Baby-sitters' Haunted House is the first book in the Baby-Sitters Club Super Mystery series.
Book Cover Summary[]
Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Dawn are off to Maine to help take care of Karen and Andrew and the four Menders kids, whose parents stand to inherit the huge seaside house where the whole group will be staying.
The Baby-sitters have seen some spooky houses before, but nothing half as scary as this place: screams in the night, mysterious light from a locked attic, a ghostly figure in white....How can the BSC take care of six kids for ten days, when they aren't sure they'll survive even one night?
Chapter Narrators[]
- Claudia Kishi (Prologue, 1, 7, 15, 23, Epilogue)
- Kristy Thomas (2, 6, 12, 20)
- Mary Anne Spier (3, 11, 14, 18)
- Dawn Schafer (4, 10, 17, 21)
- Jessi Ramsey (5, 19)
- Karen Brewer (8)
- Logan Bruno (9)
- Mallory Pike (13, 22)
- Andrew Brewer (16)
Summary[]
Subplot[]
Shannon, Logan, Mallory, and Jessi are left to run the BSC.
Characters[]
BSC Members
- Kristy Thomas
- Claudia Kishi
- Mary Anne Spier
- Dawn Schafer
- Shannon Kilbourne
- Mallory Pike
- Jessi Ramsey
Kids
- Andrew Brewer
- Karen Brewer
- Jason Menders
- Martha Menders
- Jody - Martha's new friend
- Andrea and Jenny Prezzioso (mentioned)
- Jake Kuhn
- Melody Korman
- Adam, Byron, Jordan, Vanessa, Nicky, Margo, and Claire Pike
- Jackie, Shea, and Archie Rodowsky (mentioned)
- Becca Ramsey
- Nina and Eleanor Marshall (mentioned)
- Matt and Haley Braddock (mentioned)
Pre-Teens
Teenagers
- Stacey McGill (mentioned)
- Lionel Menders
- Georgio Trono
Adults
- Lisa Engle
- Seth Engle
- Mr. and Mrs. Menders
- Mr. and Mrs. Cooper
- Eleanor Butterfield - historical society associate
- Madeleine Prezzioso
- Mr. and Mrs. Trono - Georgio's parents
- Mr. and Mrs. Braddock
- Linda Arnold
- John Pike
Locations[]
- Reese, Maine
- Stoneybrook
- Rosebud Café
- Kishi House
Pop Culture and Real Life References[]
- Dracula
- Frog and Toad, The Secret Garden (books)
- Mary Poppins
- The Little Mermaid
- Pictionary
Continuity and Inconsistencies[]
Continuity
- Stacey is no longer part of the BSC which originally happened in Stacey vs. the BSC.
- Mary Anne mentions that she still does the sewing arts, including embroidering which she picked up in Maid Mary Anne.
- On page 253, Claudia and Dawn remember Travis from Dawn and the Older Boy.
Inconsistencies
- Mary Anne says that Dawn was on the swim team in California but there's been no indication that she's been on the team in other books.
- In chapter 19, Mrs. Braddock explains that she and her family are going on a two week camping trip. Yet, Mrs. Braddock is supposed to be running a booth at a local fair.
- On page 232, there's a paragraph that is in third person.
Trivia[]
- Claudia didn't pass English this year and her diary is the outline for her composition.
- Jobs lined up but not seen: Dawn for the Prezziosos, Claudia for the Newtons,
- Reorganized jobs include: Kristy for the Kuhns, Mary Anne for the Kormans, Shannon for the Hobarts, Logan for the Arnolds.
- Mary Anne read about Reese in a travel book before.
- Logan comes to a BSC meeting in chapter 2.
- Dawn has been missing California a lot more lately, this is foreshadowing for when she eventually leaves in Farewell, Dawn.
- Dawn has seen a lot of actors before.
- Claudia's birthday is soon and Mary Anne goes shopping for her present.
- Next to Martha, Mary Anne is the next shyest person that Karen knows.
- Janine agrees to take a baby-sitting job with the Hobarts.
- Mrs. Arnold is running the auction for the ambulance squad.
- Claudia made earrings out of an old chandelier before.
- The BSC hosts an emergency club meeting in chapter 10.
- The BSC was hired to help the kids adjust to moving but none of the kids were happy at all.
- Mallory and Jessi had to turn down eight sitting jobs.
- Jessi is supposed to teach Becca how to roller blade.
- Celebrate America is Stoneybrook's big summer celebration that starts with a barbecue pcnic at the playground, in the afternoon there's games from colonial times, and hands-on activities.
- Mrs. Rodowsky is at the fair running the dunking booth.
- Mrs. Pike is running the kite making booth.
- Mrs. Braddock and Mrs. Ramsey are running the make your own rag doll booth.
- Families mentions but not seen include: The Rodowskys, Braddocks, Hobarts, Arnolds, Newtons.
- Mallory considers asking Stacey McGill to baby-sit even though she's not part of the club.
- The Perkins are on vacation until the end of July, a man named Bill Murphy is watching the house.
- Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold are spending a week at their grandparents house.
- Corrie and Sean Addison are at sleepaway camp.
- Dawn admits that she loves sneaking around and spying.
- John Pike was a baby-sitter and helped Mallory and Jessi with the parade.
- Sam can ride a unicycle.
- Mr. Braddock videotaped the parade in Stoneybrook.
- The epilogue is mostly letters and it ends with Claudia narrating that she got an A on her writing assignment.
Gallery[]
Cover art original painting