What do you think?
Rate this book
The Boarded-Up House
Inside a crumbling mansion, a hidden stairway leads to a locked room that holds a message from the past. Best friends Joyce and Cynthia have always been fascinated by the huge Colonial with a pair of round windows resembling eyes. When Goliath the cat disappears inside the boarded-up house, the girls follow, uncovering the key to a very old secret. Readers who love the Nancy Drew adventures will cherish this tale of two teenage sleuths and their exciting investigation of a mystery that dates back to the Civil War. The first book in Augusta Huiell Seaman's sought-after series, The Boarded-Up House offers intriguing glimpses of American life from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
217 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1915
7 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Augusta Huiell Seaman
131 books13 followersAugusta Huiell Seaman (1879-1950) was an American author of children's literature. She graduated from Normal College in New York City in 1900 and went on to teach elementary school. Following her marriage in 1906, she devoted her time to writing children's books. While living in Island Beach, Augusta held various offices in the local government, including Borough clerk, Tax Collector, and Borough Registrar. Her works include: Jacqueline of the Carrier Pigeons (1910), The Boarded up House (1915), The Slipper Point Mystery (1919), The Dragon's Secret (1921), The Mystery at Number Six (1922), The Edge of Raven Pool (1924), The Charlemonte Crest (1930) and The Vanishing Octant Mystery (1949).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 2, 2020
Deja vu
Written in 1915, it was good to see that Amazon had made this book available in kindle, as the copyright had expired. I say this because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. But when reading it, I had a Deja vu experience. Mildred Wirt, writer of the Nancy Drew series, had written a book with the same theme in the 30s, “Ghost Galley.” The similarities are that a house had been vacated, and there was a painting over the fireplace that had been turned around for the same reason, rejection of the person in the painting.
The two girls in this book, were not detectives, but were neighborhood friends, and between their homes was a boarded-up house, one that had been boarded up around the beginning of the Civil War. No one ever seemed to break into it, and the war had ended years ago. Well, no one until then. The girls were just following a cat that had gone through the boarded-up cellar window. So, we can say that the cat was the first to enter the house, to trespass. What interested me was the use of candles for light. People must have had good night vision in those days.
What they find in the house was fascinating. The dinner dishes were still on the dining room table, the food mostly eaten. Why did this happen? I followed the girls around this dimly lit house and enjoyed every minute of it.
Written in 1915, it was good to see that Amazon had made this book available in kindle, as the copyright had expired. I say this because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. But when reading it, I had a Deja vu experience. Mildred Wirt, writer of the Nancy Drew series, had written a book with the same theme in the 30s, “Ghost Galley.” The similarities are that a house had been vacated, and there was a painting over the fireplace that had been turned around for the same reason, rejection of the person in the painting.
The two girls in this book, were not detectives, but were neighborhood friends, and between their homes was a boarded-up house, one that had been boarded up around the beginning of the Civil War. No one ever seemed to break into it, and the war had ended years ago. Well, no one until then. The girls were just following a cat that had gone through the boarded-up cellar window. So, we can say that the cat was the first to enter the house, to trespass. What interested me was the use of candles for light. People must have had good night vision in those days.
What they find in the house was fascinating. The dinner dishes were still on the dining room table, the food mostly eaten. Why did this happen? I followed the girls around this dimly lit house and enjoyed every minute of it.
April 27, 2020
4.5 stars
Another quick, light, no-murder mystery meant for YA audiences. The ending is so sweet that I was left with warm fuzzies and wanted to hug all the characters.
Another quick, light, no-murder mystery meant for YA audiences. The ending is so sweet that I was left with warm fuzzies and wanted to hug all the characters.
November 13, 2015
I’ve had enough of mysteries constructed as crimes. I have no interest in policemen, nor romantic segues. “Nancy Drew” was inventive but my generation’s versions were too streamlined to have heart. There were pointless mishaps to falsely raise excitement. Modern fiction wastes pages on protagonists’ careers, stalling the mystery portions. Worse, narratives incorporate other people’s perspectives, which I only consider interruptions. Are there no pure mysteries, that stick to the fascinating parts from start to finish? Yes! “The Boarded-Up House” is the best mystery I have ever read! By happenstance: 2015 is its one-hundredth anniversary! I am delighted I took it up serendipitously.
