The Haunting of Charity Delafield

by Ian Beck

Flame-haired Charity Delafield has grown up in a vast, isolated house - most of which she is forbidden to explore - with her fiercely strict father. With only her kindly nurse, Rose, and her cat Mr Tompkins for company, she knows very little of the outside world - or of her own family's shadowy past. What she does know is that she is NEVER to go outside unsupervised. And she is NEVER to over-excite herself, because of the mysterious 'condition' that she has been told she suffers from.

But Charity has a secret. All her life, she has had the same strange dream - a dream of a dark corridor, hidden somewhere in the house. Then, one day, Charity stumbles across the corridor. It leads to a door . . . and suddenly she realises things are not quite what they seem.

Genres: Mystery, Historical, Childrens, Middle Grade

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Ian Archibald Beck (born 1947 in Brighton) is an English children's illustrator and author. In addition to his numerous children's books, he is also most famous for his cover illustration on Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. He has sold more than a million copies of his books worldwide.

Reviews

[👻🎀Emma 🎀👻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Haunting of Charity Delafield’ is a charming little book which would make the perfect Christmas present, with its gorgeous gold edged cover and pocket size - just right for slipping into someone's Christmas stocking. Although aimed at a slightly younger audience, the story is so exquisite that I think older readers will be won over by it too.

It tells the story of Charity Delafield who lives in a big house with her father, servants and adorable cat Mr Tompkins. Apart from the kindly servants who look after Charity like she is their own daughter, Mr Tompkins is her only friend and companion and has a habit of frequently sneaking onto her bed at night. He's so adorable that I wish I had a cat just like him! Charity has been protected and cosseted all her life and has no real knowledge of life outside her small world. She doesn't see or play with other children and isn't even allowed to explore the whole of the house, most of which is kept locked up. When she's told by her father that she's going to be sent away to a boarding school, Charity is understandably upset but this sets in motion a chain of events which leads to her eventually finding out the truth about her family and the mysterious disappearance of her mother when she was a baby.

I really loved this delightful story which I can see myself picking up to read again and again. It’s fairly short so ideal for frequent re-reads but is packed full of charm and is a simply wonderful little book. I loved the character of Chairty and the servants who look after her. They're always slipping her squares of chocolate or steaming mugs of hot chocolate and they treat her like she's their own. I also liked Silas Jones, the kind-hearted chimney sweep's boy who befriends Charity and helps her to unravel the long-buried secret about her mother. It's sad to think that she's never had a friend before but in Silas she finds someone her own age who she can have fun with and their friendship blossoms throughout the book.

The plot actually took an unexpected turn in the second half and I was surprised by the direction which the story ended up taking. However, there's a lovely fairytale quality about the book and this worked well with the second-half of the story which leads Charity on a real magical adventure, beyond the realms of anything she could have dreamt of.

The ending was beautifully written and in my opinion, absolutely perfect. If you like happy endings then you’ll love this one!

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I seem to have had forever, but can’t remember how I came to have it. I’m guessing it was probably a publisher freebie. It was published in 2011, so that’s fifteen years it’s been hanging around adding some beauty and colour to my bookshelves. Ian Beck is a favourite illustrator, and the cover is indeed a thing of beauty. The story is one that will appeal to any girl of about 8-11, featuring family secrets, a big house in the snow, locked rooms, magic, a brave and determined young heroine and even a unicorn. A great book for reading aloud as a bedtime story.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the library after finding positive reviews on my Goodreads feed. It was rather a quick read, but the entirety was well paced, and the writing quite elegant at times. Beck moves his tale along nicely, and creates a cast of believable characters which any child - or adult, let's face it - is sure to be captivated by. It put me in mind of Emma Carroll's lovely Frost Hollow Hall, and Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. A clever plot with rather a cliched ending, that thankfully didn't detract too much from the whole.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and magical. The beginning is strange but it unfolds into a beautiful fairy-tale. I highly recommend it.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like when she found her mother and Silenus was looking after the unicorn.

[Daiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beautiful cover. Story awkwardly stitched, common-place narrative and awkward dialogues.

[tam tam]

for my younger self. some good dreamy/hidden rooms/märchen moments here. a little too pat of an ending for me, but not everything has to be so relentlessly dark all the time anyway

[Nathalie Leslie Melville · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly charming read, even for a grown-up. Highly recommend this, especially for this spooky time of year.

[Shameeleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lovely little, cosy & magical christmas read!!! exactly what a wanted! finished it in one sitting!

[LudmilaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and atmospheric. Lovely read.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review at: http://mostlyreadingya.blogspot.com/2...

Ian Beck has written for everything from magazines to children’s books, and also illustrated many well loved books as well as other interesting projects such as the National Theatre production programme for Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials theatre adaptation and the 10th anniversary edition books. Ian Beck is a man who knows not just how to write, but how to write well and The Haunting of Charity Delafield is definitely a wonderful novel for children.

From start to finish I liked every character I encountered, even Charity’s controlling father because despite his apparent harshness you could see that he loved her. However I can’t say that I loved any of the characters. At times the characters felt a little under-developed and we know little about them, as if they are simply there to serve the plot. Although there is not anything necessarily wrong with that, it did cause some moment to feel a little flat and at times certain characters, such as Charity’s father, seem to make snap decisions without any real clues as to why.

The setting of The Haunting of Charity Delafield is perfect. The huge, Victorian mansion set within snowy grounds and surrounded by a strange, ancient forest is gorgeous and makes this a wonderful book to read around Christmas time. The links between the house, forest and Charity are woven into the story and lots of little hints are dropped in throughout the book, but many seem insignificant until later on which adds a magical edge. The Victorian setting is not overwhelming for a child who may know little about the period, and it is great to find a fantasy story such as this set in the 1900s, a time when many people still believed in ancient spirits, ghosts and fairies. My favourite thing about the book would have to be its gorgeous cover, also illustrated by Ian Beck, and it was his own painting of a firey haired little Victorian girl in the snow that inspired The Haunting of Charity Delafield, and even the cover has a magical air about it.

From the outset we know that something isn’t quite right about the house and that our main protagonist, Charity, is a unique little girl. However I started the book expecting a haunting, I was waiting for a Victorian ghost story for children but found a very different story instead. That is not to say that I was disappointed. The story is intriguing and very appealing for younger readers, however it does take a while to get going. Luckily just as my interest started to waver the excitement picked up, but then things slowed again. I didn’t feel any real sense of urgency until very near the end of the book. The last quarter of the book is very exciting as everything falls into place. However at the same time it is because of this that I felt the ending was a little rushed. I was also frustrated that everything is explained away and that everyone just accepts it. It is understandable for Charity to accept the magic of the story because of how she is as a character, but her father has a very quick change of heart. Everything is forgiven and forgotten very quickly which seemed a little unrealistic and I have always, even as a child, found it frustrating when a problem was solved or even avoided by magic because it seems dismissive and too easy.

Magic is deftly woven into the pages of The Haunting of Charity Delafield and creates a very special story that I am sure many children will love. However they will need some patience to stick with it. If they do then they will be rewarded with a heart-warming story about family, love, inner strength and magic.

[Philyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with mystery, adventure, and magic, this book is one of my favorites. Here's an approximate summary until about the middle:

