REVIEW: The Doll in the Garden

The Doll in the Garden
Author: Mary Downing Hahn

Ashley and her mom  move to Monkton Mills to start a new life following the death of her father. Ashley misses her father, and is worried about her mother. She hopes the move will help her mom become less sad, and that they can have a happy life again. They rent the upper floor of a house owned by Miss Cooper, a cranky, unfriendly old lady. Miss Cooper lets Ashley know from the beginning that she dislikes children, cats and just about everything else.

The first day at the house, Ashley sees a white cat in the hedges in the backyard, and follows it into an overgrown, old rose garden. While investigating the garden, she also meets Kristi, a little girl who lives next door. While playing in the garden, they discover an old secret buried for many years. Ghostly crying in the night and weird occurrences pull the girls into the past where they have a chance to help right old wrongs.

This story is beautifully told, and well written. The landlady is a cantankerous old biddy. Kristi and Ashley have squabbles as neighbor kids will. Add a ghostly secret to the mix and it's just a fun spooky read!

I have read several books by Mary Downing Hahn, and all of them are well-written and awesome stories.

This tale is a ghost story, but there is nothing inappropriate for middle grade kids. As an adult, I even enjoyed the story. It would be a perfect beach or summer afternoon read.

Just a lovely book!

My rating: 8/10
Ages 10+