick at all - there's something stopping them getting in. So, they come as close to the ol' Goosebumps standby as they can - they go in through the window.
They all get in, and it's as cold as one of those "temporary" school buildings during winter. As the gang start coming up with a plan, Sammy hears someone whisper that he's watching him. He thinks it's Rubin Rubino, but he's not there. It seems that everyone's just walked off without Sammy. How polite. Except, they're just in another room. Summer somehow came to the logical conclusion that Sammy decided to leave the house they all had to get in through the window, but Sammy doesn't call her out because he's in love with her.
The gang set up their fancy-pants equipment, and wait for the ghosts to show up while hoping that Ray Stantz doesn't find out that they nicked his stuff. As they sit there, freezing their glueteus maximuses off, Summer gets bored and calls out for the spirits to show themselves. Because she is apparently using a ouija board. Come on, Sammy, you can do better than her! Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. The tension builds nicely, as everyone freezes in place. Suddenly, the door flies open... and it's just Misty showing up late. Again. But at least she brought donuts, which is more than anyone else managed to do. (Yeah, they brought ghost-hunting kits, but not food.)
As Shamequa starts suggesting that they're not going to get any proof and that they should all call it a night and go home, Sammy says that he's heard the ghost. Shamequa realises that they may have caught it on the recorder, so they listen to it. A raspy voice calls out that they'll never leave this house alive, as the tension builds once more. Bill immediately points the finger at Rubin Rubino, but Todd points out that there's no conceivable way that he could've accomplished this: the recorder's been with Shamequa the whole time. Summer realises that this is the proof they need, but when they play the recording back again, all they hear is static. Suddenly, some of the equipment starts ticking. A shadow dances across the wall like a ghostly Strictly contestant. And a terrifying howl fills the room. Sammy screams for the gang to get out of there, but he finds himself frozen both literally and figuratively as an icy sensation grips him. Luckily, it eventually wears off, and the gang take off into the night. But that's nowhere near the end of it.
PART 3 - Dashing through the NO
We cut to 3 weeks later, in history class. For some reason, they can't be bothered to teach anyone in America: they just make them read the textbooks at home. Anyway, after Rubin Rubino trips Sammy up to way too much laughter from the class (in today's society, you normally have to steal someone's crutches to get that reaction. Yep, that's actually what my English class have been up to recently), Sammy hears someone instructing him to get onto the desk and do jumping jacks. It's stupid, but he does it anyway. (That sounds like the motto of all Goosebumps characters) When he stops himself, he hears the voice telling him to pretend to play Jingle Bells on the flute.
So, then, after Summer starts displaying interest in Sammy, he goes home, where his parents say that he should probably see a doctor. Sammy denies this, despite the fact his body temperature is 19 degrees below standard, and by all accounts a human cannot survive this.
So, now we're back to where we started. Also, apparently nobody was told that the field trip was cancelled until the morning it was supposed to happen. Anyway, yeah, Sammy starts tap-dancing. And making rooster noises. And dancing with the mayor. And somehow everyone except Sammy and the mayor are on board with this. And the head lets him off with a warning when he stops him. At least until lunch, when Sammy cartwheels into the spaghetti pot. Just before he was about to go have lunch with Summer. Owch.
So, on the way home, Sammy is compelled to climb a tree to rescue a kitten. Except there is no kitten. And Sammy's scared of heights. He'd be stuck there if someone hadn't come to rescue him. Also, apparently the voice is trying to kill him. By making him cartwheel into a pot of spaghetti, and then throw it onto Rubin Rubino. Like I said, wouldn't lowering his body temperature to 16 degrees do that anyway?
PART 4 - Not Dead Yet
So, if you hadn't figured it out yet, the voice is the ghost from the Marple House. What a shocker. Then, we get this line.
The next day, Summer comes up to Sammy and congratulates him over Guns 'N' Roses' The Spaghetti Incident. When Summer asks what he's gonna do today, he hears a voice telling him to go dance on the roof. OK... So, he gets up and starts busting moves. I mean, what could go wrong? Answer: He falls off, and lands on the head. And is somehow fine. Headmasters and crash mats are not the same thing, Sammy!
The Head tells Sammy that he's expelled, so Sammy leaves... and runs to the Marple House. The voice says, "Oi, what're you doing? I died here!" No, really. Suddenly, Sammy is pushed into "the door between life and death," and becomes a ghost. Now, he can see the guy who's been controlling him too - Benjamin Marple, alias Deadman. Deadman drags Sammy back to school... and into Rubin Rubino's head. They proceed to spend the rest of the day screwing with Rubin Rubino - making him paint his chest blue, having him jump into the pool with all his clothes on, not making him dance, surprisingly, etc.
