Best-selling author Betty Ren Wright earned nine state awards for this middle-grade mystery about a murder kept secret in a dollhouse.
Am...
read full description
reviews
Apr 03, 2008
Colleen
rated it: 
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 certainl More...
Yeah, book covers were so much better in the 80's.
All and all not a bad story and certainl More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 15, 2010
Aziza
rated it: 
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...
Jan 03, 2010
Maggie
rated it:
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 discover 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 discover More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Oct 12, 2009
Josiah
rated it: 
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 fa 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 fa More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 27, 2012
Addy
rated it: 
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 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 More...
Nov 18, 2011
Eden
rated it:
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 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 More...
Aug 27, 2011
Johanna
rated it:
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 l
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 02, 2011
Ashley
rated it:
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...
Apr 08, 2008
Alicia
rated it:
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!
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 12, 2009
Candace
rated it:
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 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 More...
Mar 04, 2010
Jen
rated it:
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.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 02, 2008
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.
4 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 26, 2012
Katie
rated it:
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 litt 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 litt More...
May 05, 2011
Suzanne
rated it:
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.
Th 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.
Th More...
Mar 09, 2011
Emily
rated it:
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?
More...
More...
Aug 11, 2011
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 rebelliousne 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 rebelliousne More...
Jul 23, 2010
Adele
rated it:
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
More...
Sep 17, 2010
Ann
rated it:
(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 inh 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 inh More...
Jul 18, 2009
stephanie
rated it:
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 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 More...
May 08, 2009
Daniel
rated it:
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 an
More...
Oct 19, 2010
Taylor
rated it:
this book was ok i always wanted to keep on reading :p
its about a girls about 13 years old goes and spends a couple nights at her aunts house (which was were she grew up) she soon finds out that there was a murder in the house.
she trys to find out the details .... so she goes to the library and nothing helped. her aunt asks her to help her clean out the attic, they find an old dollhouse at first shes not all that interested... but then the dolls start to move at the end of t More...
its about a girls about 13 years old goes and spends a couple nights at her aunts house (which was were she grew up) she soon finds out that there was a murder in the house.
she trys to find out the details .... so she goes to the library and nothing helped. her aunt asks her to help her clean out the attic, they find an old dollhouse at first shes not all that interested... but then the dolls start to move at the end of t More...
Jun 30, 2011
Travis
rated it:
First off, the writing in the actual book is way better than the crappy summary on the back cover. XD I grabbed this off of BookMooch because when I asked on a bookfinder community about another book about creepy dolls that I remembered liking as a kid (Behind the Attic Wall), someone mentioned this one as well. The Dollhouse Murders was written in the early '80s, same as Behind the Attic Wall, but I never came across it as a kid. I wish I had, as I would have enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed it as a
More...
Dec 07, 2010
Rachel
rated it:
The dollhouse was perfect. Everything from the color of the front door to the banister on the staircase was an exact replica in miniature of her grandparent's house- even the set of tiny china plates in the lovingly painted mini cupboards were the same. She was delighted! They had just had dinner using plates exactly like this, only bigger, about an hour ago. Her room she was staying in was painted the same color blue and the small stiched quilt matched the one on her own bed downstairs. Next t
More...
Jan 15, 2009
Bailey
rated it:
I LOVE mysteries!!!! And this was a GREAT one. It is a riveting story about a girl who gets upset with her mom and her mentally disabled sister. She goes down the street to her aunts house to hang out with her. While she was there she went up to the attic and found an old, dusty dollhouse that is decorated exactly like the house her aunt is in. She discovers a lot of mysteries that occured when her dad and his sister lived with their grandparents. A truely amazing story. My props gp tp Betty Ren
More...
Feb 06, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I remember reading The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright in elementary school. It must have been right around the time when it was first published. I remember liking the idea of a haunted dollhouse but being annoyed by the book. When I saw the book at my library I decided to give it a second try. I liked it a lot more as an adult than I did as a child.
Amy needs some free time from her sister, Louann. Her sister is special needs, having suffered brain damage although I don't think More...
Amy needs some free time from her sister, Louann. Her sister is special needs, having suffered brain damage although I don't think More...
Oct 04, 2008
sprinkles_84
rated it:
The Dollhouse Murders is a book by Betty Ren Wright. It is about Amy Treolar, a girl who has almost no friends and a sister named Louann. She gets into an argument with her mom, so she decides to go to her Aunt Clare's house. There, she finds a dollhouse in the attic. She and her aunt talk and Aunt Clare asks Amy if she wants to stay at her house. Her parents say yes. Amy goes to play with the dollhouse, goes downstairs but then she comes back up to cover the house. When she does, she sees t
More...
Nov 27, 2011
Dayna
rated it:
Amy is fed up with being responsible for her mentally challenged sister and never having any privacy or friends of her own. In a fit of rage she goes to stay with her aunt. While there she discovers a dollhouse in the attic. A dollhouse that lights up at night and whose dolls move on their own. Are the dolls trying to tell her something? How are the movements of the dolls connected to her great-grandparents' murder? A clever story of family, sacrifice, and love.
Mar 23, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
This was an okay book although the mystery wasn't that good. The only real mystery was why Aunt Clare didn't want to talk about the doll house, but there are several other things thrown in to keep the reader interested. The supernatural element is kinda contrived, but as a kid it would have been pretty creepy. I think the book was trying to take on too much with the autistic/mentally disabled younger sister. I don't think that her character's relationship with the main character was really impor
More...
Nov 06, 2011
Bobbi
rated it:
A reread from childhood and I loved it as much then as now. I have to say, there were aspects I remembered well and new things that were revealed to me. As a child, this scared the daylights out of me and I was hesitant to pick this up :) The story has elements of supernatural that enhance the story but the side stories of Amy's aunt and her sister make this book shine. Recommended for most girls who like ghost stories in the middle school age.
Dec 10, 2010
→ Unsolved Mystery ←
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