Spread the word that it is free, an electronic record of literary heritage. Please disregard anyone comparing Augusta Huiell Seaman’s compelling adventure to “Nancy Drew” or today’s ‘young adult’ products. To the contrary, this stands in utter originality. Every inch of action comes from the wonderment of its peculiar and emotional puzzle! We plunge straightforwardly into a mystery that chugs, uninterrupted, to an enormously rewarding conclusion. Cynthia & Joyce are best friends. A disused house sits between theirs, that has legally been kept empty for so many decades uncounted; no one can explain it. The girls explore the house and find its contents astonishing.
So did I. There is no other story like this! I was in my glory, that every page kept working away at the mystery, front and centre, until overwhelming us with a riveting outcome. Sounding nothing at all like an adventure published one-hundred years ago, this is a must read for any mystery or adventure-lover. The highest possible praise is that I couldn’t stop thinking of this mystery story throughout the night! I was positively driven to drink the rest of it in today. I hope to compose novels as enthralling as Augusta’s.
Spread the word that it is free, an electronic record of literary heritage. Please disregard anyone comparing Augusta Huiell Seaman’s compelling adventure to “Nancy Drew” or today’s ‘young adult’ products. To the contrary, this stands in utter originality. Every inch of action comes from the wonderment of its peculiar and emotional puzzle! We plunge straightforwardly into a mystery that chugs, uninterrupted, to an enormously rewarding conclusion. Cynthia & Joyce are best friends. A disused house sits between theirs, that has legally been kept empty for so many decades uncounted; no one can explain it. The girls explore the house and find its contents astonishing.
So did I. There is no other story like this! I was in my glory, that every page kept working away at the mystery, front and centre, until overwhelming us with a riveting outcome. Sounding nothing at all like an adventure published one-hundred years ago, this is a must read for any mystery or adventure-lover. The highest possible praise is that I couldn’t stop thinking of this mystery story throughout the night! I was positively driven to drink the rest of it in today. I hope to compose novels as enthralling as Augusta’s.
September 17, 2022
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This book was only slightly similar enough to
The Girl Next Door
—high school girls, best friends, investigating a mystery next door—but it was just enough to be comfortably familiar. The early 1900s small-town America setting was pleasant, and the writing style is very simple but old-fashioned and slightly humorous, reminding me a little of Alcott.
The characters were fun—vivid Joy, practical Cynthia, passionate Mrs. C., and delightful young F. But it was the plot that I really liked. It was a very realistic picture of how two young girls would try to emulate Sherlock Holmes and discover the mystery of the boarded-up house next door. I particularly liked the mixture of right and wrong theories they came up with. The tiny side-plot of the original mystery was quite fascinating, and the wrap-up of the book was even more perfect than I expected. I particularly loved the moral of the book—the warning against pride and anger and their bitter, everlasting consequences—and I also loved how the book reiterates how hard it is to judge past eras, when we see things so differently.
Overall, it was a throughly wholesome little mystery!
Favourite Quotes: “But was she in the wrong? I suppose we can't judge about how people felt in those days.” …
“You must remember,” said Joyce, “that people felt so differently about such things in those days. We can't quite realize it now, and shouldn't judge them for the way they acted.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Maybe she fainted away,” suggested Cynthia, practically. “Ladies were always doing that years ago, especially when they heard bad news.”
The characters were fun—vivid Joy, practical Cynthia, passionate Mrs. C., and delightful young F. But it was the plot that I really liked. It was a very realistic picture of how two young girls would try to emulate Sherlock Holmes and discover the mystery of the boarded-up house next door. I particularly liked the mixture of right and wrong theories they came up with. The tiny side-plot of the original mystery was quite fascinating, and the wrap-up of the book was even more perfect than I expected. I particularly loved the moral of the book—the warning against pride and anger and their bitter, everlasting consequences—and I also loved how the book reiterates how hard it is to judge past eras, when we see things so differently.
