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The Haunting
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A dark family secret prompts a ghost to wreak havoc in this spooky novel in the spirit of Mary Downing Hahn.
The only life 12-year-old Emily has ever known is the cold, unloved existence of being an orphan. But everything changes when the Thorntons, a young couple from London, adopt Emily, whisking her away to a new life at their grand estate.
At first, life at Blackthorn M ...more
The only life 12-year-old Emily has ever known is the cold, unloved existence of being an orphan. But everything changes when the Thorntons, a young couple from London, adopt Emily, whisking her away to a new life at their grand estate.
At first, life at Blackthorn M ...more
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Paperback, 229 pages
Published
February 4th 2020
by Scholastic Press
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This is exactly the kind of middle grade book I would have loved as a kid. This is going to show my age, but every time I went to the library, I'd look in the card catalog under "ghost" to see if there was anything new. The Haunting by Lindsey Duga would have been an instant favorite!
I know I'm not supposed to review middle grade for other adult readers, blah, blah, blah. Too bad because I am going to so prepare thyself. If you can't handle me saying this is a great book for kids but not so much ...more
I know I'm not supposed to review middle grade for other adult readers, blah, blah, blah. Too bad because I am going to so prepare thyself. If you can't handle me saying this is a great book for kids but not so much ...more

I might be aging myself here... but does anyone remember the show Are You Afraid of the Dark?
You know how some of those episodes were truly excellent and creepy and full on eyes bugging out of your head terrifying?
Well that’s what this book was like. It’s like one of those great episodes that has spent the last 20+ years occasionally floating across your brain and making you shiver.
A truly fun and exciting middle grade ghost story.
You know how some of those episodes were truly excellent and creepy and full on eyes bugging out of your head terrifying?
Well that’s what this book was like. It’s like one of those great episodes that has spent the last 20+ years occasionally floating across your brain and making you shiver.
A truly fun and exciting middle grade ghost story.

Skip this and read “Small Spaces” and “Dead Voices” by Katherine Arden and/or “Spirit Hunters” by Ellen Oh if you are looking for a tween horror book that’s actually scary and has smart characters instead of boring yourself with the Scooby-Doo-grade hijinks and dummy main character this book offers.

Library copy
In Victorian London, Emily lives in Evanshires Home for Neglected Girls, having been abandoned as a baby. It's a bleak existence, brightened only by a dog, Archie, she befriended, who visits with her through the gate. When the Thorntons arrive looking for a child to adopt, they pick her, even though she is unkempt and frequently in trouble. They take her home to Blackthorn Manor, a sprawling but decrepit estate where Miss Greer takes care of the housekeeping. Right away, Emily notice ...more
In Victorian London, Emily lives in Evanshires Home for Neglected Girls, having been abandoned as a baby. It's a bleak existence, brightened only by a dog, Archie, she befriended, who visits with her through the gate. When the Thorntons arrive looking for a child to adopt, they pick her, even though she is unkempt and frequently in trouble. They take her home to Blackthorn Manor, a sprawling but decrepit estate where Miss Greer takes care of the housekeeping. Right away, Emily notice ...more

Wanted something quick and fun I could recommend to students next year--(Scholastic always has the best book trailers and intriguing covers!) So I chose this slim read from my last Book Fair haul and wanted something I could read until one of my library holds come through---LOL I’m Kindle reading addicted and the library is helping so much to get me into ebooks---Anyways started this 2020 read with a decidedly creepy cover depicting a ghost girl --hmm- okay so this one starts with a young girl l
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Wait Till Helen Comes.
The Doll in the Garden.
These are books of my childhood. In fact, I don’t know any of my contemporaries who don’t remember these reads from Mary Downing Hahn.
Lindsey Duga’s The Haunting takes me right back to my childhood, curled under a blanket with a flashlight and squeezing a stuffed animal.
The Haunting stars 12-year-old Emily, an orphan who has never known anything other than cold loneliness. Emily has no hope of advancing past her current condition, she’s just too old, ...more
The Doll in the Garden.
These are books of my childhood. In fact, I don’t know any of my contemporaries who don’t remember these reads from Mary Downing Hahn.
Lindsey Duga’s The Haunting takes me right back to my childhood, curled under a blanket with a flashlight and squeezing a stuffed animal.
The Haunting stars 12-year-old Emily, an orphan who has never known anything other than cold loneliness. Emily has no hope of advancing past her current condition, she’s just too old, ...more

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a good old ghost story, especially one set back in time. Lindsey Duga’s book, “The Haunting,” brought a ghost story to life for me in an old house where something sinister is lurking.
Emily knows that adoption is out of the picture for her when she’s competing with beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde girls of much younger ages around her at Evanshire’s Home for Neglected Girls. But all that changes when the Thornton’s, a rich couple, come and choose Emily from amon ...more
Emily knows that adoption is out of the picture for her when she’s competing with beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde girls of much younger ages around her at Evanshire’s Home for Neglected Girls. But all that changes when the Thornton’s, a rich couple, come and choose Emily from amon ...more

Emily has always dreamed of being adopted. So, when she is whisked away to the Blackthorn Manor by the wealthy Thornton family, she was overjoyed. At first, everything felt like a fairytale, but then things started to feel a little off. At times, the manor itself would be in complete disrepair, and her new parents acted like they were harboring a secret. Then horrible accidents started occurring, no matter how hard Emily tried to be careful. Is the manor trying to keep her away from her new pare
...more

A great short and fun read. I came across this book at the Scholastic book fair and it caught my eye. From the moment I opened the book, I didn't want to put it down. I had a clear idea of what the storyline was going to be and how it would end – it was pretty obvious from the first couple of chapters. However, it still kept me interested in reading it.
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If there was a sixth star I would add it.
I liked it because Emily is a girl, who never had a family. She gets picked by Mr and Mrs Thronton. After a week she realized things are happening. I wouldn't change anything in this book. It was great from the beginning, I do wish there was a 2nd book, or even a series. Can't wait to find my next best read. ...more
I liked it because Emily is a girl, who never had a family. She gets picked by Mr and Mrs Thronton. After a week she realized things are happening. I wouldn't change anything in this book. It was great from the beginning, I do wish there was a 2nd book, or even a series. Can't wait to find my next best read. ...more

Generic with clunky writing. The "mystery" will be obvious to middle grade readers, but satisfying enough for fans of old manor haunting stories.
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Lindsey Duga is a middle grade and young adult writer with a passion for fantasy, science fiction, and basically any genre that takes you away from the real world. She wrote her first novel in college while she was getting her bachelor’s in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University.
Other than writing and cuddling with her morkie puppy, Delphi, Lindsey loves catching up on the latest super ...more
Other than writing and cuddling with her morkie puppy, Delphi, Lindsey loves catching up on the latest super ...more
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