The Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden

by Mary Chase, Don Bolognese (Illustrator)

Maureen Swanson is the scourge of the neighborhood. At age nine, she already has a reputation as a hard slapper, a loud laugher, a liar, and a stay-after-schooler. The other kids call her Stinky. So sometimes when Maureen passes the crumbling (and haunted?) Messerman mansion, she imagines that she is Maureen Messerman–rich, privileged, and powerful. Then she finds a way into the forbidden, boarded-up house. In the hall are portraits of seven young women wearing elaborate gowns and haughty expressions. Maureen has something scathing to say to each one, but then she notices that the figures seem to have shifted in their frames. So she reaches out her finger to touch the paint–just to make sure–and touches . . . silk! These seven daughters of privilege are colder and meaner than Maureen ever thought to be. They are wicked, wicked ladies, and Maureen has something they want. . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Horror, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Mystery

115 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1968

Reviews

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book popped into my head for some reason, a beloved long-ago read that I dimly remember. I really enjoyed revisiting some of my old childhood favorites last year, and fortunately I was able to find an old copy of this one online.

The title kind of summarizes the plot. Even as an adult, the idea of a long-abandoned, walled up, crumbling mansion right next door to me is extremely appealing - so as a kid this story was right up my alley.

One day, in trouble as usual, young Maureen Swanson notices one of the boards covering the gate to the Old Messerman place is broken, and she decides to break in and hide out in the garden until her parents cool off. She can't resist the urge to enter the house, where she finds seven strange portraits of ladies in old-fashioned dresses. She also finds a bracelet on the floor. This sets the stage for a very strange adventure, as the bracelet belongs to one of the ladies in the portrait - and she wants it back! Maureen is thrust back in time to when the wicked ladies were her age, and lived in the house with their parents.

Published in 1968, this ghost/time travel story is much less scary than I remember, but very cute.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I prefer the original title The Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden used when Mary Chase’s book was first released in 1968. That said, despite it’s being over 50 years old, this slender, middle-grade novel is not dated at all. Maureen Swanson is a holy terror; however, she soon meets her match when she breaks into the old, abandoned Messerman mansion. To tell any more would be to ruin the fun. I loved every single moment of this book that will thrill both kids and adults.

BTW, Mary Chase is best known as the author of the play Harvey.

[Lisa Gallagher]

Some people love Christmas. The crinkly wrapping paper, the many gifts, the cookies and hot cocoa, the ham dinner.

I love Halloween. When the slow fog rolled in over the lawns of suburban Detroit, and leaves fell as you walked home from school, and weekends were spent at the cider mill, you knew that Halloween was getting closer. There was a creepiness, a special feeling in the air that came with the season. I loved that special season. Not Indian Summer, not the frosty November mornings, but true Autumn: Halloween Autumn.

Small things can crawl under your skin, as a child. For me, they were often dark things. But I would only retain a little snippet of them in my memory, as I grew up. Just enough to tease me with.

A movie about a plague, and motorcyle gangs and a woman pretending to be a mannequin in a department store.

A book about a rotten little girl who gets trapped in a haunted house filled with ghosts named Ingrid, Astrid, and the like.

A book about an orphaned boy who goes to live with a wizard with a doomsday clock hidden inside.

Thank God for the internet, right? It's only through searches online that I found "The Omega Man", "The House with a Clock in its Walls" and the lovely "Wicked Wicked Ladies". It's a fun little read, and takes me back to those creepy Autumn days in Detroit.

I'm gonna go warm up some Vernors and watch my dvd of "Ed Wood".

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a child, and the story has stuck with me ever since. The creepy portraits of the sisters with the funny names (Lucrece, Ingrid, Maude, etc.) hanging in an abandoned old mansion sucked me right in. Even though I didn't remember the title, recently through the power of Google I was able to type in a few plot details, and voila, rediscovered the title(s) of the book. Turns out my library owned a copy, so I had to check it out.

Written in 1968, this came out well before the Harry Potter series, but I could totally see this book being enjoyed by those who also enjoyed that story. It's a short book, which was the norm for kids' books back then, but it could easily be developed into a full-length film. Since the book was re-issued in 2003, I wonder if others had the same thought?

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

actual rating: 2.5

A very quick read, but definitely a bit simplistic for adult readers. I also didn't realize until I was finished that this was first published in the 60s so I think that adds a lot to the dated feeling of the whole book. It is very tame and under-developed by today's standards but I think was probably a good book for its time. There isn't really much explanation for many of the things that happen, but I think it would be a good haunted house story for a kid to read and had a spooky feel in some places without even being actually scary.

[Rachel Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

During one of my various scavenging escapades in my grandparent's basement, I came across this flimsy paperback discretely tucked behind a massive heap of Nancy Drews. It's abnormally surreal for a children's novel with enticing cover art and numerous ink sketches scattered throughout its pages. I remember searching fruitlessly for my own personal Messerman place the instant I flipped the last page. It's an enjoyable historical-fiction/horror/mystery/fantasy romp for any preteen. I demand you read it.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little read for kids. A "nasty and misbehaving" little girl meets seven nasty, selfish, mean little girls who have stolen some magic...from a leprechaun and (of course) used it selfishly. They have no care for anyone even their parents who tried to teach them better...but sadly spoiled them. When they return (from their magical journey) long after their parents are dead they only morn over the state of their "nice clothes". Through all this our "first present day" little girl (Maureen), learns her lessons.

Nice book.

[Cheryl]

Second read. Still don't know why it's so beloved by some. Maureen reminds me a bit of Harriet (the Spy) and maybe even Holden Caulfield - troubled, sensitive, unhappy, unlikable, but ready to bloom is given the right impetus, or at least loyal & kind to one or two special friends. Here the mysterious adventure really is a vehicle for the character's growth, and since I can't bring myself to feel empathy for M., I can't enjoy the book. Doesn't help I that I can't stand Peter Sis's art style. Sorry.

No star rating because I feel that I'm missing something and not qualified to judge.

Edit - just learned it's by the same author as Harvey, the Jimmy Stewart & a pooka movie.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reread of a lost childhood book -- I hadn't read it in probably twenty or twenty-five years. Troublemaker Maureen Swanson gets into trouble herself when she trespasses in an old abandoned house and gets mixed up with the seven mysterious sisters who inhabit it. It's not as scary as I remembered it (what a shock), and I wished the plot were a little more complex and interestingly worked out, but the atmosphere Chase creates is still deliciously creepy and memorable.

[Connie Nelson schuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now titled, "The Wicked, Wicked Ladies of the Haunted House. " The first scary book I ever read. Though about it for years, loved it.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neither glorious enough to be worth seeking out, nor dreadful enough to avoid at all costs. For the most part the plot never soars, nor quite gels together, and doesn't take surprising twists or turns in a direction you couldn't anticipate but which seems marvellously right ... no, it's just kind of there. Things happen. They aren't exciting. And then it ends.

There are hints that this is even more old-fashioned that one might expect (sort of the modern equivalent of a moralizing Victorian book, where the main character learns to be kind, patient, truthful, hardworking, etc.)

Peter Sis has done wonderful work elsewhere, but his illustrations here are not particularly illuminating or beautiful.

Also, I read this as a child where it left no impression, save that I remember its original title. I expect this recent reread will have a similar effect. [Note: 3 1/2 years later, sadly, I do recall nothing about this, so my prediction came true].

Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a delightful read, filled with wonderful images. This is a story of a bratty, nasty little girl who rarely listens to anyone and is fascinated with a crumbled down mansion called "The Old Messerman Place."

Disobeying her parents, she finds her way into the mansion where she gets into trouble and finds that her nastiness nets her the same treatment in spades.

There is nothing in depth about this book. It is an easy, breezy, delightful read and I recommend it primarily the highly creative writing style.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this one at D.I. too. It was a fast and easy read. Brandon and I were looking through cover art and titles to see what intrigued us, as well as the kids. I liked the title of this one. It was interesting, and a different way to present the naughty and "wickedness" of being selfish. I think that little ones could benefit from it. Oh, and telling lies and the consquences of that is thrown in there too.

[Leslie Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few kid-hood books that were really disturbing. The heroine is no heroine, the explainable remains that way and the wicked never get their comeuppance. These days, that sounds about perfect for some books but consider this twice before sharing with the young, impressionable imagination. These wicked ladies can return in your dreams!

Please see the rest of my review at http://www.llgolden.com/2016/11/unpre...

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book as a kid. I can remember getting it in one of those book orders from school. I loved the days the teacher would say the orders were in, and pass out our books at days end! This was one of those books, and I have very fond memories of reading it and being spooked by the mysterious ladies in the portraits who moved.

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated. I love the wicked ladies, but the moral is a bit heavy-handed, as it often is in the real older kids books. I prefer fake-older books, they're more subversive.

[Karyn Silverman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I read it over and over, and it haunted me. I didn't entirely understand it the first several reads, but I didn't care. Now I want to reread this!

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first sentence was the best one.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

As children's books go, this was pretty good. I read it as a child, saw it online and wanted to read it again ... and it came today. It was a "big book" when I read it at about the age of 9 or 10, but tonight it only took an hour or so. First published in 1968, and it has borne up well over the years. I think today's literate 9-year-olds would enjoy it as much as I did at that age. It has all the right elements: spooky parts, time travel, mystical beings, and a nice morality tale. Author Mary Chase is most famous for her novel Harvey, which ran on Broadway and was made into a movie starring Jimmy Stewart, so she's no stranger to fantasy fiction. This edition is just like the one I read as a youth, and has great little pencil illustrations by Peter Sis. Just enough to pique the imagination. This was a fun excursion back into childhood!

