"The House at the End of the Road" is a fun read for middle graders. I'll definitely be recommending this one to our patron.

This book is sort of a picture-book/graphic-novel hybrid. It tells the story of three cousins who discover what they think is a haunted house. But it turns out that the place is inhabited by Mr. Peterson, who's collected all kinds of cool stuff over the years. The children spend lots of time there, until one day they turn up to find Mr. Peterson gone. So they make some mementos for him and ask their grandmother to deliver them.

I don't really have a problem with the story, but the synopsis makes it sound more innocuous than it might be. Mr. Peterson "has left for a retirement home" sounds like a voluntary thing... when, in actuality, it appears he was forced to move. I recently read an article about senior guardianship that was downright terrifying; basically, a stranger can declare themselves an elderly person's guardian, and they lose all their rights and assets. I can't help but wonder if that's what happened to poor Mr. Peterson, as it certainly seems like he was forced out against his will.

The illustrations are kind of cute, and I like how the book is put together. This could be a good introduction to graphic novels for kids, since the format is (mostly) in that style.

The ending is a bit abrupt, but I really don't know what else I was expecting. Mr. Peterson to fight back against the forced guardianship? The old guy sneaking out of the retirement home to go back and live in his old house? I'm not sure. I just find it quite sad that, although he has friends, he doesn't seem to have any advocates. He lost his home and all his possessions, and it was up to three kids to try to give him back some mementos. That says something about dysfunction in our society, but it's nothing good.

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, but it just didn't do anything for me. It's a story that's been told before -- an old man lives in a house that the neighborhood kids perceive to be haunted, they meet him and like him once they understand him.... Unfortunately, there isn't anything new about this tired tale, other than that it's being told as a graphic novel. I can't say my students would get excited about this one. I certainly didn't.

I enjoyed this book about not judging based on appearances. The pictures were cute and the story had a good lesson to be learned.

I struggled a bit with the flow at the beginning. It felt that the start was a bit rushed. The second half Was easier to follow and wrapped up nicely.

Overall I liked this book and the values it is teaching.

A quick fun kids read!
It wasn't as spooky as I thought, but it had a little scary build up at first. The story was good, maybe even an underlying trace of sadness. It turn a couple of turns I wasn't expecting.
The writing was good and the illustrations were beautiful! I'll be keeping an eye out for book #2, hoping there is one!
Overall, I'd recommend it!

A pedagocially rich and relevant book about making right a mistake and in the process finding value in another human being. This book has many layers and more can be read into it depending on the age of the reader but a profoundly important read that brings two different generations together in a momentous and impactful way. It is both sad and insightful.

A short but sweet story about 3 children who form a quick friendship with an elderly man at the end of the road who they originally thought was a ghost.
The story was very cute but actually got a little sad half way through my 12 year old said “wow that got sad quickly” but it ended in the sweetest way possible. There could’ve been a bit more story development as I found thing happened very quickly without a lot of story but that could be because it was part graphic novel as well. Overall a lovely summer story about friendship and kindness.

The House at the End of the Road takes on the topic of how appearances can be deceiving. It is easy to "judge a book by its cover". People we think we might not connect with at first can make such a huge difference in our lives. This book is beautifully illustrated and written in a way that tells a relatable yet powerful message to its readers. I read this book with our almost 9 years old and it is was a wonderful conversation starter about how everyone has a story when you take the time to hear it. Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for an advanced copy of this book.

The House at the End of the Road is a children's story about appearances and how often they can deceive us. In the beginning, a group of kids visit the titular house, and one of them tosses a rock toward an upper window. A face appears a second later, and the kids run home in fear of the ghost they're certain they've just seen. But when they tell their grandmother about what happened, she teaches them that the "ghost" in question is a kind, elderly man.

There are some good moral lessons in this book:

1. Appearances can be deceiving.
2. Telling the truth can lead to good friendships.
3. It's bad to throw rocks at houses.
4. Preserving history is a good way to help people deal with loss.

The illustrations were also extremely well done and helped set the mood (even though the Kindle version put the dialogue from each panel outside the illustrations). Overall, though, the story fell a bit flat and didn't feel as well-written as several other children's books I've recently read. Children may look past these issues, but it doesn't seem to be the type of story that will command their imagination enough to become a favorite read.

A beautifully illustrated tale that reminded me of The Sandlot. What seems like a ghost house is really just the home of a lonely old man that is more interesting than he first appears. The story is one of friendship and learning new things.