Overall, it was a throughly wholesome little mystery!
Favourite Quotes: “But was she in the wrong? I suppose we can't judge about how people felt in those days.” …
“You must remember,” said Joyce, “that people felt so differently about such things in those days. We can't quite realize it now, and shouldn't judge them for the way they acted.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Maybe she fainted away,” suggested Cynthia, practically. “Ladies were always doing that years ago, especially when they heard bad news.”
October 30, 2019
Fascinating and fun! I loved the premise and was drawn into the story immediately. Joyce and Cynthia have lived on the same street and been best friends all their lives. Between their homes stands an old boarded up mansion, and one day, trying to find the cat, they stumble into the cellar of the old house and decide to go exploring. What an incredible mystery they stumble into! It reminded me a little bit of scenes from "A Little Princess" - a dinner party suddenly interrupted, a house closed up, mysterious gold mines even! A great read for middle school or older.
Read on Project Gutenberg.
Read on Project Gutenberg.
October 10, 2022
3.5 stars
Such a fun and delightful story. It was just what I wanted. No murders or bad guys, just a house with some rather curious things and two girls who want to find out the why and who. Loved the two girls and their different personalities. The ending was sweet.
Such a fun and delightful story. It was just what I wanted. No murders or bad guys, just a house with some rather curious things and two girls who want to find out the why and who. Loved the two girls and their different personalities. The ending was sweet.
January 15, 2016
Enjoyable Children's Mystery
I found this girl's [short story 89 pgs] mystery to be a very well done and fun read. It carried me along for it's entire length with no boring spots.That is a good recommendation for any book!
I found this girl's [short story 89 pgs] mystery to be a very well done and fun read. It carried me along for it's entire length with no boring spots.That is a good recommendation for any book!
September 25, 2012
A rather delightful classic pre-Nancy Drew, girl sleuthing mystery...
March 24, 2019
Delightful old mystery. This book was written over one hundred years ago, but don't let that put you off. It is a marvelous mystery with a happy ending!
January 1, 2025
I discovered this book through a vintage children’s chapter book group on Facebook. It was fun to read and had the most heartwarming ending. Interesting note: The copy I ordered was a weird reprint with a nondescript cover and no copyright date. I thought the girls’ conversions were a little different, and it was strange that they needed candles to investigate this old boarded up house. Turns out the author wrote the book in 1905. Now that’s vintage!
November 30, 2012
I listened to the Librivox audio book. Two friends break into a boarded up house and find it just as its occupants had left it (suddenly) 40 years earlier. They set out to solve the mystery, and once they do (several months later), something remarkable happens. The revelations make sense for 1905 (1915?). If this story occurred in modern times, the kids would get on the Internet, give up in despair ten minutes later, and the mystery would never get solved. Not much to it, really : only the 2 main characters (the introvert and the extrovert), and the descriptions of the house are cool. Interesting in a historical context.
March 29, 2012
It's sweet and nice and I think I heard someone say an very old style Nancy Drew mystery type book. Pretty much. The cat helps a lot and a chapter where there was some teasing over geometry was good, but for the most part it's a read-it-once book. (Feel kinda bad because I read a few reviews and a number of people really love this book!)
October 25, 2020
When I was a young girl, I devoured Nancy Drew mysteries. This book, The Boarded Up House, very much reminded me of those books of my childhood and although I am decades past that time in my life, I very much enjoyed the storyline and the intriguing and thoroughly heartwarming climax. Although this book was written over 100 years ago, or perhaps because it was written then, it has a mystique and simple charm that I believe would appeal to almost anyone who is young or young at heart. I listened to this book on LibriVox and the readers were fantastic!
Want to Read
April 29, 2020Note to self: Try Librivox for this book.
June 30, 2023
Highly recommended. Anyone who has seen an abandoned old house and wondered who turned the key and walked away will enjoy this story.
May 28, 2015
Written in 1915, set in 1905. Rather predictable plot and rather basic as compared to YA today but still fun.
September 22, 2015
Cute mystery book with no scary or dark elements.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews