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Zusatztext "Hahn is a master at...suspense....Kids will love this; it's just the right mix of chilling and thrilling." —BOOKLIST Booklist, ALA "The young characters...are sympathetic and believable...Spooky, but with an underlying sweetness." — KIRKUS REVIEWS Kirkus Reviews "Hahn's sure hand at haunting is evident...creepy and enjoyable...it'll need no ghostly assistance to fly off the shelves" —BCCB Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Masterfully constructed...taut, spooky, and fast-paced with amazingly credible, memorable characters...riveting...a story of friendship and redemption" —School Library Journal, Starred "a mystery intertwined with a ghost story...a delicate message of guilt, forgiveness, loyalty, and friendship...a satisfying ending." —VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) Informationen zum Autor Mary Downing Hahn ’s many acclaimed novels include such beloved ghost stories as Wait Till Helen Comes , Deep and Dark and Dangerous , and Took. A former librarian, she has received more than fifty child-voted state awards for her work. She lives in Columbia, Maryland, with a cat named Nixi. Klappentext From master storyteller Mary Downing Hahn, a chilling ghost story rich in secrets and surprises, in the tradition of her most successful spine-tingling novels. Mary Downing Hahn weaves a tale of two children who live near a decaying Victorian mansion, bound to the place by a mysterious set of rules. Only by connecting with the new girl who moves into the old Willis place can Diana and little brother George be free-but making contact with this girl would be a violation of the rules. The pursuit of friendship is at the heart of this haunting novel, and brilliant plot twists make The Old Willis Place an irresistible page turner. The Diary of Lissa Morrison Dear Diary, Is this how you start? I never kept a diary before, so I’m not sure. Up till now I thought my life was too boring to think about, let alone write about, but that’s changing. This is the second day Dad and I have spent here, and already strange things are happening. First of all, the old Willis House is the creepiest place you ever saw. It’s got to be haunted. Dad says the old lady who owned it was really eccentric, maybe even crazy. Anyway, she died in the house—in the front parlor where she slept because she got too old to climb the steps to her bedroom. She lay there dead for a week before anyone found her. Ugh. It seems like the perfect setup for a ghost, don’t you think? She died there—all alone. Think about it. I can almost see her, can’t you? A weird old lady, white hair, a scary face, roaming around from room to room, up and down the steps, watching, waiting—oooh, I’m scaring myself. Do you believe in ghosts, Dear Diary? Dad definitely doesn’t. I talked to him after dinner about Miss Willis—that’s the old lady’s name—and I asked him if he thought she haunted the house. He laughed. I hate it when he laughs at me. Like he thinks I’m silly. Or dumb maybe. If my mother was here, I know she wouldn’t laugh—but she died when I was so little I can hardly remember her. Someday I’ll write more about how much I miss her, but I don’t want to make myself feel sad. So I will just say I wish she was here right now and we were sitting close together reading a book or something. I know this sounds odd, Dear Diary, so don’t tell anyone, but I’d love to see a ghost—just to know for sure they exist. I wouldn’t be scared. At least, I don’t think I’d be. How could a ghost actually hurt you? They’re just ectoplasm or something, not solid. Maybe it’s because of my mother; maybe that’s why I wonder so much about what happens when you die and where you go and if you can stay on earth for a while. I’d really like to know. Now here’s something else to tell you, something different. Not supernatural but scarier in a way...
