Heartwarming and creepy, this book teaches important lessons about acceptance of those who are different, and also deals with survivors guilt while unraveling a decades old murder mystery. ( )

Excellent premise and plot device with the haunted dollhouse. I literally read this in one shot. Like all other books I've read by this author, she does a great job of capturing childhood angst and feelings, but only the main ghostly plot line is resolved at the end. Whatever personal problems the child is having with the adult/adults (usually the mother), there is no satisfying resolution at the end. ( )

Subtly creepy ghosts and family tragedy combine for a book that I liked as a kid and still enjoyed reading as an adult. There is some outdated language in reference to the protagonists disabled sister (there are a couple r-slurs in there) but the subject was handled surprisingly well and respectfully. The story is about the characters growing from their interaction with the supernatural, which to be is what makes a good ghost story. ( )

Because Amy is so tired of caring for her mentally challenged sister, Louann, she goes to stay for a few days with her Aunt Clare who is in town for the summer to close up and sell the house where her grandparents were murdered. Amy finds a dollhouse in the attic that looks just like the house where she is staying, right down to the furniture. Amy places some dolls in the house and enjoys playing with them until one morning, she wakes up and finds that they are in different places than the night before. Clare becomes very angry when Amy tells her about the moving dolls because she thinks Amy is lying to her and moving the dolls herself into the positions where her grandparents were found after the murder.
It is difficult to determine what is going on with the dollhouse in The Dollhouse Murders. Are the dolls really moving themselves or is someone going to the attic each night an moving them? There is also the unsolved murder of Clare's grandparents from years before, making this an interesting and unique mystery. ( )

I've been stuck inside the house for several days now battling bronchitis. Cabin fever is really settling in. I want to be out and about....doing almost anything away from the house. But, I'm still too sick to wander very far.

Sigh.

This morning I was perusing my local library's online digital offerings when I noticed some middle-grade books popping up on my recommendations list. My son and I had been looking for some things for him to read the other night....so there was a long string of children's mystery and suspense novels popping up. It perked up my mood immediately! I love ghost stories and sometimes middle-grade versions are just incredi-awesome!

What a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon when I'm stuck inside again with only bottles of medicine and sleeping pets to keep me company! I picked out a couple and found the quick reads to be absolutely and wonderfully entertaining!

The first middle-grade book I chose is The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright.

The basics: Amy feels trapped sometimes when she has to watch her sister Louann after school. Louann suffers from brain-damage and requires constant supervision. Amy loves her sister but sometimes she wants to be able to do things with her friends without having to watch Louann. One night after an argument with her mother, Amy walks to her Aunt Clare's house, and asks to spend a few days there with her aunt. Just a little break....that's what she needs. Little does Amy know that the dollhouse she discovers in the attic will pull her into family secrets and a 30 year old mystery.

This was such a fun book! The mystery is engaging, and the subplot of Amy's struggle with being responsible for her sister was realistic and interesting. The old house added a layer of creepy-ness to the tale. Just a fun, quick middle-grade read!

I highly recommend this book for kids and adults who like a bit of suspense and mystery. The ending was perfect. I'm definitely going to read more by this author, and I'm going to recommend this book to my granddaughter.

Before her death in 2013, Betty Ren Wright wrote 25 children's fiction books, including Christina's Ghost and Ghosts Beneath Our Feet. The Dollhouse Murders was first published in the early 80s. It was re-released in 2008, so copies are still readily available from local bookstores or online.

It doesn't matter how old you are.....there are times when children's books can be quite delightful and enjoyable to read! I was ready to spend an entire afternoon bored out of my mind, but instead I was completely entertained and happy! And, I think I have found several books that my granddaughter will love! ( )