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A Meg Mystery #2
Meg and the Secret of the Witch's Stairway
A century has passed since a little girl had written the baffling riddles in the old diary. Now Meg and Kerry were trying to solve the riddles and find a long-hidden family treasure. But who was the old woman that Meg had seen by the witch's stairway? What did she have to do with the lost silver? Little did Meg know that the solution of the mystery would put her in grave danger...
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
Holly Beth Walker
10 books17 followersPseudonym used by Gladys Baker Bond and others.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 1, 2016
Meg is back, and this time is on the trail for Civil War treasure - that actually dates back much further than that.
What struck me most about this book, is the realization that it was written one hundred years after the Civil War. It's strange to think about - that a treasure lost during that time period is something that the characters can talk about in terms of "My grandfather" or "My Great Grandfather" which makes it a part of history that lies within reach of the characters. What an odd feeling. I brought this up with my husband, and he said he met someone once who had been born during the Civil War and that just blew my mind, but also goes to show how both of us are again I guess. :)
Be that as it may, this is a fun story about looking for historical treasure, taking care of of neighbors, and giving people second chances. There is an extremely dangerous situation in the book that I think wouldn't be allowed today for encouraging children to do things that they absolutely shouldn't. I was a little surprised by it, and pleased to, because we've been sanitizing children's mysteries to the point where it seems that children are never actually in danger anymore. Not that I'm pro-child endangerment! But growing up with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden and books like these have accustomed me to the idea that sometimes solving mysteries gets messy, and anytime you deal with criminals (see the previous Meg) you can't expect them to play fair or even pull their punches just because a child gets in their way. That's reality.
So overall this is another one of those great little books that is too easily overlooked. I really wish there were more than six Meg books written, because she's a great characters, who lives in a real interesting world.
What struck me most about this book, is the realization that it was written one hundred years after the Civil War. It's strange to think about - that a treasure lost during that time period is something that the characters can talk about in terms of "My grandfather" or "My Great Grandfather" which makes it a part of history that lies within reach of the characters. What an odd feeling. I brought this up with my husband, and he said he met someone once who had been born during the Civil War and that just blew my mind, but also goes to show how both of us are again I guess. :)
Be that as it may, this is a fun story about looking for historical treasure, taking care of of neighbors, and giving people second chances. There is an extremely dangerous situation in the book that I think wouldn't be allowed today for encouraging children to do things that they absolutely shouldn't. I was a little surprised by it, and pleased to, because we've been sanitizing children's mysteries to the point where it seems that children are never actually in danger anymore. Not that I'm pro-child endangerment! But growing up with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden and books like these have accustomed me to the idea that sometimes solving mysteries gets messy, and anytime you deal with criminals (see the previous Meg) you can't expect them to play fair or even pull their punches just because a child gets in their way. That's reality.
So overall this is another one of those great little books that is too easily overlooked. I really wish there were more than six Meg books written, because she's a great characters, who lives in a real interesting world.
November 12, 2018
Copyright 1967, this is the 2nd book in the series.
Of all the Meg mysteries, this one is the best IMO. Secret drawers in Jefferson desks, a tinker doll with a clue. A witches staircase & hidden Paul Revere silver. What a ride!
12 year old Meg & her best friend Kerry look adorable on the cover with matching outfits & handsome Uncle Hal driving his antique car.
There's also an important lesson about safety before the silver is finally discovered.
I just loved this series when I was Meg's age & I still get a kick out of it. The mysteries are interesting & it's conceivable that a 12 year old could solve them.
Of all the Meg mysteries, this one is the best IMO. Secret drawers in Jefferson desks, a tinker doll with a clue. A witches staircase & hidden Paul Revere silver. What a ride!
12 year old Meg & her best friend Kerry look adorable on the cover with matching outfits & handsome Uncle Hal driving his antique car.
There's also an important lesson about safety before the silver is finally discovered.