The book is about a 12-almost-13 year old girl named Charity Delafield. She lives an enclosed life in her father's mansion, Stone Green Hall. Her mother, Ariella Delafield, died in childbirth, or so she believes. Charity has a maid named Rose, who dresses her and brushes her hair 75 times a day. Some other servants are Mrs. Brown who has worked at Stone Green Hall for forever, and Edward, who shovels the snow, and likes Rose a bit more than he'd like to admit. Winter comes, bringing cold and snow. One day, when Rose and Edward take her outside (Mr. Delafield wants Charity strictly supervised at all times, and she isn't allowed to go past the iron gates that bar her from the outside world) she meets an old woman who claims she knew her mother, or well, still knows her mother! The old woman, called Sarah, says that it isn't true that her mother died in childbirth. In fact, she is still living!
Soon after, Charity makes her first friend. He's the sweep's you, Silas. They set up meetings at night, and Silas gets in through the chimney. But then her father reveals some horrible news; Charity is to go to a school, far away! Charity is horrified by the idea, and even the servants don't exactly think it was Mr. Delafield's brightest idea. For the first time, before she goes away, Charity is allowed to PLAY with Rose and Edward, and Charity has her first hide-and-seek game. Then she finds something connected to her mother. Her diary! She just had to share it with Silas, but when they try and read the words, they blow off the page! It's all very mysterious, but Charity is sure of one thing, that it's MAGIC.
The next night Silas tries to meet her, he notices something strange. There are WORDS in the chimney! Charity goes o with Silas and starts reading. She makes an amazing discovery; the words from the diary had come up the chimney! She reads and reads and then comes back down. Silas notices another strange thing, while he is covered in soot, Charity is spotless!

Ian Beck creates a suspenseful atmosphere, while still making it not too heavy, but just enough mystery, with lines like 'Like Cinderella, she had stepped in the old ash in the grate, and he had been pulled up and down inside the dirty chimney, yet there was no trace of soot on her. She suddenly remembered Mr. Kawkins, the sweep, running his hand over the rug after Silas had cleaned up with the little lacquer dustpan and brush, looking for any telltale trace of soot. There had been none then , and there had been none now. Had Silas somehow managed to clean everything in the dark without her noticing? Impossible.'

I loved this book and I hope if you read it, you will too.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Haunting of Charity Delafield is a beautiful book with fairytale like qualities which make is a completely charming read right from the first word through to the very last. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

From the very outset you fall straight in love with Charity as a character who is essentially a very lonely little girl having spent her entire life living within the confines of the grounds of a giant house, half of which is locked up and out of bounds, talking to no one except the house keeping staff employed by her Father. Therefore her view on the world as she sees it is quite unique. One morning she is told by her father that she will shortly be sent to live at a boarding school near Cromer on the North Norfolk Coast for her education which throws her entirely. (On a totally geeky note I loved the idea that there was a castle-esque boarding school near Cromer in this book. I want it to be built tomorrow and move in!!)

The main story finally starts after two events. The first is when she meets a mysterious old lady at the fence of her house who gives her a cryptic message to do with Charity's Mother whom she has been lead to believe is dead and the second is when she finds a key that opens part of the house that has been out of bounds as long as Charity can remember. In there she finds an ultra creepy cot with a pair of scissors dangling over directly over it, a strange diary and a portrait of her mother. This leads her to a series of events which leads her on a quest to find out more about her mysterious and absent mother which she has to do in secret so not to anger her very strict father.

All the characters you meet along the way are interesting for a whole variety of reasons and well written and I enjoyed meeting all of them but I particularly liked the relationship Charity built up with her first ever friend Silas.

The ending of the book, which I don't want to give much away about, went in a completely different direction than what I ever thought it was going to take which was fantastic as I often find books can be entirely too predictable which this wasn't.

Definitely a book I would recommend to others as it is a charming, well written and beautifully fairtale-esque.

[Emma (BelleBooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very kindly given this book to read as part of a blog tour a while ago. It took me a while to get around to reading the book, and to be honest I knew it was aimed to more younger readers so I wasn't expecting much from it. Though I was pleasantly surprised when I finished it.

The book follows Charity, who has spent all of her young life locked away at home. She has never been outside of the gates in her garden and has never known her mother. Curiosity soon gets the better of her though and she goes exploring in her huge home and starts to uncover some strange objects that may be linked to her mother.

