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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is exactly the sort of thing I would have loved reading as a kid. Sadly my adult cynic couldn’t get as wrapped up in the cool time travel and ghostly stuff.
The plot was very similar to a book I read over and over as a kid called Stonewords. And perhaps I’m biased, but I feel like Stonewords was a little better. Mind you, it’s been decades since I’ve read it, but I feel like the writing was a bit stronger. I would love to read it now to compare.
Still, it’s hard to go wrong with a middle grade ghost story that involves dolls and cats. That ticks a lot of boxes for me!
The plot was very similar to a book I read over and over as a kid called Stonewords. And perhaps I’m biased, but I feel like Stonewords was a little better. Mind you, it’s been decades since I’ve read it, but I feel like the writing was a bit stronger. I would love to read it now to compare.
Still, it’s hard to go wrong with a middle grade ghost story that involves dolls and cats. That ticks a lot of boxes for me!
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"The best people, the ones you loved the most, died and other people, mean and nasty, lived and went right on being mean and nasty all their lives."
"Maybe death is too big to change. Time doesn't run backward, you know, and things that have been done can't be undone, no matter how hard you wish."
"Maybe death is too big to change. Time doesn't run backward, you know, and things that have been done can't be undone, no matter how hard you wish."
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I absolutely loved this middle grade ghost story because it is exactly the kind of story that childhood me would have loved. We are following 10-year-old Ashley, who has moved to a new apartment with her mom, after her father passed away. The cranky old lady downstairs warns Ashley to stay away from her garden out back. But when a mysterious white cat arrives and appears to lead Ashley to the garden and through the hedges, she enters a ghostly world from the past and meets a little girl who lived there many years ago. Ashley must figure out who this little girl is and what she wants. This story was beautiful and atmospheric, with themes of friendship and grief. I will definitely see what else this prolific author wrote for kids. She has been publishing novels from 1979 to 2022!
While the story was simple, I really felt the atmosphere of the book and thought it especially shined on its message about death. I'm actually sad that I didn't read it as a kid because the way Ashley and her mom talk about death is great for kids under 12 years, as it doesn't sugar-coat death but instead talks about how do deal with it at a young age and accept one's own mortality. I may be biased in my rating because I love these types of stories and Mary Downing Hahn, but if a horror-lite book is what you want to read, then this is a great choice!
This was a great quick read aloud to my class. It took us just this week to finish it and the kids loved it. They enjoyed making predictions about what was going to happen and seeing if each other was right or wrong. I have read it many times before and enjoy it each time. I think that Mary Downing Hahn does a good job with her stories, though many of them are the same plot with different characters. I have noticed this as I have read more and more of her stories that similar things happen to the characters and the "mysteries" are solved in similar ways.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Every time a Mary Downing Hahn book crosses my path, I wish I had read it when I was little. So I took this one home and read it last night. Enjoyed it quite a bit, actually! I had a few quibbles with the grammar, but I will recommend this book to youngsters at my store. It is spooky but not really "scarey."