I just loved this series when I was Meg's age & I still get a kick out of it. The mysteries are interesting & it's conceivable that a 12 year old could solve them.
December 29, 2017
This is only the second Meg book I've read, and it follows some familiar beats as Meg and the Mystery in Williamsburg — lost things, hidden things, dolls that hold a clue. As my very favorite mystery is the kind that involves hidden compartments in a fancy desk, these are extremely up my alley, and I wish that I'd read this as a kid — I no doubt would have re-read it again and again as I did the other Meg book. Will definitely buy others if I see them!
Side note — my mother bought me the other Meg book when I was a kid because of the author's name — my sister is also named Holly Beth, although I see now that Holly Beth Walker was a Carolyn Keene-like pseudonym.
Side note — my mother bought me the other Meg book when I was a kid because of the author's name — my sister is also named Holly Beth, although I see now that Holly Beth Walker was a Carolyn Keene-like pseudonym.
June 11, 2024
5 stars for this book because when I read it for the first time, when I was in 3rd grade, I loved it. This was the first chapter book that I read from cover to cover. I just reread this book, and I admit that I didn't remember the story at all. What I remembered all of these years was the cover art, and most importantly, my experience, reading it and loving it. I also remember my mom suggesting I give it to my friend as her birthday gift, since I loved it so much. I was so excited about this book that I agreed and gave it away as a gift. P.S. the copy I found on thrift books is the same cover as my original, which is much nicer than the cover represented here on Goodreads.📚💞
February 21, 2019
I READ THIS IN THIRD GRADE!!! I LOVED ITTTT!!!!
December 19, 2019
2.5 stars
Those dolls were creepy AF.
Those dolls were creepy AF.
January 1, 2022
Cute, Childish, and Short, I'm almost at 100 books.
August 3, 2015
Margaret Ashley Duncan, Meg for short, is a girl of unspecified age and lives in Hidden Springs, VA, with her father, who works in nearby Washington, DC, for the government. Her mother died when Meg was a very little girl. Her uncle Harold or Hal Ashley lives in Washington and works for a small museum there. Her best friend is Kerry Carmody. On a nearby chicken farm reside a couple of distant cousins of her mother’s, Miss Jenny and Miss Clara Ashley. For years there have been persistent rumors about a treasure of silver and gold, mostly things made by Paul Revere, that was hidden somewhere on the old Ashley place during the Civil War. Many people have looked for it, but no one has ever found it. Meg and Kerry like to solve mysteries, so they decide to take a crack at locating the treasure. While they are doing so, a boy named Glenn Morgan keeps showing up and then disappearing, and Meg also notices a wild-looking woman snooping around.
Who are these strange people? Will the girls be able to get the gold and silver? And is there really a treasure to begin with, or is it all just someone’s imagination? No one would ever put books like this in the category of “classic children’s literature,” but it is a nice story with a lot of excitement and suspense, the kind that kids used to lap up in the 1950s and even early 60s. As someone noted, “No bad language or bad attitude and always end happy.” The Meg Duncan books are a series of six juvenile mysteries published between 1967 and 1972, reprinted in 1978, and attributed to Holly Beth Walker which is a pseudonym. The first book, Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds, was actually written by Gladys Baker Bond. Meg and the Secret of the Witch’s Stairway is the second book of the series. The others are Meg and the Mystery of the Black-Magic Cave (1971), Meg and the Ghost of the Hidden Springs (1970), Meg and the Treasure Nobody Saw (1970), and Meg and the Mystery in Williamsburg (1972).
