REVIEW: Deep and Dark and Dangerous

Deep and Dark and Dangerous
Author: Mary Downing Hahn

13-year old Ali finds an old photograph in the attic. The photo is of her mom and Aunt Dulcie when they were little girls.  Obviously, at one time, there was a third girl in the photo, but her part of the picture has been torn off. The back of the photo just lists the girl as "T.'' Her mom says she doesn't remember the other girl, but Ali has a feeling there is more to the story.

Ali travels to Maine with her Aunt Dulcie and cousin Emma for the summer. They are staying at the lake-side cottage where the mysterious photo was taken. Emma and Ali meet another girl, Sissy, who seems angry at everyone and everything. Sissy tells the story of a little girl who drowned at the lake many years ago, and whose body was never found. As the summer progresses, Ali begins to discover clues to the mystery and soon finds out why Sissy is so angry.

This is the third middle grade book by Hahn that I have read for review. She is definitely very talented at writing creepy stories for kids! I enjoyed this book! The spooky mystery was fun and interesting to read. I read the story through in one sitting because  I really wanted to know exactly what was going on! The story sucked me right in, and I read excitedly until the answers to the mystery were revealed.

There are some scary moments, but nothing was age inappropriate for middle grade students. I loved the cover art -- very pretty & creepy-cool!

My rating: 7/10
Ages 10+