Goofballs 05 – Ha-Ha-Haunting of Hyde House

Tony Abbott's Goofballs Ha-Ha-Haunting of Hyde House is a daft Halloween mystery for 6 year olds that's more giggly than spooky.

What happens

The Goofballs are four friends who solve mysteries. Jeff keeps the clues in his cluebook. Brian is full of wild theories. Mara is an expert in Ghostology (from watching cartoons). Kelly doesn't believe in ghosts at all. And Sparky the corgi is the official Goofdog.

This is the fifth Goofballs case. It's Halloween, and their classmate Joey bursts into the library shaking from head to toe. He's just seen a g-g-ghost! A big white blob floating across the ceiling of Hyde House, the empty old house his parents want to turn into a bookshop.

Nobody has seen Lavinia Hyde, who used to live there, for years. Spooky, right?

So the Goofballs grab their ghost-hunting gear. Brian brings a butterfly net, a clown nose and a hard-boiled egg (among other things). They creep into the house in a thunderstorm, through door after door after door. Then Kelly marches into the parlour on her own, screams and vanishes!

The jokes come thick and fast. Most of them are wordplay. When Brian says he's brought a net, Mara wants to know who Annette is. When Brian is too frightened to go on, he says he's sc-sc-Scandinavian. Your reader will be groaning and giggling in equal measure.

It's a clever way to do a scary story for this age. Jeff even tells us he loves scary stories but not scary endings, and the friends talk extra goofy whenever they're nervous. Every creepy moment gets a joke straight after it. That makes it a nice first spooky read for a child who wants the thrill without the nightmares.

There are proper clues to spot as well. Keep an eye on the balloons, the frosting and the old newspapers. Can your reader crack the case before Jeff does?

If your reader loves a good pun and a mystery that's solvable, this is a super pick for Halloween or any time.

What to read next

Want to see how the Goofballs got their name? That's in the first book, the Crazy Case of Missing Thunder. It starts with fries up Jeff's nose, Brian in his underwear chasing his trousers and the four friends meeting over a missing class snack.