Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Old Willis Place

Some readers believe that ghost stories have no place in children's literature, but The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is one of the best examples of the genre for children that I have seen outside of Edgar Allen Poe.

The story is about Diana and Georgie, two kids who spy on the caretakers of the old Willis place, or Oak Hill Manor. They play by strange rules such as they are not allowed to speak to others, to enter the Manor, or to leave the property. It will not take long for the astute reader to ascertain that Diana and Georgie are the ghosts.

Diana, craving the friendship of the new caretaker's daughter, Lissa, shows herself and breaks the rules. But new rules enter into her mind, namely that their undiscovered bodies must be buried, and they must forgive the old woman who inadvertently caused their death. Diana and Georgie lived sixty years ago, the children of the housekeeper and gardener of the Manor. While alive, they teased Mrs. Willis mercilessly, playing pranks on her and stealing from her. Then one day, Mrs. Willis catches them after they have hid in a secret closet in the cellar. She says they will stay in there until they will apologize, and she locks them in. Unfortunately, she was so upset by this situation that she had a stroke and was hospitalized and unable to speak for several weeks. The children were never found. Eventually, their parents were dismissed from the Manor and moved away. Mrs. Willis lived to be 100, and no mourners came to her funeral. Her ghost has been in the parlor where she died until Lissa lets it out. Then the ghost of Mrs. Willis roams the property looking for Diana and Georgie. In the end, they all seek forgiveness and leave the property, Diana and Georgie reuniting with their deceased parents, once and for all.

Hahn has written a delightfully chilling story with a real redemptive message of forgiveness. I was very impressed with this book, as it reaches far beyond the creepy tales marketed to children. This book is a Caudill Award nominee for 2008 and is Recommended.

1 comment:

  1. I was glad to find your blog, my son loves fantasy/sci-fi books and it is hard to find any book reviews for families trying to follow their faith.

    ReplyDelete

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

The Old Willis Place

Some readers believe that ghost stories have no place in children's literature, but The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is one of the best examples of the genre for children that I have seen outside of Edgar Allen Poe.

The story is about Diana and Georgie, two kids who spy on the caretakers of the old Willis place, or Oak Hill Manor. They play by strange rules such as they are not allowed to speak to others, to enter the Manor, or to leave the property. It will not take long for the astute reader to ascertain that Diana and Georgie are the ghosts.

Diana, craving the friendship of the new caretaker's daughter, Lissa, shows herself and breaks the rules. But new rules enter into her mind, namely that their undiscovered bodies must be buried, and they must forgive the old woman who inadvertently caused their death. Diana and Georgie lived sixty years ago, the children of the housekeeper and gardener of the Manor. While alive, they teased Mrs. Willis mercilessly, playing pranks on her and stealing from her. Then one day, Mrs. Willis catches them after they have hid in a secret closet in the cellar. She says they will stay in there until they will apologize, and she locks them in. Unfortunately, she was so upset by this situation that she had a stroke and was hospitalized and unable to speak for several weeks. The children were never found. Eventually, their parents were dismissed from the Manor and moved away. Mrs. Willis lived to be 100, and no mourners came to her funeral. Her ghost has been in the parlor where she died until Lissa lets it out. Then the ghost of Mrs. Willis roams the property looking for Diana and Georgie. In the end, they all seek forgiveness and leave the property, Diana and Georgie reuniting with their deceased parents, once and for all.

Hahn has written a delightfully chilling story with a real redemptive message of forgiveness. I was very impressed with this book, as it reaches far beyond the creepy tales marketed to children. This book is a Caudill Award nominee for 2008 and is Recommended.

1 comment:

  1. I was glad to find your blog, my son loves fantasy/sci-fi books and it is hard to find any book reviews for families trying to follow their faith.

    ReplyDelete