However, Sammy quickly realises that he doesn't really like being dead, so flies off back to the Marple House, with Deadman pursuing him. They both end up going through "the door between life and death"... and Deadman vanishes as Sammy comes back to life. And Mum and Dad don't know anything about the whole "dancing on the roof" thing when Sammy gets back.
Not long after, a few days later, Sammy gets yet another chance from the Head because this man is more forgiving than an overworked priest during the confessionals. When he gets to class, Deadman is there. Yep, it seems when Sammy got brought back to life, so did Deadman. Guess that means we have to call him Ben now. (That's his real name, in case you were wondering) At lunch, Ben instructs Sammy to dance on the roof again. Guess he's running out of ideas. Yep, turns out that Ben can still control Sammy, and will forever. But, there is one upside to this. Summer's looking up at Sammy, and smiling. I'll give Ben this - he's a killer wingman.
Any Questions?
So, how were Sammy and Deadman controlling Rubin Rubino? How would two different consciousnesses simultaneously and improvisatorly (is that a word?) control one body without something going wrong?
Conclusion
The Haunter is an OK novel. Part 2 is wonderful, and I really like the dynamic between Sammy and Summer. (Call me sentimental; I'm just a sucker for a romance in these books) However, the story seems unfocused - from part 3 onwards, the story keeps jumping from plot to plot, and the whole Sammy/Rubin Rubino dynamic isn't really explored enough for the climax of Sammy and Deadman controlling him to be satisfying. Overall, alright if you've read the Haunted Mask books and want something else to read on Halloween.
Rubin Rubino and Summer turn up, just as Sammy and Bill come to the conclusion that Rubin Rubino staged the whole thing, probably smashing the camera with, I don't know, the force or something. Anyway, Shamequa and Todd (*yawn*) show up, with an official ghost hunting kit. Oh yeah, I saw that in Tescos the other week: it was right next to the official guide to summoning Cthulu. Rubin Rubino tries to open the door, but he says that something's pushing against it. Except it isn't a jedi mind trick at all - there's something stopping them getting in. So, they come as close to the ol' Goosebumps standby as they can - they go in through the window.
They all get in, and it's as cold as one of those "temporary" school buildings during winter. As the gang start coming up with a plan, Sammy hears someone whisper that he's watching him. He thinks it's Rubin Rubino, but he's not there. It seems that everyone's just walked off without Sammy. How polite. Except, they're just in another room. Summer somehow came to the logical conclusion that Sammy decided to leave the house they all had to get in through the window, but Sammy doesn't call her out because he's in love with her.
The gang set up their fancy-pants equipment, and wait for the ghosts to show up while hoping that Ray Stantz doesn't find out that they nicked his stuff. As they sit there, freezing their glueteus maximuses off, Summer gets bored and calls out for the spirits to show themselves. Because she is apparently using a ouija board. Come on, Sammy, you can do better than her! Suddenly, there's a knock at the door. The tension builds nicely, as everyone freezes in place. Suddenly, the door flies open... and it's just Misty showing up late. Again. But at least she brought donuts, which is more than anyone else managed to do. (Yeah, they brought ghost-hunting kits, but not food.)
As Shamequa starts suggesting that they're not going to get any proof and that they should all call it a night and go home, Sammy says that he's heard the ghost. Shamequa realises that they may have caught it on the recorder, so they listen to it. A raspy voice calls out that they'll never leave this house alive, as the tension builds once more. Bill immediately points the finger at Rubin Rubino, but Todd points out that there's no conceivable way that he could've accomplished this: the recorder's been with Shamequa the whole time. Summer realises that this is the proof they need, but when they play the recording back again, all they hear is static. Suddenly, some of the equipment starts ticking. A shadow dances across the wall like a ghostly Strictly contestant. And a terrifying howl fills the room. Sammy screams for the gang to get out of there, but he finds himself frozen both literally and figuratively as an icy sensation grips him. Luckily, it eventually wears off, and the gang take off into the night. But that's nowhere near the end of it.
PART 3 - Dashing through the NO
We cut to 3 weeks later, in history class. For some reason, they can't be bothered to teach anyone in America: they just make them read the textbooks at home. Anyway, after Rubin Rubino trips Sammy up to way too much laughter from the class (in today's society, you normally have to steal someone's crutches to get that reaction. Yep, that's actually what my English class have been up to recently), Sammy hears someone instructing him to get onto the desk and do jumping jacks. It's stupid, but he does it anyway. (That sounds like the motto of all Goosebumps characters) When he stops himself, he hears the voice telling him to pretend to play Jingle Bells on the flute.
