One Night at Lottie's House by Max Dann

Our Year 3 classes have just finished reading One Night at Lottie's house. Here is another true gem which should never go out of print. Arthur is afraid of everything. He never stays away from home with out his ghost fighting kit and he will really need all his supplies and courage if he is to survive one night at Lottie's house.
Arthur’s mum and dad are off to a dentist convention and even though Arthur begs to be allowed to stay in the hotel it is arranged that he will stay with Lottie, a friend from school. His dad will pick him up in the morning. But “Arthur only needed one look at Lottie's House before declaring I don’t think I’ll be alive in the morning Father”.

Arthur endures a night of zombies, aliens, bunyips, vampires, gargoyles and trolls but the worst thing is the ghost of Lottie's father that Arthur sees walking down the hallway dragging a chain. Arthur hurries to the kitchen to make a special potion so he will be repulsive to ghosts. He needs weeds that grow by a graveyard fence, the shriveled whiskers of ten old men, sawdust from a coffin, cockroaches, swamp goo and holy water. None of these things are in this kitchen. What will Arthur do?

Our original edition of this book has terrific line illustrations by David Pearson but at least this book continues to stay in print since it has been reissued as an Aussie Bite with illustrations by Stephen Axelsen. If you like tension and horror with some really good fun thrown in look for One Night at Lottie's House in your library soon. I first read this great little book in 1986 when it was short listed for the Children's Book Council Awards and I continue to enjoy reading it to junior students all these years later.