The Ghost in the Attic (Haunting With Louisa) - Softcover

Thirteen-year-old Dee's mother has just died and her father sends her to spend the winter on Misty Island with her eccentric Aunt Winnifred, who runs an inn. Dee meets Louisa Lockwood, a ghost girl who died in 1897 and who must help four living relatives before she can join her dead family. The two girls locate some still living Lockwoods and are successful in assisting two of them. Presumably two more will be identified and assisted in the next two books of this projected trilogy. Swift pacing, smooth writing, and appealing characters will carry readers quickly along. Although the pathos arising from the losses each girl experiences is sympathetically expressed, the overall tone of the book is light. Each chapter ends in a mini-cliffhanger, propelling readers along. That, plus enticing cover art, makes this book not only suitable for its intended audience, but for older reluctant readers as well. --Lisa Smith, Cold Spring Harbor Library, NY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dee Forest, 13, has barely recovered from her mother's accidental death when her grief-stricken father sends her to live, temporarily, with Aunt Winnifred. Dee hates leaving her familiar surroundings for the quaint inn her aunt runs on a New England island, but Winnifred's easygoing manner hastens the adjustment. Getting acclimated to the 13-year-old ghost in Dee's room is another matter, yet Louisa Lockwood, who died in a fire 100 years ago, soon becomes a good friend. In this novel, the first of the Haunting with Louisa trilogy, Dee and Louisa accomplish half their objective: helping four of Louisa's descendants better their lives so that, according to theory, the ghost can rejoin her family. Pairing the contemporary Dee with a 19th-century apparition is an ingenious--and well-executed--concept. Humor, suspense and a sweet-natured ghost are an ideal combination to satisfy readers. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.