January 1, 1999
Lia's mother inherits the family's antebellum plantation and plans to make it a foster home for handicapped children. The house is supposedly haunted, and the very thought of a malevolent ghost overwhelms Lia, who feels like a wimp. Typical of Nixon's popular gothics, this title has it all--a hint of romance, some really scary scenes, and a plucky heroine who successfully routs both outer and inner demons.
(Copyright 1999 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 1998
Gr. 6^-10. Despite claims that Graymoss mansion is haunted, Anne's mother is determined to turn it into a foster home for unwanted children. But Anne doesn't want to move to Graymoss. What's more, she has read the diary of Charlotte Blevins, a distant relative who inhabited the house during Civil War times when the spirits first appeared. She encourages her mother to spend a night in the mansion, hoping Mom will be too frightened to continue with her plans. Anne has a change of heart, however, after she meets the children her parents want to care for and resolves to take on the ghosts herself. Aided by a collection of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, she eventually succeeds in driving the spirits away. The ghosts are reminiscent of those in Shirley Jackson's classic "The Haunting of Hill House," whispering through the walls and sending books flying through the air. The novel ends somewhat abruptly, and a potentially interesting romantic relationship fizzles out completely, but this is still a page-turner that will satisfy mystery and ghost story fans. ((Reviewed July 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)
August 1, 1998
Gr 7-10-A book that will please mystery fans. As the story opens, Lia, 15, is at her great-grandmother Sarah's bedside. Delirious, the old woman begins to speak of Graymoss Plantation, the Louisiana family estate left unoccupied for decades because of a "terrible, fearful evil." After the woman's death, Lia discovers that the house has been willed to her mother, who plans to move the family in and adopt a group of hard-to-place children. Lia is against this idea and vows to prove to her mother that the house is truly haunted. She learns that the ghostly occurrences are well documented and that several locals oppose the family taking up residence at Graymoss. Could one of these people be staging the hauntings? There are lots of suspects and readers will enjoy trying to solve the mystery along with the inquisitive Lia. While the suspense is not constant, the plot keeps readers guessing until the end. Not Nixon's best, but sure to be popular where her other novels circulate.-Michele Snyder, Chappaqua Public Library, NY