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3rd out of 29 books
—
18 voters
The Dollhouse Murders
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 do...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
July 1st 1995
by Scholastic Paperbacks
(first published 1983)
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Ok so what do you want to know about? Oh right, the book! It starts off with a girl, Amy, who has a mom a dad and a sister, Louannn, who thinks she is annoying. Her family can be a little bit frustrating, and one time she gets so angry she runs all the way over to a old family mansion, where her aunt is staying for a few weeks. Amy decides to stay with her aunt.
When they go up to the attic there is a doll house just waiting with bad memories. Amy finds the old doll house full of mysteries.
One...more
When they go up to the attic there is a doll house just waiting with bad memories. Amy finds the old doll house full of mysteries.
One...more
I don't care what anyone says. Scholastic is BRILLIANT for keeping this amazingly bad cover. No revision could be as terrifying and wasn't that the whole point? This was the sort of cover I would have taped paper over when I was little just like I always did when I read THE WITCHES and any Bruce Coville where an adult was taking off their human face to reveal an alien one beneath.
Yeah, book covers were so much better in the 80's.
All and all not a bad story and certainly freaked the begeebees o...more
Yeah, book covers were so much better in the 80's.
All and all not a bad story and certainly freaked the begeebees o...more
I was TOTALLY creeped out by this book as a kid. I did not like scary books but I did like dollhouses, and I was also somewhat interested in the supernatural aspect hinted at in this book, so I gave it a shot. But the main character getting the crap scared out of her repeatedly by the dolls in her dollhouse basically re-enacting a murder to give her clues . . . that was kind of intense for my young self. I'm sure kids who read that sort of thing more often wouldn't be weirded out by it. I prefer...more
Best-selling author Betty Ren Wright earned nine state awards for this middle-grade mystery about a murder kept secret in a dollhouse.
Amy is terrified. She hears scratching and scurrying noises coming from the dollhouse, and the dolls she was playing with are not where she left them. Dolls can't move by themselves, she tells herself. But every night when Amy goes into the
...more Best-selling author Betty Ren Wright earned nine state awards for this middle-grade mystery about a murder kept secret...more
Amy is terrified. She hears scratching and scurrying noises coming from the dollhouse, and the dolls she was playing with are not where she left them. Dolls can't move by themselves, she tells herself. But every night when Amy goes into the
...more Best-selling author Betty Ren Wright earned nine state awards for this middle-grade mystery about a murder kept secret...more
In this story “The Doll House Murders” the characters are Aunt Clare, Amy, Louann, Ellen, Kathy, Great grandma, Great grandpa, and the thief or in other words the robber. They all are introduced in the story step by step like first is Amy and the last is Kathy to be mentioned. So those are the characters in the story “The Doll House Murders”. The conflict of this story is the attic doll house is acting strange it is moving by its self. To Amy that the doll house is trying to say something but w...more
I first picked up The Dollhouse Murders a little around five years ago, when I was a kid. I read it, it chilled me, I moved to another city, and slowly I forgot the title. Somedays the idea of the book came rushing back, and I was frustrated that I could not remember the title to reread it, at least, until I found the title in my brother's book order.
The Dollhouse Murders is about a girl named Amy who moves in with her aunt to try and escape some stress at home. One day she discovers a dollhous...more
The Dollhouse Murders is about a girl named Amy who moves in with her aunt to try and escape some stress at home. One day she discovers a dollhous...more
The Dollhouse Murders stands up well as a good mystery, decades after its first printing.
Betty Ren Wright has done a commendable job on constructing a different sort of mystery story that is successfully multi-dimensional in its thrust. I think that the temptation in many such stories is to focus almost exclusively on the eerieness of the supernatural events that occur, but The Dollhouse Murders stands tall on several more levels. The author has taken the time and effort to form a family that...more
Betty Ren Wright has done a commendable job on constructing a different sort of mystery story that is successfully multi-dimensional in its thrust. I think that the temptation in many such stories is to focus almost exclusively on the eerieness of the supernatural events that occur, but The Dollhouse Murders stands tall on several more levels. The author has taken the time and effort to form a family that...more
Amy is 12 years old, about to be 13 and she is tired of taking care of her sister. Amy's sister, Louanna, is mentally challenged. One day at the mall, when Amy was supposed to spend the day with her friend Ellen and she was made to bring Louanna, everything goes wrong. Amy has had enough and tells her mother so.
