Friday, December 2nd, 2016: Behind the Attic Wall

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

Grab your worn copy or pick up the title from the library--it's time to delve into Sylvia Cassedy's creepy MG mystery, Behind the Attic Wall. I don't know about you, but I was fascinated by dolls as a girl, and any books that were doll or dollhouse related, I was intrigued by. The story contains some fantasy elements, and I hope many of you will join me for this journey behind the attic wall!

[Rosemarie]

I have just ordered a copy from the library.

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

That's splendid, Rosemarie!!

[AquaMoon]

I loved this as a child. I practically wore out my copy. Great choice!

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

It would be fun to see photos of our well worn childhood copies!

[Anna]

got my copy today. will be trying to read it quickly.

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

Anna wrote: "got my copy today. will be trying to read it quickly."

I'm glad you'll be joining the discussion, Anna!

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick update that I am running a little behind on prep for our discussion, so our discussion questions will be up tomorrow, late afternoon! I'll kick off our talk and I'm looking forward to what everyone has to say about the book!

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

Hello Kindred Spirits!

Reading Behind the Attic Wall as an adult has been so interesting--largely because I don't think I've picked it up since I was a young reader, and I'm sure I considered Maggie and her experiences quite differently as a young reader.

-Was this your first time reading this novel or had you read it as a younger person?

-In the beginning of the story, did you feel sympathy for Maggie as she seemed to at first reject the kindness of the aunts or did you grow frustrated with her pessimism and refusal to accept any kindness from the adults around her?

-I find it interesting to think about how the book is structured—Part I, Part II, etc. There is a prologue at the beginning of each part, and it seems this plays an important role in setting the reader up for some of what is to come in the narrative. What are your thoughts on these Prologues?

-The Backwoods Girls—I wonder if Maggie’s “interactions” with them set her up for her later experience behind the attic wall.

-When Maggie finally reaches the “other room” with Timothy John, Miss Christabel, and their dog, did she discover what you expected she would discover? I can imagine I would think I was going crazy if I started to hear voices in the “walls” but no one else did. At the same time, I suppose we are set up for something a bit “ghost like” since we are told the house is haunted earlier in the story.

-I know as a young reader and even now as an older reader, I am endlessly fascinated by books about dolls, dollhouses, or anything related to toys, secret attics, family heirlooms, etc. I wonder if there were more of these kind of Middle Grade books being published in the 80s because I always felt like there were a plethora of titles to read! Anyone remember The Dollhouse Murders?

-There's a reference to The Secret Garden on pg. 86 of the book. Do you see any connections between that story and this one?

I have some more thoughts and questions to share but I wanted to get the discussion going with this first. Please feel free to share your own questions as well. I apologize this is a bit later than I anticipated—this past week was very busy and I am so relieved it is now the weekend.

Happy Discussion!

[Rosemarie]

I have gotten to the section where Maggie hears the voices in the house.
Poor girl, she really has had bad luck in her life.

[Peggy]

This was a first-time read for me.

I felt some sympathy for Maggie because, as Rosemarie said, she had very bad luck, but I found her somewhat hard to like (although her aunts were worse!)

The prologues were rather confusing for me.

I think it’s because Maggie already had the Backwoods Girls that she didn’t think she was going crazy when she heard voices. She also suspected Uncle Morris heard them. I wasn’t completely surprised by what she found, since the cover of both the library book I checked out and others I saw online sort of tipped me off. The library copy had an especially creepy cover.

I love books about dolls and dollhouses too. A couple of favorites are The Racketty-Packetty House and The Dolls' House.

As for similarities to The Secret Garden, Maggie and Mary Lennox are both sourpusses when they arrive at their new homes, and both are changed by what they find there.

I wasn’t sure I liked the book until about the last third, maybe because Maggie grows more sympathetic as the story progresses.

[Rosemarie]

I am about halfway through the book, when Maggie discovers the room with the dolls. Maggie has some imagination, in that she creates the Backwoods girls and explains to them all the practical things. But she has no idea how to play Let's Pretend. I found the whole scene with the dolls kind of weird. It must have been disconcerting to Maggie to have such a strange experience, especially since she is such a solitary child and has no one to confide in.

[Rosemarie]

I have read a few more chapters and noticed a change in Maggie, in a positive way. I am still freaked out by the dolls, but have a suspicion that there is more to them than meets the eye.

[Rosemarie]

I finished the book and have mixed feelings about it, but it was certainly an original ghost story. I am glad things worked out for everyone at the end, because it was certainly a rocky journey for Maggie, one of the most solitary characters that I have encountered in children's literature.

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

Rosemarie,

You are right about Maggie being such a "solitary character" and her interactions with the Backwoods Girls seemed kind of odd at first.

What did you think about the fact that the dolls were the ghosts of the Greens? And that Morris "joined" them? It seemed sad to me towards the end that the dolls would not revive but then when they did at the very end, I felt more closure. I definitely had forgotten this story since I read it as a young reader, but I can see why I liked it so much! Though I wish we could have read more of Maggie in a happier context!

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

I wonder if there are other books we can think of where "toys" or "dolls" are ghosts??

[Peggy]

A Candle in Her Room features a terrifying ghost doll. And The Return of the Twelves features toys that aren't exactly ghosts, but come to life with the personalities originally given to them by the Bronte children.

Katie wrote: "I wonder if there are other books we can think of where "toys" or "dolls" are ghosts??"

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

Thanks, Peggy--that one featuring the Bronte children sounds fascinating!

[Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair]

Peggy, I saw the same connection between Mary and Maggie!
You make a good point about how the Backwoods Girls do kind of set Maggie up for "hearing" the dolls. It's interesting that Uncle Morris likely heard them as well. I was wanting to read more of him in the story--he really interested me as a character.