Book ID help, please..

[bobkitty]

Yes, another one of THESE threads.

When I was a wee lass, I had a horror book that I'd like to re-read. Here's what I remember:

- It was a haunted house/monster-type book, but not by any of the usual suspect authors.
- On the cover was an embossed mummy (not a typical mummy- more of a stylised one, with red eyes, with the bandages falling off and spreading across the cover).
- The protagonists were pseudo Boy/Eagle Scouts- one in particular was very into bird watching, and this leads him to the haunted house.
- I believe it was a young adult-type book, but it was (to my mind) REALLY scary for a YA book.
- I would have read it somewhere between 1982 and 1986.
- I keep wanting to say it was named Phantom, or something like that. It was a very simple title.

Thoughts?

[ShallowEnd]

I got nothing.
You say there were pseudo Boy Scouts. How many? All boys? Was this a series? Was it a hardback or paper. I really wish you'd read it later, it would have to be a Point horror series.
There's a mummy on the cover, but they find a haunted house? Is that right?
So was there a mummy? Any ghosts?
Do you remember if it was a real haunting or just a reasonable explanation ending?
And, mummy. Was there an Egyptian theme of some sort?

I found a few I dismissed, Troll books were never ever scary and the Point and Twilight horror series were too late for you.

I'm willing to keep searching if you are!

[Snerky Snerk]

I attempted a search as well.
Various Point Horror books kept popping up, but none actually sound right.

The only bird watching reference that I could find in the teen fiction/horror/thriller genre was My Secret Admirer. A girl is out bird watching and meets a boy. That's about half a match on one detail.

Are you sure you can't recall any more?
Was it a short, average, or long book?
What was it's ISBN?
What country do you think it was from?
Was it bought new by you, or was it yellowed with age?

[Teacake]

The Mummy, The Will and The Crypt by John Bellairs. This was the copy I had.

[bobkitty]

Sadly, that's not it Teacake.

Let's see..

- It was a paperback, definitely not a short book. Maybe 250-300 pages? A one-off (not part of a series).
- I *think* there were 4 boys. There might have been another group that they had a rivalry with, or a specific bully they had trouble with. I very very clearly remember the one main protagonist boy who was into birdwatching.
- There wasn't an Egyptian theme. I think the mummy was.. part of the house's haunted theme somehow, like the house manifested visions based on each person's thoughts/fears. There definitely wasn't a reasonable explanation at the end.
- As far as I remember, it was an American author. The book was in English, but didn't have quirky language that would make me think it was from across the pond.
- I want to say there was a scene with the protagonist being chased away from the house by a dog (doberman/rottie/slavering hellbeast type) through a weird courtyard/overgrown garden, but honestly I can't say that with 100% certainty.


It's quite possible that I'm mistaken and it wasn't meant for young adults, as I was not known for sticking within my age range for reading... but I owned the copy, which means I either got it from a book sale at school or a library sale. I don't remember it being particularly beat up or particularly new- it was well-read, certainly, but the pages were that odd manilla color that so many of our books had back then.

I really appreciate the help!!!


ETA: The majority of the cover was black, with the scary mummy (head and a little of the shoulders) facing outward covering about 3/4 of the cover. Dark red eyes, dark brown bandages.

[Snerky Snerk]

Ok. There was one book that came to mind, but I dismissed it early on.

Now, with your new details, I feel I should verify with you - is there any chance it could be It, by Stephen King?
Maybe a book club re-issue?

[Infovore]

Originally Posted by Snerky Snerk

Ok. There was one book that came to mind, but I dismissed it early on.

Now, with your new details, I feel I should verify with you - is there any chance it could be It, by Stephen King?
Maybe a book club re-issue?

Yeah, that was my thought, too. There was a scene in there that was very similar to what you describe: mummy, old rotting house, group of kids, one of which was both a Boy Scout and a birdwatcher. The other kids weren't Boy Scouts (in fact, they weren't even all boys) and the book was a lot longer than 200-300 pages, but it's worth a check.

[Snerky Snerk]

Sorry, had trouble with putting a link in that last post. Here's what wikipedia says about It:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_(novel)

I suppose I should present the argument to support my suggestion. IT has the following:
-A simple title.
-A shape shifting monster.
- A main character (Stan?) is a bird watcher.
- There is a rival gang involved.

Between these and the size you suggested for the book, it sounds close to the middle section of It. Maybe a book club condensed It, or issued it in 3 parts? Or maybe Steve read the same book as you and it inspired him.

Anyway, let me know if It rings any bells, or not.

Thanks.

[montag01]

Nah, you've got the title right all along - it's Phantom, by Thomas Tessier. I searched through reviews in the Novelist database (available through all finer public libraries everywhere), then cross-referenced in Goodreads and a Google Image Search. See if this is the cover:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2953111-phantom

[bobkitty]

OMG, montag, that's it!!!! I wonder why I was never able to find it before??

I can totally see why other folks were thinking of "It," which is why I mentioned in the OP that it wasn't by the usual suspect authors. I've had a copy of It in one form or another since it was published, so I knew that definitely wasn't it. But a very good guess nonetheless!!

Now I can't wait to re-read it; some of those reviews mention the ending being unexpected, and I don't remember it at all. Doubt I'll find it as scary these days, but it'll still be nice to read.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone!!!

[Snerky Snerk]

Good - you found the book you were looking for.

Bad - I went digging for my copy of IT. And started skimming. And then started reading. And now I can't put it down.

Only 800 pages to go.
Because of this thread I'm going to get nothing done this weekend. Thanks a bunch.

[bobkitty]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Sorry about that, Snerky!