But all her mother tells her is that she is selfish, that she is cruel and she is a girl that has everything. Amy becomes so upset that she runs to her Aunt Clare, who is currently stayin...more
But all her mother tells her is that she is selfish, that she is cruel and she is a girl that has everything. Amy becomes so upset that she runs to her Aunt Clare, who is currently stayin...more
I'm on a childhood nostalgia kick, with a particular penchant for ghosts, dollhouses and/or historical murder mysteries, and this one gave me all three (although the ghost is more of an unseen presence making the dolls move). It's every bit as good as I remember from elementary school.
Be honest: there anything more simultaneously exciting and terrifying than discovering your aunt's old dollhouse, which is a perfect replica inside and out of the house she lived in (which you are currently stayin...more
Be honest: there anything more simultaneously exciting and terrifying than discovering your aunt's old dollhouse, which is a perfect replica inside and out of the house she lived in (which you are currently stayin...more
This book about a young girl named Amy, who upon having a argument with her mom over her sister Louann, which is brain-damaged, runs to her aunts house and is invited to stay awhile. Upon staying there she finds a dollhouse, which is an exact replica of the house her aunt lives in now. Her a friend find some dolls that go with the house and then leave it to go downstairs. Later that night just before supper, she remembers she forgot to close the dollhouse and goes to close it, only to realize on...more
Ah, 1987 was a good year. A little Johanna received this book as the summer commenced and she read, oh she read. She read the crap out of this book and then eyed the dollhouse looming in the corner of her shared bedroom with distrust and concern. She decided that she did not wish to get murdered by the inhabitants first, so she pushed it against the wall nearer to her sister's bed. "Poor Becky," she thought, "she is going to have to meet her maker someday, hopefully sooner than later (as Becky w...more
Amy Treloar is always looking after her mental sister. She decides to stay with an aunt who lives close by, and stays for a week. She and her aunt have a blast, and Amy finds that her friend, Ellen, actually wants to hang out with her. One day her aunt shows her a dollhouse in the attic, that looks exactly like the house they were in, and Amy and Ellen decide to play around with it a bit. When Amy sees the dollhouse later, she finds that the dolls are not in the same places that she and her frie...more
I LOVED this book, but somehow had forgotten all about it until I saw someone's review on here. I remember that I had an intense reaction to the conclusion of the story, feeling like I had been punched in the stomach. I don't even really remember what happened, just that the dolls moved around and revealed who the real killer was. Perfect way to creep oneself out before bed!
The Dollhouse Murders scared the crap out of me when I was younger. I re-read it last night and even though I'm 27 now, its still gave me chills. Plus the fact that I already KNEW what happened!! Man, I'm a nerd.
The story is about Amy Treloar, a twelve year old girl who is fed up with looking after her younger sister, Louann (who has special needs). Amy's Aunt Clare says Amy can come stay with her for a couple of weeks and while Amy is there, she finds an old, beautiful dollhouse. A dollhouse th...more
The story is about Amy Treloar, a twelve year old girl who is fed up with looking after her younger sister, Louann (who has special needs). Amy's Aunt Clare says Amy can come stay with her for a couple of weeks and while Amy is there, she finds an old, beautiful dollhouse. A dollhouse th...more
Jul 16, 2009
Jen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childhood-and-preteen-favorites
Oh Scholastic, you knew how to get me to part with my hard earned allowance. Scary books dealing with dolls coming to life was a pretty common theme in the 80's. This book scared the CRAP out of me the first time around, and I recently found it used for super cheap and it still kind of gave me the creeps. Behind the Attic Wall trumps Dollhouse Murders but barely.
I know that I read this multiple times as a kid, when I was going through my supernatural/mystery phase, but didn't really remember the details much. And I admit that the creepy attic, dolls moving around on their own scenes still gave me chills this time around. I guess I'm just that much of a wimp, and it's a good thing I read it on a bright Saturday morning.