"Toottoottoot, toottoottoot, toot toot TOOT toot toot."There, that's stuck in your head now. Only now does Mrs Flake decide to kick Sammy off to the SLT or something - nah, I'm just kidding. She sends him to the nurse. The nurse is eating lunch, for some reason, and a voice instructs Sammy to shove part of her sandwich into her mouth. This is starting to seem familiar. Does the name Son of Slappy ring a bell? Anyhoozle, Sammy shoves the sandwich into her mouth, and probably following up with some sort of one-liner about putting an ice pack on it. The nurse asks Sammy to lie down on the bed, because actual medical care is a thing they do in school nurse offices, and Sammy is compelled to rip up the pillow and eat the stuffing. I... what? Sammy also has a temperature of 60.5 Fahrenheit (16 Celsius). Apparently, you die if you're that temperature.
So, then, after Summer starts displaying interest in Sammy, he goes home, where his parents say that he should probably see a doctor. Sammy denies this, despite the fact his body temperature is 19 degrees below standard, and by all accounts a human cannot survive this.
So, now we're back to where we started. Also, apparently nobody was told that the field trip was cancelled until the morning it was supposed to happen. Anyway, yeah, Sammy starts tap-dancing. And making rooster noises. And dancing with the mayor. And somehow everyone except Sammy and the mayor are on board with this. And the head lets him off with a warning when he stops him. At least until lunch, when Sammy cartwheels into the spaghetti pot. Just before he was about to go have lunch with Summer. Owch.
So, on the way home, Sammy is compelled to climb a tree to rescue a kitten. Except there is no kitten. And Sammy's scared of heights. He'd be stuck there if someone hadn't come to rescue him. Also, apparently the voice is trying to kill him. By making him cartwheel into a pot of spaghetti, and then throw it onto Rubin Rubino. Like I said, wouldn't lowering his body temperature to 16 degrees do that anyway?
PART 4 - Not Dead Yet
So, if you hadn't figured it out yet, the voice is the ghost from the Marple House. What a shocker. Then, we get this line.
The next day, the ghost killed me.Ah, he must've finally succumbed to the fact that his body temperature is 16 degrees; I mean seriously!
The next day, Summer comes up to Sammy and congratulates him over Guns 'N' Roses' The Spaghetti Incident. When Summer asks what he's gonna do today, he hears a voice telling him to go dance on the roof. OK... So, he gets up and starts busting moves. I mean, what could go wrong? Answer: He falls off, and lands on the head. And is somehow fine. Headmasters and crash mats are not the same thing, Sammy!
The Head tells Sammy that he's expelled, so Sammy leaves... and runs to the Marple House. The voice says, "Oi, what're you doing? I died here!" No, really. Suddenly, Sammy is pushed into "the door between life and death," and becomes a ghost. Now, he can see the guy who's been controlling him too - Benjamin Marple, alias Deadman. Deadman drags Sammy back to school... and into Rubin Rubino's head. They proceed to spend the rest of the day screwing with Rubin Rubino - making him paint his chest blue, having him jump into the pool with all his clothes on, not making him dance, surprisingly, etc.
However, Sammy quickly realises that he doesn't really like being dead, so flies off back to the Marple House, with Deadman pursuing him. They both end up going through "the door between life and death"... and Deadman vanishes as Sammy comes back to life. And Mum and Dad don't know anything about the whole "dancing on the roof" thing when Sammy gets back.
Not long after, a few days later, Sammy gets yet another chance from the Head because this man is more forgiving than an overworked priest during the confessionals. When he gets to class, Deadman is there. Yep, it seems when Sammy got brought back to life, so did Deadman. Guess that means we have to call him Ben now. (That's his real name, in case you were wondering) At lunch, Ben instructs Sammy to dance on the roof again. Guess he's running out of ideas. Yep, turns out that Ben can still control Sammy, and will forever. But, there is one upside to this. Summer's looking up at Sammy, and smiling. I'll give Ben this - he's a killer wingman.
Any Questions?
So, how were Sammy and Deadman controlling Rubin Rubino? How would two different consciousnesses simultaneously and improvisatorly (is that a word?) control one body without something going wrong?
Conclusion
The Haunter is an OK novel. Part 2 is wonderful, and I really like the dynamic between Sammy and Summer. (Call me sentimental; I'm just a sucker for a romance in these books) However, the story seems unfocused - from part 3 onwards, the story keeps jumping from plot to plot, and the whole Sammy/Rubin Rubino dynamic isn't really explored enough for the climax of Sammy and Deadman controlling him to be satisfying. Overall, alright if you've read the Haunted Mask books and want something else to read on Halloween.
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