The Old Willis Place

The dilapidated Victorian house is empty, yet full of secrets. The locals call it 'The Old Willis Place', and it seems as if the decaying mansion has been there for years. Diana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the house for quite a while now - sometimes it honestly feels like forever - and in all that time, the children have seen many potential caretakers come and go.

According to a strict set of rules, Diana and Georgie aren't allowed to leave the property, or even show themselves to anyone. For many years, they've followed the rules and nothing has happened to them. Recently though, Diana has begun to feel tempted to test these mysterious rules - perhaps even break them entirely - all in the hopes of show more making a new friend.

When the new caretaker and his daughter, Lissa, come to live in the mansion, Diana sees her first chance to make friends. Lissa is about Diana's age, so Diana is absolutely certain that the girls would have a lot in common; if only Diana could introduce herself. However, Diana and Georgie will quickly discover that breaking the rules can have dire consequences...

Mareena had actually requested this book for herself, since she had read Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story, another book by Mary Downing Hahn - when she was about ten or eleven years old. I actually acquired this book almost as soon as it arrived in the mail - with Mareena's blessing - and had wanted to start reading it much earlier than I did. Apparently, my eagerness to start reading this particular book kept meeting up with the myriad other interesting books I already have on my TBR pile.

Anyway, I found this book to be thoroughly intriguing and I really enjoyed reading it. It certainly was a very suspenseful story; much more suspenseful than I was expecting from a children's book. The plot was very well-developed, and the story well-written. In my opinion, Ms Hahn's treatment of ghosts and haunting was unusual, and I really appreciated her rather unique perspective. I would give this book a solid A! show less

I still have trouble with ghosts being substantial, getting dirty, being able to smell food and ride bicycles, but not needing to eat or drink, not aging. It's just not logical! And this book does have one very Bad Thing that will disturb readers (but it's the kind of bad thing that does happen irl, so I wouldn't prevent children from reading the book because they do need to know a bit about reality).

But it's not as disturbing imo as the author's Lovely Dead Ones, and yet at the same time it's better written, better crafted. I appreciate that the author doesn't leave things as "was it a dream" or whatever.

I will continue to read more by Hahn as I run across it. I appreciate that her books aren't really about the ghosts per se, aren't show more really horror (I don't like those genres). They're stories about children surviving challenges, facing fears, and learning about honor & doing the right thing. show less

Book Jacket:

Diana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying Victorian mansion, for what already seems like forever. They aren’t allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone. But when a new caretaker comes to live there with his young daughter, Lissa, Diana is tempted to break the mysterious rules they live by and reveal herself so she can finally have a friend. Somehow, Diana must get Lissa’s help if she and Georgie ever hope to release themselves from the secret that has bound them to the old Willis place for so long.

My Thoughts:

A short, shivery ghost story. It doesn't take long to figure out what Diana and Georgie's "secret" is... but the path that takes you show more there is littered with scary twists. Even though this book is found in the juvenile/young adult section, I.m sure that everyone...no matter what chronological age you are...if you love a good ghost story... will find themselves enjoying this one. show less

Georgie, age 8, and Diana, age 12, have lived in hiding on the Willis estate ever since the "bad thing" happened. They are intrigued -- and Diana excited -- when a new caretaker arrives on the property along with his 12-year-old daughter, Lissa. But Diana's attempt to make a friend would break the mysterious rules that bind her and Georgie to the estate, and disobeying those could have deadly consequences.

I picked up this book because the plot sounded vaguely similar to a novel I remembered from my own childhood; however, the copyright date soon told me it was far too recent to be that book. However, there is one big similarity between the two; perhaps that's why it was so easy for me to correctly guess the 'big reveal' in this book. show more However, the target audience of young children may not expect the twist. That being said, however, despite the subtitle of "A Ghost Story," this book has little in it by way of chills and thrills. It's certainly interesting, but it's not exactly a spine-tingling horror novel. So it you're looking for the latter, don't choose this book. If you like a book that deals with the everyday issue of making a new friend but has some supernatural vibes, then this could be up your alley. show less

