July 29, 2025 by Storytide
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Iris is looking forward to spending time with her parents and her mother's friend, who has a daughter her age. Three years ago, Iris and Violet had a great time playing together, constructing "haunted houses" and even buying a creepy doll. Iris is all set to continue these activities, and Bellington Cottage is deliciously creepy. The home of the "toaster tycoon" Bellingtons, who experienced a family tragedy, the house had been abandoned since the 1920s but reopened in the 200s as a Rent-a-Bode. It features the Bellington's odd and eerie taxidermy, as well as antiques, which is perfect for all of Iris' plans. When Violet arrives with her mother and her mother's new boyfriend, however, she is in a foul mood and irritated by any and all of Iris' overtures. Iris admits that creating a haunted house might not have been the best idea, given Iris' mood, but things start to happen around the house that neither she nor Violet have done. The girls' get warned, and told not to continue to mess up the taxidermy, but they slowly start to realize that there are supernatural forces at work. They find a hundred year old diary, and after some cursory research, learn about the family tragedy that involved Anna Bellington and her younger sister, Ruth. Their parents, of course, don't believe that the house is haunted, even though online reviews indicate that it is. Will they be able to discover why Ruth's ghost is haunting the property, and mend their friendship at the same time.
Strengths: While it is a well known fact that the chances of MOVING to a haunted house in middle school are very high, the dangers of RENTING houses for vacation that are haunted has been underexplored. It's fun to have friends that you only see occasionally, and Iris' best friend has moved to New York, so she craves spending time with Violet. It makes perfect sense that Violet, whose parents have divorced in the intervening three years, is not as glad to be on vacation; she would rather be with her father. I did enjoy that the mother's boyfriend seemed like a genuinely good guy. The parents aren't around much, so there is plenty of time for the girls to explore and uncover secrets. The cottage itself is really the star of the show; old houses filled with antiques are always intriguing!
Weaknesses: My students still like ghosts to be murderous, so there was not enough blood and gore for this one to circulate well in my library, although the friend drama would definitely help sell it.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like lightly creepy ghost mysteries like Parris' Field of Screams or Ford's The Lonely Ghost.
Your students are more bloodthirsty than I was at that age! I think Lois Duncan was as gruesome as I liked.
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