Nobody smokes, drinks alcohol, uses drugs, or curses, and Sunday activities are said to take place “After church.” Even pulp fiction books like this illustrate an important principle presented by William Kilpatrick in Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right from Wrong about the major shift that took place in children’s literature during the decades following the 50s, citing psychologist David Elkind who wrote, “Previously in much of children’s literature, the goals were often to help or to please others—parents, friends, pets—who were needy or endangered. A boy took risks to save a dog or a girl worked hard to get a desired gift for a sick friend. In children’s fiction today, however, the goals are often therapeutic. Heroes and heroines are healing themselves rather than helping others.” In other words, today’s so-called “heroes and heroines” are self-absorbed and self-centered, thus presenting poor role models for our children. Give me Meg over Judy Blume’s books any day!
Who are these strange people? Will the girls be able to get the gold and silver? And is there really a treasure to begin with, or is it all just someone’s imagination? No one would ever put books like this in the category of “classic children’s literature,” but it is a nice story with a lot of excitement and suspense, the kind that kids used to lap up in the 1950s and even early 60s. As someone noted, “No bad language or bad attitude and always end happy.” The Meg Duncan books are a series of six juvenile mysteries published between 1967 and 1972, reprinted in 1978, and attributed to Holly Beth Walker which is a pseudonym. The first book, Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds, was actually written by Gladys Baker Bond. Meg and the Secret of the Witch’s Stairway is the second book of the series. The others are Meg and the Mystery of the Black-Magic Cave (1971), Meg and the Ghost of the Hidden Springs (1970), Meg and the Treasure Nobody Saw (1970), and Meg and the Mystery in Williamsburg (1972).
Nobody smokes, drinks alcohol, uses drugs, or curses, and Sunday activities are said to take place “After church.” Even pulp fiction books like this illustrate an important principle presented by William Kilpatrick in Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right from Wrong about the major shift that took place in children’s literature during the decades following the 50s, citing psychologist David Elkind who wrote, “Previously in much of children’s literature, the goals were often to help or to please others—parents, friends, pets—who were needy or endangered. A boy took risks to save a dog or a girl worked hard to get a desired gift for a sick friend. In children’s fiction today, however, the goals are often therapeutic. Heroes and heroines are healing themselves rather than helping others.” In other words, today’s so-called “heroes and heroines” are self-absorbed and self-centered, thus presenting poor role models for our children. Give me Meg over Judy Blume’s books any day!
May 30, 2011
Great book to get kiddos started in mystery reading. Only 12 chapters...although, it's out of print. You'd have to order it from Amazon resellers or similar. Still, worth it! Very cute. Meg is a 12 year old detective and with the help of her best friend Kerry, she helps solve local mysteries. The first book in the series is "Meg and the case of the Disappearing Diamonds." I enjoyed them all as a kid, but "The Witch's Stairway" is by far my favorite.
October 27, 2011
Gee I wonder what the secret is? clue one: there's some missing family silver. Clue two: there's a stairway that is rumoured to have some secret about it ... Hmmm ... Maybe they weren't so good at math back then and couldn't put one and one together. Or maybe I'm just a cynical jerk. Was this at the beginning of the downfall of children's literature? Was this written by a Nancy Drew author?
I'll leave the review open for my daughter to do.
I'll leave the review open for my daughter to do.
July 9, 2012
I like this Meg series, but as far as I know, there were only 6 books. What a shame. But there are just so many books/series out there for competition, I think this one just didn't make it into the mainstream.
August 14, 2016
Ahhh..to be a tween again. Some times you need to just breath and this is a way to step back and be young. I was thrilled to find this original 1967 hardcover and loved that it included the traditional art work that goes with the times. A great little story.
July 25, 2024
Not first reading (date below)
June 3, 1995
June 2001
June 14, 2003
June 3, 1995
June 2001
June 14, 2003
April 20, 2010
I read this books as a kid and really enjoyted them. (Partly because my name is Megan.)
January 13, 2011
I read all of the Meg books when I was a child. I really enjoyed reading one again with my daughter!
September 6, 2014
It's been quite a while since I read this book, but I remember enjoying reading it. I wish I could remember her Siamese cat's name.
September 9, 2015
See the first book in the series for a full review.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews