3 stars
An odd book that is nevertheless cute and entertaining. A nice Halloween read.
I really enjoyed the details in the illustrations with the shadowy figures and such. It foreshadowed the ending without giving anything away. Great for young children who enjoy a bit of spookiness to their stories. The illustrations are rather dark and mysterious, adding to the aesthetic. Nothing too scary happens, but the feel of the book is dark and creepy.
I did find it odd that Annie is rewarded for not listening or following the rules. Her family tells her not to go to the spooky house, but she does it anyway. She also sneaks out in the middle of the night to do so. And enters the house despite all of the literal signs telling her not to. Could be a confusing message to children about listening to adults and not trespassing.
Definitely a fun read with a surprise at the end that I did not see coming, but the messages about trespassing and such were a bit odd. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it may warrant a conversation about not sneaking out in the middle of the night and entering strange houses if read to young children.