BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSAndres Miedoso is a nervous boy who admits he is not the bravest kid in the world, and he likes things "normal-boring." When he and his scientist parents move to the town of Kersville, he meets Desmond Cole, the boy who lives next door. Desmond has a garage set up like an office, with walkie-talkies, night-vision goggles and odd gadgets, and he hands Andres a business card for his Ghost Patrol. He also gives Andres a warning. His mom is making the new family a welcome lasagna, and Andres should not eat it. Soon spooky things start happening in Andres's new house, like a mysterious tapping sound and a bedroom that turns freezing cold in the night, and they happen whenever the grown-ups are not looking. The book opens with Andres hiding behind the family's brand-new sofa while a ghost floats over his head, and then it goes back to show how he ended up there.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol)
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol). Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book are a new home's den, kitchen and bedrooms all normal-boring?
✓ Answer
The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol) by Andres Miedoso
As Andres explores, he finds a normal-boring front door, den, kitchen, and dining room, plus four normal-boring bedrooms and two normal-boring bathrooms. The only part that isn't normal-boring is the basement.
- First half
In what book does a boy's breath become a fuzzy white cloud that floats around his room?
✓ Answer
The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol) by Andres Miedoso
Waking up freezing, Andres blows out a huge breath just like Desmond did. In the darkness his breath becomes a fuzzy white cloud that floats around his room, and he thinks, "That's not right."
- First half
In what book does a narrator agree his dad's lemonade is "the greatest thing in the world"?
✓ Answer
The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol) by Andres Miedoso
After Andres and his dad finish setting up the den, Dad says it's official, the house is their home, and they need his famous lemonade to celebrate. Andres says Dad thinks his lemonade is the best, and actually, it is.
- Second half
In what book do two parents dash in opposite directions toward the two bathrooms?
✓ Answer
The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol) by Andres Miedoso
After the lasagna lunch, Mom and Dad spring from the table and run like two bolts of lightning toward the two bathrooms. Both bathroom fans go on, and Andres says to himself, "Ew, gross."
- Second half
In what book does a cold gust of wind blow behind a boy holding grapes?
✓ Answer
The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol) by Andres Miedoso
Andres is eating grapes in the kitchen when he feels a cold gust of wind behind him. He hopes it is just his mind playing tricks on him again, but it isn't.
- Near the end
In what book is a boy asked if his parents are human?
✓ Answer
The Haunted House Next Door (Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol) by Andres Miedoso
The ghost asks Andres if he owns the house, and Andres says his parents do. When the ghost asks, "Are your parents human?" Andres says, "Yes, I think so," and Desmond gives him a duh look.
