The Most Haunted House in America

June 1, 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

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2022
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)

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August 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.

September 15, 2022
Grades K-3 The Skeleton Drummers have been cordially invited to play a Halloween bash at the most haunted house in America, the White House! The bony band quickly prepares its instruments and makes its way through dark underground tunnels to Washington, DC. The members emerge to a costumed crowd of trick-or-treaters that excitedly grooves to the band's beat all the way to the White House's doors. Inside, it's packed with the living and the dead. There's ol' Abe Lincoln petting a giant black cat, and First Lady Abigail Adams (now a translucent white) is climbing out of her picture frame! The crowd converges in the Red Room, where the Terror Ball is in full swing, before spilling outside once more. 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. An author's note reveals that Dapier himself once drummed at a White House Halloween party, and he includes further reading on documented White House hauntings.

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