Candlewick Press,2006
ISBN: 0763629308
Available: New
Maud Flynn is a troublemaking, unattractive, orphan: the girl most unlikely to be adopted. However, she is the perfect choice for Hyacinth Hawthorne and her elderly sisters. The charismatic Hyacinth convinces Maud to play the part of a ghostly “secret child.” The sisters, posing as psychic mediums able to bring a dead child back to communicate with her wealthy mother, need Maud to carry out their fraud. As Maud studies the life and personality of the girl she will impersonate, she begins to dream of the girl and her death and even meets the girl’s mother. Maud’s experiences make her question the sisters’ motives and affection for her. When the séance intended to convince the dead girl’s mother ends with a disastrous fire, Maud is left behind, and nearly burns to death, Her escape reveals the truth, but as an adopted child, Maud is returned to her legal guardians, and her future does not look to be a pleasant one.
Schlitz creates an ominous atmosphere, descriptive of places, visions, and events, which reaches its creepiest and most terrifying in the final séance. But it is the skillful characterization that makes the book. Maud changes from defiant and unhappy, into a girl eager for the sisters’ love, finally becoming a sympathetic, resourceful, and clear-minded character. Hyacinth is almost sociopathic, mercilessly and even gleefully manipulating people to achieve status and wealth. But Schlitz’s triumph is that her characters cannot be contained neatly. They are too “messy,” and their unpredictability lends them believability. Highly recommended for upper elementary and teen readers looking for a good ghost story. Contains: horrific events Review by Francesca the Librarian