Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature)
Acclaimed novelist Mary Downing Hahn serves up great spooky fare in The Old Willis Place. Twelve-year-old Diana and her little brother, Georgie, are bound by rules. They can’t have playmates or travel beyond a certain area or go into the house where Miss Willis lived and died. But when Lissa and her father move into a nearby house, Diana starts breaking the rules. She and Lissa become fast friends. When she mistakenly releases the ghost of the evil Miss Willis, Lissa comes to realize she is the only person who can rescue the children from danger. The characters are exceptionally well drawn, the pacing masterful and the climax gripping and poignant. 2004, Clarion, $15.00. Ages 8 to 12.

Beverley Fahey (Children's Literature)
Behind signs that warned, "Keep Out" and "No Trespassing, the old mansion at Oak Hill Manor sat in the woods abandoned and decayed. It had been home to the dour Miss Lillian until her death in the ancient parlor ten years previous. A new caretaker and his daughter, Lissa, had arrived to live in a trailer and manage the property for the county. From the beginning, Lissa was apprehensive about her new home. She suspected she was being watched and followed and when her favorite teddy bear and copy of Lassie Come Home disappeared from her bedroom, she was sure they were not alone on the land. Lissa's suspicions were not unwarranted. Two children, Diana and her little brother Georgie, roamed the vast acreage, keeping out of sight for the most part, but bound to the property by a mysterious rule that forbad them to leave. Somehow attracted to the new girl, Diana risked showing herself to Lissa and her father in a last effort to make a new friend and perhaps to be freed from the secret that has held her at Oak Hill for so long. Diana's only fear was that she would incur the wrath of the spirit of Miss Lillian and release a terror that would jeopardize her new friend and put herself and Georgie at risk. In the tradition of Wait Till Helen Comes and Time For Andrew, Hahn has created a chilling and spellbinding mystery. The plot has several twists and turns that add to the suspense and keep the reader turning pages. It is evident early on the Diana and Georgie have been dead for many years, but Hahn manages to craft her story in such a way as to leave an element of doubt. The spirit of the long-dead and bitter Miss Lillian permeates the novel and the pathos of these two pitiful children is palpable. The denouement is frightening and surprising, but oh so satisfying. For kids who like their ghost stories to be spine-tingling, this one will fit the bill. 2004, Clarion, $15.00. Ages 10 to 14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 17))
Diana and Georgie have been living wild, depending only on each other. They remain hidden, never leaving the grounds and never entering the derelict house. Longing for more companionship, Diana decides to befriend the new caretaker's lonely daughter. But the friendship leads to complications and danger. When Lissa leads Diana into the old house, she unwittingly unleashes the spirit of the old woman who lived and died there. With carefully incorporated clues, the reader comes to the realization that the frightening old woman is not the only ghost. Diana and Georgie are ghosts of children who died a terrible death in that house long ago. Diana is the primary narrator, with Lissa's diary entries providing alternate views of the events. The young characters, both human and spirits, are sympathetic and believable. There is even a moral here: that love and forgiveness can lead to everlasting peace. Spooky, but with an underlying sweetness. 2004, Clarion, 208p, $15.00. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 12. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sherry Hoy (Library Media Connection, January 2005)
Diana and her little brother, Georgie, are ghosts living in the woods surrounding old Miss Lilian's place. They cannot go beyond the gate at the end of the lane, they are not to enter the crumbling mansion, and they can't let anyone see them. Then Lissa moves into the trailer out back. Her father is the new caretaker and Diana decides having a new friend is more important than the rules. The main voice is Diana's, but readers know Lissa's side of the story through her diary entries, which Diana steals and reads. In the end, with Lissa's help, the children confront nasty Miss Lilian's ghost. Their remains are found in the basement room where Miss Lilian locked them, to teach them a lesson. Unfortunately, Miss Lilian had a stroke before she could release them, and their spirits are reunited with their parents. Even nasty Miss Lilian's spirit is forgiven and can move on. Author Mary Downing Hahn still has quite a way with characters. These children and even the ghosts all seem real and the reader comes to care about them. The horror here is not bloody or gory, but nonetheless will make readers shiver with sympathy and suspense. Give this to your Betty Ren Wright fans or those looking for a more realistic feel to their ghost stories. Recommended. 2004, Clarion Books, 199pp., $15 hc. Ages 10 to 16.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 3))
Diana is excited when the new caretaker at the old Willis place turns out to have a daughter, Lissa, who's Diana's age; Diana's existence, which is restricted by a series of inflexible rules, largely limits her to staying on the Willis place and playing with her little brother, Georgie, so she's thrilled by the prospect of genuine friendship. Though Lissa is somewhat taken aback by Diana's strange ways and appearance, the two girls soon become close companions, but their closeness makes it increasingly difficult for Diana to hide her frightening secret (which she withholds from the reader as well as from Lissa): she and Georgie are ghosts. Lissa's diary entries, which counterpoint Diana's narration, are relentlessly dutiful in their plot exposition rather than credible as actual preteen journal writing, but otherwise Hahn's sure hand at haunting is evident. The story offers some genuine horror, since the ghost of Miss Lilian Willis, who was responsible for Diana's and Georgie's deaths, still hunts for the two kids, but the malevolence isn't a driving narrative force but rather a carefully measured seasoning in an emotional middle-grades-suitable ghost story. The twist of secretly giving the ghost herself the narration will be new to many young readers, and the unfolding of the plot will remain creepy and enjoyable no matter where along the narrative way they realize the reason for Diana and Georgie's strangeness. This satisfyingly fills that gap between more light-hearted early ghost stories and the hard-edged terror of classic older works, so it'll need no ghostly assistance to fly off the shelves. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Clarion, 208p, $15.00. Grades 4-6.

Eileen Kuhl (VOYA, February 2005 (Vol. 27, No. 6))
Readers looking for a mystery intertwined with a ghost story will enjoy this tale of a decaying mansion, a wicked former owner, ghosts, and a series of creepy, unexplained events. The cantankerous and unreasonable owner of the mansion, Miss Willis, died in the parlor ten years ago. The mansion has been empty since then except for various caretakers on the grounds. Diana and her brother, Georgie, live on the property of the crumbling mansion and spend their time spying on the caretakers. Because of some unexplained rules, the siblings mysteriously must always remain hidden and are fearful of their puzzling secret being revealed. Diana is tempted to break the rules when a new caretaker and his daughter, Lissa, arrive. Diana and Georgie sneak into the caretaker's home and yard and "borrow" books, toys, and other items that interest them. Lissa tries to explain to her father that some of her personal items are missing, but they cannot find a reasonable explanation. Eventually Lissa glimpses Diana and accepts an invitation to meet her on the veranda of the mansion. As their friendship evolves, Lissa is surprised that Diana and her brother are only familiar with movies, songs, and books that were popular in the 1930s. She attributes their odd behavior to strict fundamentalist parents. Lissa is fascinated with the mansion and recruits a frightened, reluctant Diana to break into the house with her. The consequence of their actions releases a vindictive ghost, solves a mysterious disappearance, and unites a family. Hahn uses suspense, action, superstition, and mystery to keep readers interested. There is a delicate message of guilt, forgiveness, loyalty, and friendship, and although the story is predictable, it has a satisfying ending. Readers who enjoyed Hahn's Doll in the Garden (Clarion, 1989) or Kathryn Reiss's Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge: A Ghost Story (Harcourt, 2004/VOYA review this issue) will find this tale appealing. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2004, Clarion, 199p., $15. Ages 11 to 14.