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."
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Great little ghost story that deals with love and loss and forgiveness. ( )

Synopsis: Ashley and her mother have recently moved into a new home following the death of her father. While exploring a garden nearby, she finds a doll buried in a box. Accompanying the doll is a mysterious. Circumstances soon lead her to believe that the doll is the property of a ghost that she sometimes hears crying in the night.

My Rating: 4/5

I ended up having a good time with this book though it was a middle-grade and clearly meant for a younger reader than I am.

I found Ashley to be annoying but largely because she acted like a kid, which is exactly what she is. She reminded me in places of my kids and the reasons they give for making bad choices and their thought processes. I think she was really well done as a middle-grade character and I found her authentic. Still, as an adult she was frustrating and an often annoying protagonist to follow.

My favorite thing about this book was the explorations of grief. Ashley and her mom grieving her dad as well as the grief surrounding the ghost character just were wonderfully done. I cried several times through this book. I loved how grief was dealt with and the discussions about the complex feelings that don't just include loss but anger and guilt as well. It tugged at my heart and I really appreciated the message it was trying to give while still being appropriate for the intended audience.

One of the things I loved about this book, and I think this is a slight spoiler, is that there really is a ghost. In some kids book the ghost that is suspected isn't real but is something very normal that is making people think there is a ghost. This book had a ghost and she was wonderful.

The mystery of why the doll was buried and who the doll belonged to was pretty predictable for an adult reader but I think this book would be well enjoyed by it's intended audience.

It is mildly spooky because there is a ghost but I didn't think it was scary and I think all but the most sensitive middle-grade readers could read it without being scared.

Overall, I would recommend this to child readers. It was a bit too young for me to love as an adult reader but it was also a book I would recommend to my kids. ( )

Ashley and her mom move to Monkton Mills to start a new life following the death of her father. Ashley misses her father, and is worried about her mother. She hopes the move will help her mom become less sad, and that they can have a happy life again. They rent the upper floor of a house owned by Miss Cooper, a cranky, unfriendly old lady. Miss Cooper lets Ashley know from the beginning that she dislikes children, cats and just about everything else.

The first day at the house, Ashley sees a white cat in the hedges in the backyard, and follows it into an overgrown, old rose garden. While investigating the garden, she also meets Kristi, a little girl who lives next door. While playing in the garden, they discover an old secret buried for many years. Ghostly crying in the night and weird occurrences pull the girls into the past where they have a chance to help right old wrongs.

This story is beautifully told, and well written. The landlady is a cantankerous old biddy. Kristi and Ashley have squabbles as neighbor kids will. Add a ghostly secret to the mix and it's just a fun spooky read!

I have read several books by Mary Downing Hahn, and all of them are well-written and awesome stories.

This tale is a ghost story, but there is nothing inappropriate for middle grade kids. As an adult, I even enjoyed the story. It would be a perfect beach or summer afternoon read.

Just a lovely book!

My rating: 8/10
Ages 10 ( )

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