Charity has also been told that she suffers from a strange illness, and never to over exert herself. Although she has never been told the exact nature of her supposed illness.

After befriending a local chimney sweep boy who comes to the house one day, Charity is determined to get outside and see what the world has to offer. She also wants to discover the truth about herself and her strange illness that her father refuses to talk about.

The writing in the book is simple and easy to get through, like I said it is aimed at a younger audience than what I usually read. To me that fact made the book seem quicker to get through and completely immersed me into Charity's world. I did like the fairy element to the book, that is something I never really saw coming.

Overall it was a light and quick read and I did enjoy it.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read The Haunting Of Charity Delafield because it was in a goodie bag at the Writers Festival 2015, so I read the back and it seemed interesting enough to make me want to read it. I really enjoyed this book and found it hooked me in because of the many magical/whimsical ideas the author had, and it was a mystery book written in such a way that I couldn't put it down; instead I had to keep reading as Charity discovered the secrets of her past, and her mothers past. Something new I learnt while reading this book is that sometimes, in the long run, it's better to push the boundaries / break the rules as you could end up fixing something that has been broken a very long time/ making yourself or someone else better. I also learnt that sometimes asking questions can lead to more mysteries, instead of answers, so sometimes you have to figure out how to ask them yourself. A character that was interesting to me was Charity's Mother, as so little was said about her throughout the book when in fact she was a very important character. She was also interesting as as Charity discovered more and more about her past, her Mothers secrets found a way to be told too.

[Luna's Little Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so very much needed this book. I was stuck in the middle of a reading slump and along came Charity Delafield turning the world that little bit brighter.

The Haunting of Charity Delafield leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling, it’s beautifully written and the story comes alive as you read it (in a way only the best stories do).

Charity is about to turn 13, she’s never met from outside the household and her only friend is Mr Tompkins, a black cat with bright green eyes.

Charity’s life is regimented because of her “condition”. Charity doesn’t know what her condition is, neither does she know what the why the West Wing is off limits but that doesn’t stop her dreams or hearing the music in the middle of the night.

In a perfect world this is the book someone reads to you while you’re snuggled up under the covers with a teddybear and hot chocolate – as it was I read it to myself (with a teddybear of course!) and a cup of tea, but you get the sentiment. I might not be the target audience for this book but that doesn’t change how much I adored it.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter raved about this and got all teary at the end, so I read it because it sounded interesting. I have enjoyed discussing it with her and it's an OK book, but I can't pretend it's something I would have read for my own sake in the absence of prompting from a 7-year-old! The structure of the plot seems to be ripe for analysis by budding psychoanalyst: the girl locked in a house with a mysteriously hidden mother and a cruel, overprotective father with a threat hanging over her at her thirteenth birthday and all because of an incident involving the destruction (by the dad) of a unicorn horn under the protection of the mum.
Anyway, all that aside, I quite enjoyed it - it's definitely one of the better books my daughter has persuaded me to read!

[A.E. Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

It sounds perhaps more brutal than I meant it to to say I found this an exercise in episodic cliche...but it is true. I found little to appreciate about any character, scene, our turn of phrase, and, even with my child's brain doing its best to be delighted, I couldn't quite make it work for me. The 'twist' seemed odd and out of place, and there was a curiously disjointed feel to a lot of it. Then again, there is a chance this is simply misrepresented by the cover and quotes that promise me a magic and delight not really relevant to the content...

[Olivia E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book manly because of the mystery in it. The book also had some parts where I was on the edged of mt seat. I picked this book because last year when I was in England with my dad we went to a book store and he gave me this book and told me to read it. My favorite part of this book was the ending but I will not say why because that's a spoiler alert.

[Clay]

http://bookwitch.wordpress.com/2011/1...

[Boo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is excellent. Perfect for girls as well as having magic, mystery and mayhem. it's just so good.

[Katejay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book in 2016, I want to reread it!