Crandall's Castle

by Betty Ren Wright

Charli's impulsive uncle, Will Crandall, decides to buy the town's abandoned, possibly haunted castle and fix it up as a bed-and-breakfast, but twelve-year-old Charli and Sophia, a clairvoyant orphan who has come to stay with the Crandall family, know his plan is somehow dangerous. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Horror, Childrens, Fantasy, Juvenile, Ghost Stories

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Betty Ren Wright was an award-winning author of children's fiction including The Dollhouse Murders, The Ghosts Of Mercy Manor and A Ghost in The House.

Known for her ghost stories and mysteries, Wright published 28 children's novels between 1981 and 2006, as well as picture books and short stories. Prior to pursuing her career as a full-time author in 1978, she worked as an editor of children's books.

Wright lived in Wisconsin with her husband, painter George A. Fredericksen, until her death in 2013.

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really tame ghost story. It’s more of a family story: Two families, related, live next to each other and take in a foster kid (who gets premonitions) who is a third cousin (I think). Meanwhile one of the dads buys a haunted house, but the ghost makes very few appearances and is never more than a vague shape. So the creepiness factor is pretty low. But the writing is good, and the characters are pretty developed for such a short book.

Language: None
Sexual Content: None
Violence: Mild
Harm to Animals: None
Harm to Children: In the past, the woman who becomes the ghost tries to smother a baby. In the present, the ghost attempts to smother a toddler. This is very brief.
Other (Triggers): Kids deal with acceptance issues. Adults don’t believe kids.

[Ishi Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! This book reads so well and I love all the characters!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. I wanted a quick, easy read, so I pulled this off my shelf where it’s been sitting since I found it at a used book store or a little free library, thinking “Betty Ren Wright! I loved her books! Haven’t read this one.” Either this isn’t her best, or I’m not as big a fan. I enjoyed the read. The characters were great, and I enjoyed seeing them come through their stories. The ghost story didn’t blend as well with the rest of the story as I remember in her other books. Very creepy, while also being manageable for children!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one very much. It was a very tame ghost story but it is geared toward younger kids. It was wrapped up very nicely!

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another great book by Betty Ren Wright. The suspense was steady through the whole book and I could hardly put it down. I liked the way she had Charli's chapters alternating with the journal of the girl who lived across the street. It was easy and exciting to read. I'm definitely keeping this one!

[Carmen]

This is a very suspenseful story, I love it so much!

[Chazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charli is an only child who lives across the street from her Uncle Will's family. A rambunctious family with three boys, a Mom and Dad, all who are always in the middle of something.

A couple of new people are joining their families - Sophia, a distant cousin is coming to live at Uncle Will's and Ray, a step-father at Charli's. Some serious changes for both families.

On top of this, Uncle Will has come up with the idea of buying an abandoned old mansion known as the Castle and transforming it into a bed-and-breakfast. It has been abandoned for years and has the reputation of being haunted. Will figures the whole family can pitch in and help clean and repair and run the enterprise.

At first, Charli is on board and excited to help out. After a few strange things happen there, her enthusiasm starts dying off. Is the place really haunted? What horrible things happened there? These are questions she will find out, along with the rest of the family members.

Sophia, who has been shuttled around to various families over the years, finds that it is nice to be considered part of a family but is waiting for another move to another family. Will she be part of a family or is this just another stop along the road of life?

Written for the 10 to 14 year old reader, it is a fast read for adults but it is a fun and entertaining read. I actually found myself holding my breath during parts of it.

[Austin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is about a 12-year-old girl, Charli and her uncle who decided to buy a run-down mansion. Her uncle thought that he could fix it up and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast and Charli was going to help. while cleaning out the house Charli quickly discovers something isn't right. she hears singing and a crying baby while in the mansion when nobody else was there and she presumes it is haunted. I gave this book a two star because it was such a bore to me. I could tell what was going to happen and I got bored with the book very quickly, I should not have chosen this book because it is not to my liking/genre of books.
The closest I can relate to the main character while hearing a ghost in the house just reminds me of when I was young I was scared to be in a dark room alone like Charli. the reason her uncle bought the mansion in the first place was that of an amusement park was being built nearby and it was sure to bring business his way. this reminds me of the Wisconsin Dells and how many hotels are around the area, and I thought it was smart of her uncle to use that business strategy.
I feel like the author could have sped up the book because I got very bored in the beginning before things got into motion. I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they are looking for an easy read with some suspense and a female main character because that's what the book pertains.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a weird premise. Sophia, who is a foster kid, is sent to live with the Crandall's because her great grandmother that she had been living with was being hospitalized.

There at Crandall's house, Lily and Will, with their kids Dan, Gene, Terry, and Mickey, welcome her more than she has ever felt welcome. Across the street is Lily's family, Charli, her mom, and her step-father.

Will has bought a creepy house and wants to turn it into a B&B. Sophia, who just knows things, is wary about the "castle" but doesn't want to rock the boat. Every time Charli goes in the building, she experiences a ghost. She is terrified.

Obviously, between Sophia and Charli, it should be easy to talk the grown-ups into leveling this horrible house, but as always, adults don't listen .

What is the weird subplot of Charli and her stepfather? He seems like a cruel jerk, and honestly, he gave me the creeps. Why was his behavior toward Charli necessary for this haunted house story? Hmmm.


I loved the climax. It was a heart-pounding moment for sure. Everything came together. In reality, that would have been really scary.


The end seems tacked on like the author had no idea how to end it. I think it needed more emotion. I guess maybe the author thinks kids don't want all of that.