The Old Willis Place: a Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn - It's been awhile since I read Hahn's earlier ghost story, Wait Till Helen Comes, but that story made such a shivery impression on me that I had to read this new one when it came across my desk the other day. And I wasn't disappointed. Hahn has woven another brilliantly frightening story, this time revolving around Diana and Georgie, two siblings who live like wild children in the woods behind the crumbling old Willis mansion, and who are hemmed in by certain rules and boundaries around the place, all dating back to when "the bad thing" happened. We meet Diana and Georgie as they hide in the bushes, awaiting the arrival of the new caretaker and his daughter, who Diana immediatley show more wants as friend. As the story moves on, we learn more about Diana and Georgie and their relationship with Lilian Willis, the old lady who died in the mansion, but whose spirit is said to haunt the place. As Diana and Lissa, the caretaker's daughter, become friends, Diana lets Lissa in on a terrible secret involving a locked storeroom in the basement of the Willis place. The secret is uncovered and bodies are removed from the house, which sets in motion a final confrontation between Diana & Georgie and Lilian.

Although I figured out pretty quickly that Diana and Georgie were ghosts, I was still compelled to continue reading until I learned the truth about "the bad thing." One thing I've always liked about Hahn's work is the theme of forgiveness that runs through them. That theme appears here again, as Miss Lilian explains her actions to the children and Diana forgives her. Plenty of shivers up the spine, but also a suitably redemptive ending. I read this one in a few hours and passed it on to Liz. She's been reading it all day. show less

Okay, now I feel slightly guilty for giving it just one star. But honestly? I didn't like it.

Maybe it's just not the genre for me, but this book is supremely creepy. I was maybe eleven or twelve when I first read it, and while it didn't give me nightmares (I never get nightmares from books, ever), it did give me a hard time going to sleep for a while. I listened to this new CD I had just got every night (coincidentally, I hadn't planned that - it was my listening to music at bedtime stage), and then it got to the point that every time I heard a song from that album I started thinking about this creepy story. Pity, because it was a great album. Ah, well . . .

Anyway, you can read tons of recaps of this book in the other reviews, or on show more Amazon, whatever. What I'm going to tell you is no, this is not a "safe" thriller. People say this is the border, or for tweens, whatever. I say that I have read the Hunger Games, Harry Potter (not that that's very violent, I guess), and tons more I can't think of right now, but this book gave me the heeby-jeebies. More than physical violence, I think, mental or phsycological pain is the truly traumatizing stuff. I'm not a wimp by any means, but this book did make me stop more than almost any other. I'm fine with ghost stories, whatever. But the idea (slight spoiler) that someone could be murdered by mistake, and the other person not even care, was truly hard for me. It isn't really mentioned what it was like when they died, bu I can only imagine how horrible a long, slow death must be . . .

Ick, getting the shivers again. I'm sure if I'd read it as an older teen I probably wouldn't have been near as startled by it, but don't give this to your tweens. If they want a book by this author, give them [b:The Doll in the Garden|541521|The Doll in the Garden|Mary Downing Hahn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1175642554s/541521.jpg|528879]. That's a taste of her writing in a reasonable helping. show less

Diana and her little brother Georgie have been playing and living in the woods around Oak Hill Manor for a very long time. They have the run of the Manor property as long as they follow the rules: they need to be sure nobody sees them, they can't leave the property, and they have to leave the owner, old Miss Lillian, alone. The rules are simple enough to follow until a new caretaker comes, bringing his 12-year old daughter, Lissa, with him. Diana wants to have a friend, so she breaks the rules. Her decision to befriend Lissa has consequences that will reveal long hidden secrets.

This book was a very enjoyable spooky story. The characters are believable, and the story is very well paced. The story is scary, but age appropriate. The plot show more is a bit predictable for adults, but still a good read even if the reader guesses the situation. I loved the cover art! The cover is what enticed me to read the book. I'm glad I did! I love ghost stories and even though this book was written for children, I found myself pulled into the tale, eagerly reading to find out what was going to happen next!

Mary Downing Hahn has written 9 other ghostly tales for middle grade kids. I'm definitely going to read more by her. It was definitely an entertaining afternoon read!

My rating: 7/10
Ages 10
A few spooky situations, but nothing inappropriate for middle grade kids show less