From the moment she sets foot in the forbidding house high on the cliff, Alison senses a mysterious presence in one of its rooms. There she discovers an ancient diary belonging to a girl who lived in the same house, centuries before. What does this girl want...and why is she so sure only Alison can help her?
Growing up I loved three things, Cats, a good mystery, and history. Well four things if you included reading. The Haunting at Cliff House really hits on all of those things (though there's only one peripheral cat really, but he's there) and I can safely say I would have really loved it when I was 12.
Alison is on a great adventure, a trip to Wales for the summer (she's Canadian), a creepy house and an old diary filled with mystery. But she's also dealing with life changes like her dad falling in love with someone after years of having him all to herself. Since my parents were separated my whole childhood I also had the distinct displeasure of dealing with them dating and being less important than whoever the latest significant other was at some point or other. So I can say with first hand knowledge that Karleen Bradford really hit the emotional mark with how Alison deals with it.
A middle school book with a lot of meat on it's bones for how short it is, 93 pages, I would recommend The Haunting at Cliff House for the younger middle school reader. The style is geared for a younger reader and I don't readers older than 12 or so would enjoy it as much. Plus it nice and short (so very to the point) if your middle schooler is a reluctant reader.
The Haunting at Cliff House, By Karleen Bradford
Published by Starburst Digital Rights International, September 2011
My copy kindly provided by the publisher
Buy The Haunting at Cliff House on Amazon
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