[Megan Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this in a LFL recently, thought I'd read it real quick. It was an unexpected roller coaster. I didn't like it. Lilly is a precious soul, and we learn to love Rona and Ray and the others as well, but mostly they're weirdly flat. Charli is petulant and moody, and she's right all along but no one believes her and she gets no credit. Sophia has a sad and only partially explained backstory, but she seems sweet and well-meaning.
I would read a story about Lilly and her views on life and parenting and loving. Wouldn't read or recommend this one. But I'll leave it behind on the plane for someone else ahahaha.

Edit: ALSO, everyone ragging on Charli for "needing exercise" and having "gained weight" but, she's like 13 or something? She's literally supposed to be gaining weight, it is called puberty. That wasn't handled well, and it was a bit triggering to me, as a bigger woman who was a bigger kid. People change sized their whole lives, especially girls. I think their goal was to encourage her to be active and healthy, regardless of her size, maybe? But they did a bad job. Anyway.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars 🌟

I really liked this story, the characters felt real and were warm and I was interested in their lives.
I feel like three quarters of the book is the beginning, there's no middle and then an end.
This could have been a much longer book, I feel there was potential to do so much more and I'd happily have stayed with the characters longer. The main plot in the book are the young characters who narrate the story and their relationships within their family etc. The ghost story is slotted in and really barely features which is a disappointment if you've come to it only for that.
I'd definitely read more by the author as I liked their writing style, this was just a bit mismarketed.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story.
"When her uncle decides to buy the Crandalls' old mansion and make it a bed-and-breakfast, twelve-year-old Charli is all for it, at first. She even volunteers to help clean out the dilapidated building. Then strange things begin to happen. Charli hears someone singing--but no one is there. She sees the shadow of a rocking cradle--but there is no cradle. And then she hears a baby crying, and crying. . . . Something terrible happened in the Crandalls' house many years ago. And it may happen again, unless Charli can figure out how to stop the past from ruining the future."

[RumBelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not the best, or worst, of Wright's books that I have read. Some of the elements fell a little flat, but others hit the mark beautifully. I love these books when the setting is an old, mysterious house, and that was one of the elements Wright did so well. Her descriptions were chilling, and spooky. Some of the elements of the story-line were a little hokey, but the book is intended for a younger audience. Overall, a good ghost story.

[Elise Malin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, and the plot was amazing. ALthough, I found that most parts were boring and I was not very intrigued. Even though this book was labeled horror, it was not scary at all. There was almost no information on the actual "castle" which is supposed to be haunted. The scary parts were not terrifying and I was not shivering like I normally am reading a horror book. The characters were very annoying too.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had an intriguing concept, but I feel like it fell flat. Also, it bothered me that the 2 year old was portrayed as being unable to walk yet. Most babies learn how to walk by about 12 to 16 months old. A child that is at least 24 months old would be severely developmentally delayed if they couldn't even walk unassisted. It just bothers me when authors are lazy about researching basic milestones for babies and children in stories.

[Liesl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Children's literature is weird. The idea of the story was fine and some of the characters were relatively well developed, but the plot moved either too slow or too fast and it ended pretty abruptly. All in all the book was fine, a good spooky story for elementary aged kids

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as BRW goes this was lacking in the story department. I was expecting more spooks. I would have liked to know more about Sofia's background and what she does with her "abilities". 177 was way too short for this story.

[Cheyenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on my mind since I read it as a kid, but I could never really remember what happened. I was honestly pretty disappointed by the slowness of the climax; however, the scene with Mickey in the castle? Wow I got chills! Gave my rating a whole other star just for that.

[BRANDON · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I'm being honest, some of Wright's hauntings feel half-baked, but she excels at character work and tweenage psychology. I really wish I had had access to these books when I was 11-14, maybe I wouldn't have been such a beastly little creature.

[Allure · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and delightful book.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book as a kid. I remember it being better then. Story was decent, I just prefer reading at the adult level now though.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok but the ghost story didnt mesh very naturally with the main plot and I thought the split narrative was weird. I really like Sophia though.

[The Forgotten Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good chilly story

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wright captures the insecurities, uncertainties and conflicting emotions of the adolescent protagonists very realistically in the context of an increasingly threatening ghosts story.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a 3rd/4th ghost story. Slow and older, but still holds attention.

[Charlie Easterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty generic book-mill title. Characters are weirdly unlikable but also endearing? Oddly characterized at the least.

Super abrupt ending.

[Carrie Blythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50 stars

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgia...

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick pretty quick read for a chapter book. For a children's scary story, there were some moments where it did get kinda creepy towards the end. The story is of Charli, and her interesting family made up of her mom, new step dad, crazy aunt, uncle, and cousins that live right next door, and now this new girl who has come to live with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle comes up with a crazy scheme to fix up the old "haunted" mansion near their house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. At first Charli is all for this idea, until weird things start happening in the mansion that scare her away. I liked this story for the most part. It was a children's book so not much on the scary side, but i would recommend this for older kids since some of the ghost story told in the book probably wouldn't be okay for a little kid. It was quick to get through and had pretty good characters to move the story along. This would be a good book to have in a classroom library for the kids to read for fun.

[Eve]

Crandall’s Castle, by Betty Ren Wright, is about a girl named Charli. Her uncle decides to buy an old mansion to turn into a bed and breakfast. Charli is excited about it, until she goes into the mansion. She begins to have strange encounters, including doors closing by themselves, cradles rocking by themselves, and faint voices of singing when no one is there. Then, she hears a baby crying. Charli knows that something bad happened in the house, and she’s scared that it’s going to happen again. She has to find out what happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.
I thought his was really interesting. I like a scary book every now and then, and this fit the bill. It wasn’t too scary, and I would feel comfortable letting anyone read it because there is no really terrifying content. I liked the mystery, and I liked the different perspectives in the narration. I was engaged in the plot, and I enjoyed the setting.