I have recently read Betty Ren Wrights Dollhouse murders. In this book Amy the main charicter has a sister with disabilities. Her mom makes her take care of her sister and leaves her no time for her friends. Amy spends a few weeks at her aunts house there is a miniture dollhouse that looks just like her aunts house. When she plays with the dollhouse the dolls move and aroun midnight there is an eerie green light. Is the dollhouse trying to tell her somthing about the gory murders of her great-gr...more
The dollhouse murders
By : Betty Ren Wright
The dolls are trying to tell Amy something! Ellen ( her best friend) and Amy set the dolls at little table in the doll house… but when Amy comes back the trouble begins. Meanwhile, Amy finds out about the murder that had changed her Aunt Clare’s life. While getting a break from her little sister.
This is my favorite part:
“Dust rose around her as the cover slipped to the floor, “Oh” Amy gave a squeaky little gasp. “Oh, Aunt Clare look at this. It’s the...more
By : Betty Ren Wright
The dolls are trying to tell Amy something! Ellen ( her best friend) and Amy set the dolls at little table in the doll house… but when Amy comes back the trouble begins. Meanwhile, Amy finds out about the murder that had changed her Aunt Clare’s life. While getting a break from her little sister.
This is my favorite part:
“Dust rose around her as the cover slipped to the floor, “Oh” Amy gave a squeaky little gasp. “Oh, Aunt Clare look at this. It’s the...more
I picked this up after finding it on a list of recommendations for middle grade horror. For such a corny title, I admit I was expecting a corny book, but it was anything but that. I thought it was excellent! My elementary school library must not have had the book, because I'm sure I would have found it and loved it back then.
The mystery is solid, given the age group of the intended audience, and I found parts of it to be genuinely creepy, even reading this as an adult.
The part that really shone...more
The mystery is solid, given the age group of the intended audience, and I found parts of it to be genuinely creepy, even reading this as an adult.
The part that really shone...more
While visiting Aunt Clare in her Great grandparent's old house, Amy discovered a wonderful dollhouse in the attic. It is the replica of her Great Granparent's house. Everytime Amy visits the attic eerie things happen. Strange noises come from the dollhouse, lights are on in it and the dolls have been moved from where she had left them. Amy is very frightened, but she wonders if the dollhouse is trying to tell her something about the murders of her Great Grandparents 30 years ago. Amy wants to so...more
I remember reading this books when I was a kid. I liked the book and it still gave me the creeps. This is a mystery/ghost story. This book did seem a bit dated though (I am not sure if it is the cover or if it was the writing...) Louann is a twelve year old in charge of her special needs sister. She has to keep her everyday after school until her mom gets home from work. Louann feels that it drives friends away from her and she is starting to feel suffocated. Her mom doesn't understand her feeli...more
Sep 13, 2012
Christy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anybody that loves a good mystery
Shelves:
favorites
The Dollhouse Murders was a wonderful book. I read this before when I was in eighth grade. Even now at twenty-four I still enjoyed it because to me this book is a Classic. It has everything you need for a spooky evening by the fire or during a storm with flashlights. Betty Ren Wright did an excellent job writing this book.
It is so wonderful that you won't want to put it down. I read it without stopping and was finished in three hours. It has 19 chapters and 149 pages long. The words flow and th...more
It is so wonderful that you won't want to put it down. I read it without stopping and was finished in three hours. It has 19 chapters and 149 pages long. The words flow and th...more
Amy is tired of always having the 'burden' of taking care of her developmentally disabled sister. Fortunately for her, her Aunt Clare has recently moved back to town to pack up the house that belonged to Amy's great-grandparents. Amy takes refuge there and finds in the attic an amazing dollhouse that is the exact replica of the house that contains it. Then, the dolls start moving by themselves, re-creating the scene of the great-grandparents' murder. What is the dollhouse trying to tell them?
Thi...more
Thi...more
Aug 11, 2011
Lisa Rathbun
added it
Ghostly murder mystery for the younger set. Not for those who want a Scooby-Doo ending: ("It wasn't a ghost after all; just a villain in disguise!"). A short scene where girls use cards to tell fortunes.
Sensitive readers might find this scary, but it's probably a good start into this genre. However, as a Christian, I like to read sparingly books that deal with restless spirits of the dead.
Some excellent serious discussion points would include the result of teenage rebelliousness (the guilt, an...more
Sensitive readers might find this scary, but it's probably a good start into this genre. However, as a Christian, I like to read sparingly books that deal with restless spirits of the dead.
