Milly McCarthy and the Haunted House HullaBOOloo!
Milly McCarthy is back, and chaos is following closely behind! After previous disastrous attempts to find a hobby, Milly is enjoying her role on the local GAA team. When her coach retires, her dad steps in to make sure Milly doesn’t lose this outlet for all that energy we can feel pouring off the page. However, it soon becomes apparent that there is also a dire need for new team uniforms and equipment. The whole community comes together to find a solution, and with Halloween just around the corner, a haunted house fundraiser seems a perfect fit, with Milly helping to lead the charge.
The power of stories is highlighted as the children realise that the essence of a haunted house is a spooky tale. Other young storytellers may be inspired to create their own after reading the creepy attempts of Milly’s classmates. However, while it may celebrate ghost stories, this book is pure comedy. Each page is infused with humour of varying levels of sophistication, all equally enjoyable. We jump between laugh out loud silliness, to more subtle misunderstandings that kids will enjoy untangling.
Much of the humour comes from Harte’s brilliant illustrations, which complement the text and add another layer of fun and dynamism to an already fizzing story. Milly’s face is always wonderfully expressive, whether overjoyed at a plan coming together, or worried that the haunted house may not be scary enough. Milly’s attempt to fix this final issue leads to a comic climax sure to delight her fans.
Spooktacular!
