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Summary
Summary
Diana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying Victorian mansion, for what already seems like forever. They aren't allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone. But when a new caretaker comes to live there with his young daughter, Lissa, Diana is tempted to break the mysterious rules they live by and reveal herself so she can finally have a friend. Somehow, Diana must get Lissa's help if she and Georgie everhope to release themselves from the secret that has bound them to the old Willis place for so long.
Mary Downing Hahn has written a chilling ghost story in the tradition of her most successful spine-tingling novels. The intriguing characters, frightening secrets, and plot twists will delight her many fans.
Author Notes
Mary Downing Hahn grew up in College Park, Maryland. After graduating college, she worked as an art teacher, a college instructor, and a children's librarian in Prince George's Public Library System. She published her first novel, The Sara Summer, at the age of 41. Since then, she has been a full-time writer and averages one book a year. Her ghost story Wait till Helen Comes was the winner of 12 state children's book awards and she received the Scott O'Dell award for her World War II novel Stepping on the Cracks. She currently lives with her husband in Columbia, Maryland.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
It's difficult for Diana and her brother to make friends--for a reason that will become clear to readers long before Lissa, who has just moved into the trailer on the grounds of the Willis place, gets a clue. Although this ghost story requires some contrivances to keep itself going, Hahn gets the girls' relationship just right, and the spooky atmosphere is expertly evoked. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Diana and her younger brother, Georgie, have been living on the grounds of the old Willis place for oh, so long. They've seen caretakers come and go, but the new one seems different. Mr. Morrison has a daughter, Lissa, who seems to be about Diana's age. Both girls are lonely and long for a friend but Georgie reminds Diana that it's "against the rules" to have friends; that they must remain out of sight. But Lissa remains intriguing to the children. She not only has a bicycle, but she also has many books and a stuffed animal that reminds Georgie of one he once had. They share even more; Lissa, too, has suffered a huge loss. Masterfully constructed, the story shows readers the same events from the perspectives of both girls; Diana narrates, and Lissa writes in her diary. The combination builds tension, raises questions, and allows characters-and the mysteries that surround them-to unfold gradually. The story is taut, spooky, and fast-paced with amazingly credible, memorable characters. More than just a ghost story, this riveting novel is a mystery and a story of friendship and of redemption. After this tale, readers are not likely to think of ghosts in the same way.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-7. Hahn is a master at stretching the suspense, and that's what she does here. Diana and her little brother, Georgie, watch as the caretaker and his daughter move into a trailer near the decaying Willis mansion. The children have seen caretakers come and go, but Diana, who has no friends, is tempted by the sight of a girl her own age. Hahn unfurls the story slowly, but because of the subtitle, readers will know there's a ghost. They'll assume it's wicked Miss Willis, who died in the house, but soon they'll start wondering about Diana and Georgie, too. Where are their parents? What are these arcane rules they seem to live by? To Hahn's credit, children won't be entirely sure of the answers until the very end. Some of the action is told through Lissa's diary. Most of the time this works, but it's too bad the climax is revealed this way as the device puts a barrier between readers and the action. Kids will love this anyway: it's just the right mix of chilling and thrilling. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2004 Booklist
Kirkus Review
Diana and Georgie have been living wild, depending only on each other. They remain hidden, never leaving the grounds and never entering the derelict house. Longing for more companionship, Diana decides to befriend the new caretaker's lonely daughter. But the friendship leads to complications and danger. When Lissa leads Diana into the old house, she unwittingly unleashes the spirit of the old woman who lived and died there. With carefully incorporated clues, the reader comes to the realization that the frightening old woman is not the only ghost. Diana and Georgie are ghosts of children who died a terrible death in that house long ago. Diana is the primary narrator, with Lissa's diary entries providing alternate views of the events. The young characters, both human and spirits, are sympathetic and believable. There is even a moral here: that love and forgiveness can lead to everlasting peace. Spooky, but with an underlying sweetness. (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
