The Dollhouse Murders

by Betty Ren Wright

Overview

It was just an old dollhouse. Hidden away in the attic-collecting dust. Amy didn't know that the dollhouse held a secret. A deadly secret that hadn't been talked about in years. And now, the dolls have decided that Amy should be the one to know the truth. The truth about the night of the murder...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823421725
Publisher:	Holiday House, Inc.
Publication date:	10/15/2008
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	149
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Betty Ren Wright is the renowned author of numerous books for young readers. Her other thrillers, including The Dollhouse Murders and Crandalls' Castle, have each won numerous state awards, and her The Ghost in Room 11 won the Sunshine State Young Reader's Award. A former children's book editor, she lives in Wisconsin.

Table of Contents

1	"She Can't Help the Way She Is"	1
2	"The Most Perfect Dollhouse"	12
3	"So We All Have Problems"	20
4	"We Love You Very Much, You Know"	26
5	"Dolls Can't Move by Themselves"	32
6	"A Visit You'll Remember"	39
7	"They Were Murdered?"	44
8	"I Don't Believe in Ghosts"	51
9	"I've Never Been So Scared in My Life"	61
10	"When She Leaves, Where Will I Run?"	68
11	"I Saw a Light in the Dollhouse"	73
12	"I Came to the Party"	79
13	"Something Little Will Turn Out to Be Big"	88
14	"The Poor Dolly Is Crying"	100
15	"A Ghostly Secret!"	106
16	"It Could Have Been Just Anyone"	117
17	"Someone's Walking on the Dollhouse Stairs"	128
18	"More Ghosts, Amy?"	133
19	"Like a Real Family"	142

Editorial Reviews

Wright's taut, suspenseful novel proves a solid choice to kick off the Live Oak Mysteries audio series. The attic is always a great place to look for nuggets of one's family history, but when 12-year-old Amy explores her great-grandparents' attic, she uncovers clues to a chilling family secret. As Amy and her Aunt Claire sift through clothes, trinkets and other memorabilia, Amy comes across Aunt Claire's long-forgotten dollhouse, a finely crafted replica of the house they are in. Aunt Claire seems unusually distressed about the dollhouse and Amy is determined to find out why. The real fun begins when Amy learns that the dolls in the dollhouse move of their own will--and that they seem to be trying to tell her something. After a little sleuthing at the local library, Amy learns that her great-grandparents were murdered years ago and that Aunt Claire's fianc (who died in a car accident that same night) was the prime suspect in the unsolved case. Before long, Amy unravels the mystery, helping Aunt Claire to resolve her feelings about the past. A subplot about Amy's relationships with her parents, younger sister and best friend adds depth and warmth to this crisply paced tale. Stewart handles the narration with aplomb, using her voice to give listeners a hint of each character's personality. Her portrayal of Aunt Claire, who delivers a few chillingly snappish retorts to Amy, is particularly strong. Ages 8-up. (Mar.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 4-6-This scary mystery by Betty Ren Wright (Holiday, 1983) is sure to keep the interest of students, mainly girls. Narrator Carol Jordan Stewart does an excellent job. Her diction, pacing, and characterization are well-done. Twelve-year-old Amy is having difficulties at home being responsible for her brain-damaged sister, Louann. While visiting her Aunt Clare at the old family home, she discovers an eerily-haunted dollhouse in the attic-an exact replica of the family home. Whenever she sees it, the dolls, representing her relatives, have moved. Her aunt won't listen to Amy's claims that the dolls are trying to tell her something. This leads Amy to research old news reports where she discovers a family secret-the murder of her grandparents. The two sisters unravel the mystery. Amy grows to accept her sister and to understand that Louann is more capable than she had first thought. This audiobook would be an excellent choice for schools and public libraries.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

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