This is a fun mystery with just the right amount of spookiness for a children's book. Even though it was written in 1971, it doesn't seem to old-fashioned - other than the kids being left home alone while parents go into town thing. But maybe even that still happens in areas as isolated as the setting for this book. This kids spend most of the day playing outside, but I've noticed that even modern children's books don't really feature kids sitting inside all day playing computer games (except The Everything Machine where it's an actual plot point). I definitely would have loved this book as a child.

Excellent.

After re-reading The Witches of Worm, I got the urge to re-read another Snyder novel that pleasantly creeped me out as a kid. This was still a good novel this go-round, and as with Witches of Worm, I was a lot more aware this time of the psychology involved with the characters. I may need to revisit The Egypt Game sometime soon...

⭐Rating ⭐
Five stars. I wish I had read this as a middle schooler.

This is a ghost story and a character study of an adolescent girl (she's 12) acting all sullen and teenager-y. We see her through the eyes of her younger (he's 11) step-brother who is far more earnest, considerate, and mature. Amanda is what we would now call goth. She missed it by 20 years, but she would've been very into The Craft. When her parents divorce and she's forced to live with her mom's new husband and family, she is clearly unhappy but takes the opportunity to try to induct her new siblings into the occult. There is someone in the family who may have actual supernatural powers, but it's not Amanda.

One very cringe thing that happens in this book is that Amanda gets her little step-siblings to do what she wants by playing "slave and slavedriver." She plays at whipping them to get them do the gardening. Shudder.

Amanda is not the only interesting character in the book. Janie the talkative, dramatic 6yo is a hoot. The 4yo twins Blair and Tesser each have distinct personalities. The grown-ups feel quite real and nuanced. David, the POV character, is exactly what parents want their kids to be without being too good to be true. He observes Amanda carefully and her character is revealed through his observations.

I read this because Lemony Snicket praised it in Poison for Breakfast.

This Newberry award winner is one of my fondest reads of my childhood. Originally published in 1971 it still is one of the most entertaining and alluring chapter books written. Full of spooky fun but just shy of being too scary it is sure to keep kids hooked. It is the first in the Stanley family series starring their four children and their new stepsister Amanda. Strange and mysterious things begin happening in their ancient house and Amanda, who just happens to study witchcraft, believes they have a poltergeist and it is responsible for the oddities. A headless statue of a cupid at the base of the staircase railing is just one clue. But is it really something supernatural at work or is there a more human element influencing events?

First off Amanda is the worst.

If I were the stepdad in the situation I would have some serious issues with that girl and how she was affecting my own children. If I were Amanda’s mom who I felt very sorry for I would let her go live with her dad.

Amanda is furious that she has to live with her mom and the Stanley’s. David, a delightful character, is the big bro who looks after Janie and the twins. He’s very patient with Amanda and how psychotic she is.

Amanda is obsessed with the occult. She gets all the Stanley kids to go through nine ordeals or challenges, so they too can practice the occult. All of the challenges are obviously meant to cause disruption in the family and irritate the parents.

How could the parents not see what was going on? My mom would’ve never allowed us to get away with such nonsense. I just don’t see how the parents can see something was seriously wrong.

It was an easy read and kept me entertained. I really enjoyed David‘s character and his little siblings. I read it in one sitting which is why I rounded up to four stars. Even though it’s probably closer to three stars for me.

This was a so so read. This author writes about weird stuff. This book is about a newly blended family that moves into a new house. The dad and his children had lost their mother. The mom and her daughter come in to create a new step family. The daughter, Amanda, isn’t very accepting of the new situation and she convinces her new siblings to join her occult and have a seance. Strange things start happening in the house and she tells the kids that the house is haunted by an old ghost.

As time moves on, her new step-brother David, starts to wander if she is secretly behind all of the strange things happening in the house. He isn’t sure why she is doing it because it mostly hurts her own mother.

This is basically a story about blending a family with kids and how the kids react to their new living situation. The question is, do you think Amanda is doing all of it or is it really a ghost haunting them all?

If you are offended by witchcraft, ghosts, and the occult then this book isn’t for you.

0.5 stars.
I really didn't like this book. I only got to page 69 and it was so dead boring that I was almost falling asleep.

The main female chacter was sooo snotty. She thought that adults were despicable things that didn't even deserve to be called humans. She hated her mom with a passion and though that the main male caracter's dad was the devil himself. The main female was also super cruel to all animals and even worse to young children (she called them things). She hates everything but her best friend and her dad (and the only reason she likes her dad is because he showers her with money whenever she wants something and never tells her no). Both her and her friend decied that they were going to be witches and that all witches have to be awful hags and steal things.

All in all this was a super boring and completely dreadful book. I would never recommend this book to anyone I know because I wouldn't want anyone to be as depressed as I was during the first sixy-nine pages of this book.

I really enjoyed this book, the witchcraft and occult was very strange but interesting. I've read the last book in the series (without realizing it) and was glad to get the first book. I love Janie-she is so funny! Amanda was pretty weird, but cool, and Blair was kinda strange, but I liked him and the other characters well. I also enjoyed the twist at the end-definitely was not seeing it coming. I think this is a good '70s elementary school book and I liked it, not my favorite but it's still good and I'd recommend others checking it out.

A recently blended family getting to know one another. A resentful girl with an interest in the occult. Amusing little kids. A big, old house.

I think what marks this out as a novel of the 70s is that the kids have all summer pretty much on their own. They're expected to appear for meals, but none of them has any playdates, or scheduled activities, nor do they have other kids around to play with. Just a long, empty summer to get into trouble. It's a fun book, less creepy than amusing in their efforts to become occult, and blend as a family.

Library copy.

DNF'd at about 50%

I love Zilpha Keatley Snyder, but I just could not get into this story. I'm disappointed, I remember reading this when I was younger and liking it. Egypt Game holds up, but this one not as much.