The Haunting is a middle grade horror novel by Lindsey Duga.
A dark family secret prompts a ghost to wreak havoc in this spooky novel in the spirit of Mary Downing Hahn.
The
only life 12-year-old Emily has ever known is the cold, unloved
existence of being an orphan. But everything changes when the Thorntons,
a young couple from London, adopt Emily, whisking her away to a new
life at their grand estate.
At first, life at Blackthorn Manor
is wonderful. But as Emily explores the grounds and rooms, she stumbles
upon a mysterious girl named Kat, who appears to be similar in age, and
the two become fast friends.
That's when things take a turn for
the worse. Kat seems to know a curious amount about the estate, and
strange things happen whenever she's around. In one case, Emily narrowly
avoids getting toppled by a bookcase in the library; in another, the
fire erupts in the fireplace, nearly burning Emily's hands. It's almost
as if someone -- or something -- wants Emily dead.
Emily must
find out what happened to the Thorntons and, more important, how Kat is
connected to these strange goings-on at Blackthorn Manor before it's too
late!
This is exactly the kind of middle grade book I would have loved
as a kid. This is going to show my age, but every time I went to the
library, I'd look in the card catalog under "ghost" to see if there was
anything new. The Haunting by Lindsey Duga would have been an instant
favorite!
I know I'm not supposed to review middle grade for other adult readers, blah, blah, blah. Too bad because I am going to so prepare thyself. If you can't handle me saying this is a great book for kids but not so much for older readers - you've been warned.
I'm
going to happily pass this book on to my boys. I think they would find
it just scary enough to get creeped out by it. That's the beauty of
young readers. They don't have a thousand stories in their minds and a
thousand tropes that have come before when they pick up something new.
The Haunting will be fresh and new and creepy.
If
you are an adult reader who reads middle grade as one of your own
personal genres - like I do! - The Haunting isn't going to feel
particularly new. The Haunting reminded me of Little Orphan Annie - with
Sandy and Miss Hannigan and Daddy Warbucks - which I enjoyed. The
scares are fun, but they are also very traditional for a ghost story.
The reader will know what's going on in The Haunting long before our
main character Emily figures it out. This will be far more thrilling to
younger readers.
This
was my first time reading Lindsey Duga. She has written YA previously,
but The Haunting was her middle grade debut. She has another middle
grade horror coming out in March 2021 called
Ghost in the Headlights so you know my inner Jen is excited to read that one next year as well.
⭐⭐⭐💫★
3.5/5 stars