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, and the ending was not what I expected. Written by the lady who wrote “Harvey” (the movie with James Stewart). Good for young girls, ages 9-13.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Maureen!

[Lisa Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow this title popped into my head after decades. I remember it captivated me in third grade and remnants of the story have stayed with me for 50 years. As a kid I was a slow reader and often didn’t finish my independent reading books, but this book was “an easy read” because it invited me in and engaged me from cover to cover:-)

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun, and a very original, imaginative, story.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A naughty girl sneaks into an old abandoned house, where she encounters some very, very naughty young ladies! When one of the wicked ladies loses her feather bracelet, Maureen picks it up, bringing her more trouble than she can handle.

The wicked ladies are seven sisters who used to live in the house. When they were young, they were very arrogant and shallow and rude. They ended up stealing a leprechaun's bag of magic, and had used it to transform themselves into pigeons, and they flew away, never to be seen again. Devastated, their parents withered away and died, and the house was left to ruin. Years and years later, Maureen, who is rude and aggressive and dishonest, sneaks into the mansion. She sees the sisters shift in portraits. She meets the leprechaun. She finds one of the feather bracelets and keeps it. The sister who lost the bracelet tries to get it back, but Maureen stubbornly refuses. The sisters trap Maureen in the time when they were young, and she finally gives it back to her. The sisters fly away again, leaving Maureen in the past. Maureen learns that she loves and misses her family. The leprechaun helps her get back to her own time, where she begins to behave more respectfully.

This is a good, fast-paced story with a lot of mystery and magic.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which an unpleasant young girl meets her match in seven unpleasant sisters.

Why are the sisters considered so wicked? Because they are heartless? Because they shoplift pretty trinkets? Well, sure that makes them unpleasant but I wouldn't call them wicked for that. Because they send Maureen back in time and were mean to her? Well, she called them all sorts of names and took Ingrid's bracelet. The sisters did first go to Maureen's house and try asking for it back, Maureen lied and said she didn't have it. so I'd say they were all as bad as each other.

I think this is a book very much of its time. Written in the 60's when a woman that didn't care about anyone and wasn't polite and kind probably was considered wicked.

I didn't find it scary or spooky at all, maybe children will but I'm not convinced. I'm easy to scare, by contrast, children seem to love scary things.

I did enjoy reading it though, it's a fun adventure story with a non-typical heroine. I would just like to have seen Maureen keep some of her mischievous ways and not become so much of a "good girl".

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently this book was originally published in 1968, but it doesn't feel dated. It is meant for pre-teen readers, so it's a bit simpler than what I usually read, but I was still able to enjoy it. I liked the setting and mood, and the take on the bird women idea, which is always fascinating to me. For adults, some of the descriptions of things in the 'olden days' might be a little frustrating, but I think a lot of kids would probably need the explanations. The main character isn't very likeable, but learns and lesson and I found the end heartwarming. It's a good idea and I enjoyed it. It's short, I read it in one sitting, which means it's probably a good length for younger readers, so they don't get bored.

If I could have made one change, it would be to have had this illustrated by Edward Gorey, I think that his style would have really suited the book.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd never heard of this "forgotten classic" before I picked up this retitled reissue. I see now that I wasn't missing much.

The story rambles and meanders. The wicked, wicked ladies seem like they could be much more wicked, though I did enjoy the way they were introduced (via a series of portraits that hang in their ruined old house). I wish there had been other little gimmicks like that in the book, to make it stand out.

If you want a book about running around in an old house, I recommend Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game or The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs. Those books will stay with you for a long time, and they warrant rereading. The wicked, wicked ladies simply don't have much to recommend them.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was young, and it was very satisfyingly creepy. I'm not sure how it stands up over time, but it was republished about 7 years ago, so this is a good sign. Also, something I just learned: Mary Chase also wrote the play Harvey, on which the James Stewart movie was based. This is also the edition I had with interesting illustrations that added to the overall aethetic feel. The new edition has different illustrations so it might be worth looking for an old copy of the original edition.

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing still on my quest for a children's book about time travel that made a huge impact on me as a child . . . this was not it, but man was it as creepy as I remembered from when I was little! And can I just tell you how excited I was to find the paperback copy from my childhood upstairs in my collection? Giddy! Even giddier because my friend Anita may have found for me THE book I think I've been after: "The Ghosts," by Antonia Barber, which, according to the Wikipedia entry, references 'A Charm To Move The Wheel Of Time' and involves a fire! On to it next!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror novel for under 10. It has some genuine chills for a book for young readers. Best part is the "ornery" heroine. She's not a typical main character for children's books. She gets in to fights, talks back, and is constantly in trouble at school. She gives in to her bad impulses easily which lead her to sneak in to an old abandoned house, talk trash about the supposedly dead "seven sisters" who lived in the house, and steal a bracelet. One of the sisters follows her back to her house and demands she return the bracelet. Does she apologize like a good girl? No! She's ornery!