Some excellent serious discussion points would include the result of teenage rebelliousness (the guilt, an...more
So I had been speaking with my friend about this book and then found it on my bookshelf, and just gave it a reread-- what a crazy tale. The bizarre, trapped-in-eternal-childhood part of me that HAS to read books with the word "dollhouse" notwithstanding, this is still a completely engrossing story. Without resorting to lame puppet therapy, the dolls basically all take on the tableau of a crime that had been committed years ago, in order to help a child solve a murder mystery case. The writing do...more
(re-read) Ages 8+
Amy is tired of always looking after her mentally disabled sister, Louann. When she gets in a fight with her family, she goes to stay with her aunt who has recently moved back to town and is cleaning out Amy's great grandparent's house. In the attic is a perfect replica of the big house, complete with dolls that look like the people who had lived inside thirty years before - back when Amy's great-grandparents were murdered! And the dolls are trying to tell the new inhabitants o...more
Amy is tired of always looking after her mentally disabled sister, Louann. When she gets in a fight with her family, she goes to stay with her aunt who has recently moved back to town and is cleaning out Amy's great grandparent's house. In the attic is a perfect replica of the big house, complete with dolls that look like the people who had lived inside thirty years before - back when Amy's great-grandparents were murdered! And the dolls are trying to tell the new inhabitants o...more
This is a perfect mystery for young readers just getting into the genre or adults who get scared of their shadows when taking out the trash. I liked that there was another side story with the family dealing with how to cope and be a family who has a disabled child. I really enjoyed getting the perspective of how the sibling feels which I haven't read before so that was very interesting. It wasn't the type of mystery with clues and details to put together, in fact the truth kinda just smacks you...more
oh man, i loved this book as a kid. i remember buying it from one of the annual book fairs at school. a dollhouse that comes to life and tries to help amy solve the murders that happened years ago.
interestingly, when i was teaching in the south bronx, this was the first book that one of my boys picked up and LOVED. he's now a reader - at least, to some degree (the covers have to agree with him) but man. i was so darn happy. i wouldn't like a little self-identified thug would pick up a book abou...more
interestingly, when i was teaching in the south bronx, this was the first book that one of my boys picked up and LOVED. he's now a reader - at least, to some degree (the covers have to agree with him) but man. i was so darn happy. i wouldn't like a little self-identified thug would pick up a book abou...more
May 08, 2009
Daniel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adventure,
american-mystery,
audiobook,
character-study,
midwest,
mystery,
tweens,
wisconsin,
ghost-story,
recommended,
library-book,
read-2009
I didn't realize when I first picked up this book that I had read this author's most current book, "Princess for a Week" to the Kidz just recently. Betty Ren Wright is now 80-something and still going strong. She has a way of drawing realistic characters--12 and 13 year-olds that are realistically their age and not a mini-adult that is smarter than all the adults around them. And the characters are flawed, they are not 100% adorable and likable, and they have to make moral choices and they choos...more
A terrific ghost story for younger readers. I had read this book when I was 12 or so and LOVED it. It's a good ghost story without being overly gross or scary.
The story is of a girl that feels burdened by her family when she has to "babysit" her special needs sister. While staying at her aunt's house for a couple of weeks, a doll house in the attic reveals a family mystery. Dolls in the house move on their own to reinact a grusome murder that occurred 30 years ago. The clue to solve the mystery...more
The story is of a girl that feels burdened by her family when she has to "babysit" her special needs sister. While staying at her aunt's house for a couple of weeks, a doll house in the attic reveals a family mystery. Dolls in the house move on their own to reinact a grusome murder that occurred 30 years ago. The clue to solve the mystery...more
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| best book | 5 | 25 | Oct 16, 2012 03:50pm |
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Betty Ren Wright is an author of children's fiction including The Dollhouse Murders, The Ghosts Of Mercy Manor and A Ghost in The House among others.
She was born June 15, 1927 in the U.S. and she is currently working on her 26th novel. Ms. Wright lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with her husband, George Frederiksen, a painter.
More about Betty Ren Wright...
She was born June 15, 1927 in the U.S. and she is currently working on her 26th novel. Ms. Wright lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with her husband, George Frederiksen, a painter.
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Jan 30, 2012 02:53pm
Jan 30, 2012 02:53pm