Hi guys, Michael from Minnesota here. Love the site and hoping you and your readers can help with a memory that's haunted me for decades. In grade school in the mid-80s, I remember watching a Reading Rainbow-type video that highlighted different children's books. The one that stuck with me was a book about a family that moved into a new house and noticed some strange goings-on. In the end, it turns out a body was buried underneath the house and the restless spirit was causing the disturbances. I believe it ends with them giving the corpse a proper burial, and things go back to normal. I've gone through the Reading Rainbow archives and nothing has jumped out at me, so it might've been on a similar, knockoff program. If anyone can help, I'd love to find the book. Thanks!
Michael,
I don’t know if it fits entirely but I remember reading a similar sounding book in grade school called THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR by Virginia Hamilton. Here’s the Wikipedia page…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Dies_Drear
There was a made-for-TV adaptation made in 1984, as well. That may represent the video that you recall.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264696/
I can't help you here but it does remind me of two things. I used to have a book called "Beware! This House is Haunted" that I got from a school book order that was seriously creepy. The other was a book called "The Ghost of Windy Hill" that I was convinced was a scary book so one night I decided to do something scary and sleep in the basement after reading that book. Turned out the book wasn't scary at all and didn't feature any ghosts!
I think I know what program you are referring to! It’s called The Incredible Book Escape. It’s an anthology type of thing with the wrap around story being about a young girl trapped overnight in the library and seeing various books play out for her in an attempt to escape. Here’s a link to it on YouTube. Hope this helps!
https://youtu.be/QjfOWmnW55w
And here’s the story you mentioned! “The Ghost in the Shedâ€!
https://youtu.be/lqhc4FR-3l0
https://www.kindertrauma.com/name-that-trauma-reader-thunderknight-on-a-slain-salesman/
Guys, this is Michael from MN…That’s it! That’s it! That’s it! Thank you SO MUCH! Another trauma solved. I just rewatched this thing, over 30 years after seeing it in school. I must say, I remember it being creepier and more sombre, not quite so “aw shucks†comedic…
!!! Aw that's great news, MFM! Thanks, you've done it again, Billy V!