Shelly's Book Blog

Kids seem to ask for scary books often, so I was curious to see if The Doll in the Garden: a Ghost Story, by Mary Downing Hahn, fits the bill. The story is about Ashley and Kristi, ages 10 and 7, who discover an antique doll buried in the overgrown garden of Ashley's landlady. Ashley soon discovers that she does not want to share the beautiful doll with Kristi, so she hides it. Kristi guesses what has happened and tattles to Miss Cooper, the landlady, who is old and very grouchy. Meanwhile, Ashley discovers that when she follows a mysterious white cat through a hole in a hedge she goes back in time and visits with the girl, named Louisa, who once owned the doll. This ghostly girl is dying of consumption and is very sad because her friend had borrowed the doll and never returned it.

I didn't find the story very scary, but I did like it. Miss Cooper provides both the conflict and the satisfying resolution in the story, and this is surprising considering how much we are meant to dislike her. The characters seemed carefully drawn, and their struggles with emotions such as grief, jealousy, and regret, in my mind, give the story depth and meaning for kids and adults alike.