The Diary of Lissa MorrisonDear Diary, Is this how you start? I never kept a diary before, so I'm not sure. Up till now I thought my life was too boring to think about, let alone write about, but that's changing. This is the second day Dad and I have spent here, and already strange things are happening. First of all, the old Willis House is the creepiest place you ever saw. It's got to be haunted. Dad says the old lady who owned it was really eccentric, maybe even crazy. Anyway, she died in the housein the front parlor where she slept because she got too old to climb the steps to her bedroom. She lay there dead for a week before anyone found her. Ugh. It seems like the perfect setup for a ghost, don't you think? She died thereall alone. Think about it. I can almost see her, can't you? A weird old lady, white hair, a scary face, roaming around from room to room, up and down the steps, watching, waitingoooh, I'm scaring myself. Do you believe in ghosts, Dear Diary? Dad definitely doesn't. I talked to him after dinner about Miss Willisthat's the old lady's nameand I asked him if he thought she haunted the house. He laughed. I hate it when he laughs at me. Like he thinks I'm silly. Or dumb maybe. If my mother was here, I know she wouldn't laughbut she died when I was so little I can hardly remember her. Someday I'll write more about how much I miss her, but I don't want to make myself feel sad. So I will just say I wish she was here right now and we were sitting close together reading a book or something. I know this sounds odd, Dear Diary, so don't tell anyone, but I'd love to see a ghostjust to know for sure they exist. I wouldn't be scared. At least, I don't think I'd be. How could a ghost actually hurt you? They're just ectoplasm or something, not solid. Maybe it's because of my mother; maybe that's why I wonder so much about what happens when you die and where you go and if you can stay on earth for a while. I'd really like to know. Now here's something else to tell you, something different. Not supernatural but scarier in a way because it's real. The first day we came to the farm, there was someone in the woods spying on us. Kids maybe. I'm sure of it. I could feel them watching me. I swear my scalp prickled. I had the same feeling while we were eating dinner last nightthey were back, spying again. I told Dad, but he says it's my imagination. I'm in a new place, I'm not used to woods all around, I hear birds and squirrels and think they're people. The way he talks, you'd think I didn't have an ounce of sense. Maybe I should give Dad some of my spare imagination. It might help him finish that book so he can get a better job and we can live in a house with a yard and neighbors and I can go to school and have friends instead of spies in the woods. But that's not allsomeone stole my bike last night. Dad can't blame that on birds or squirrels! We searched all over, but there's not a sign of it. My beautiful new blue bike is really and truly gone. Dad called the police and they came out and talked to us. They said teenagers sometimes sneak onto the property and most likely that's who took my bike. When I told them I thought someone was spying on us, one of the policemen said it must have been the same kids who stole my bike. They live in a development just across the highway from the farm. The police have had trouble with them trespassing before. The other policeman shook his head. "Funny things happen out here," he said. "None of the caretakers stay long. Place gives them the jitters, they say. Some of them claim it's haunted by the old lady who used to live here. Her and the poor" The first policeman coughed and said, "We'd better get going, Novak. We've got other business." I had the funniest feeling he didn't want us to hear what Officer Novak was about to say. In case you haven't noticed, that's how it always is with adultsjust when someone starts telling the interesting stuff, someone else shuts him up. I glanced at Dad, hoping he'd ask Jim what he was talking about, but he was watching MacDuff chase a squirrel. Officer Novak jingled his keys and looked at me. "Don't go too far from the trailer," he said. "There's no telling who might be hanging out in the woods. And stay away from the old house." "I hear there's a bunch of snakes in the cellar," the first policeman said. "And the floorboards are rotten in some of the rooms." The two of them got in the police car. "Keep your eye out," the first one told Dad. "If you see anything suspicious, give us a call." Officer Novak looked at me as if something was worrying him, but all he said was, "That's a real nice dog you've got." We watched them drive away. I was hoping they'd turn their lights and the siren on, but they didn't. I guess they only do that in movies. So now Dad thinks I might have been right about kids hiding in the woods, spying and stealing stuff. Three hundred acresthere must be a ton of hiding places on this farm. I'm going to look for them. If I find them, I'll tell them to give my bike backor else they'll end up in jail or juvenile detention. They can't scare me. And neither can Miss Willis. Well, I've written so much my hand hurts, so I think I'll stop and read in bed for a while. It sure is dark outside. Not a streetlight. Not a house light. Not even a headlight going past. Your Friend, LissaCopyright 2004 by Mary Downing Hahn. Reprinted by permission of Clarion Books / Houghton Mifflin Company. Please verify quotations against the bound book. Excerpted from The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
