A fast-paced and suspenseful read from four-time Edgar award winner, Joan Lowery Nixon, THE HAUNTING tells the story of 15-year-old Lia, whose parents have inherited Graymoss, a mysterious family plantation supposedly haunted by an oppressive evil that only comes out at night. Feeling she can't live up to the legacy of the "Women Who Are Exceptionally Brave" in her family, the bookish Lia nonetheless finds herself drawn into the mystery that surrounds the plantation by clues found in an old family diary. Lia's admirable process of self-discovery is marred only by an unconvincing, melodramatic attitudinal about-face two-thirds of the way through the book, but fans of Nixon, as well as the young adult mystery genre in general, will find plenty to enjoy here. ( )

Fantastic creepy ghost story. Lia's great grandmother left her mother a family plantation home called Graymoss.But no-one has lived in Graymoss since the original owners due to the terrible hauntings that occur at night. There is even a rumour that people have been scared to death. Lia doesn't want to move house (her parents have a dream of adopting a whole family)and she hopes her parents stay there and are scared away. Meanwhile there are clues in the original owner Charlotte's diary as to who the ghost is and also a gorgeous local boy who offers to help her.

When Lia's great-grandmother dies, she and her family decide to move into a house that's been in the family for generations. Only problem is, it's haunted. ( )