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One for Sorrow
Against the ominous backdrop of the influenza epidemic of 1918, Annie, a new girl at school, is claimed as best friend by Elsie, a classmate who is a tattletale, a liar, and a thief. Soon Annie makes other friends and finds herself joining them in teasing and tormenting Elsie. Elsie dies from influenza, but then she returns to reclaim Annie's friendship and punish all the girls who bullied her. Young readers who revel in spooky stories will relish this chilling tale of a girl haunted by a vengeful ghost.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2017
353 people are currently reading
5240 people want to read
About the author
Mary Downing Hahn
71 books4,374 followersI grew up in a small shingled house down at the end of Guilford Road in College Park, Maryland. Our block was loaded with kids my age. We spent hours outdoors playing "Kick the Can" and "Mother, May I" as well as cowboy and outlaw games that usually ended in quarrels about who shot whom. In the summer, we went on day long expeditions into forbidden territory -- the woods on the other side of the train tracks, the creek that wound its way through College Park, and the experimental farm run by the University of Maryland.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 756 reviews
January 23, 2018
You can see this review and others @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2018/...
One For Sorrow is a middle grade, chilling ghost story. It takes place around 1918 during the deadliest influenza pandemic that killed millions of people.
Annie Browne has just moved to a new town with her mother and father. She's a bit timid and she's nervous about making friends at her new school, the Pearce Academy for Girls. The first girl she meets is Elsie, and Elsie doesn't waste any time filling her in on how horrible the girls at Pearce are. None of the girls like Elsie and she convinces Annie that they won't like her either. Every day, Annie can't seem to get away from Elsie as she's consistently holding her hand and inviting herself over to her house. She tells everyone that Annie is her best friend and because of this, nobody else wants anything to do with Annie. They begin making fun of her too and Annie becomes miserable. Elsie is bossy, pushy, and just not fun to be around. Annie can't even seem to convince her parents that there's something not right about Elsie. She has to find away to get away from her.
One day, Elsie doesn't show up for school and Annie finally gets a chance to gain the friendship of some of the other girls, especially Rosie, the most popular. She becomes friends with the very group of girls that hate Elsie, including Rosie. A few more days pass and Annie wonders how Elsie will take the news when she returns. Will she be mad at Annie or will they stay friends? Will Annie take on the same bullying behaviors her classmates have bestowed on Elsie?
I just have to say--I couldn't put this book down. From start to finish, the narrative had me completely enthralled. I had to know how this story would end and what would come of Annie. The characters are well developed and the book is written well with perfect pacing. There's just enough to keep you turning page after page. I also loved the mention of multiple classic books by Charles Dickens and Lucy Maud Montgomery to name a few.
With that said, I was disturbed and uncomfortable at times. I found this middle grade book a bit scary and Elsie pretty much drove me crazy from the start. It's known that Elsie has demons from her past, some that she hasn't been able to exterminate, which makes her very unstable and evil at times. It was almost more than I could bear. Rosie was also difficult to deal with. She's very cruel and tends to cause problems by calling names and bullying others by chasing them. She's pretty wound up, yet interesting. Some of the girls realize that what Rosie's doing is wrong, but many of them keep their mouths shut because they don't want to deal with the repercussions from her and they want her to remain their friend. They feel pressured to join in and all the while, the teacher doesn't seem to be on top of things and doesn't do anything to put a stop to the behaviors besides making simple commands like, "I won't tolerate this behavior." It's really annoying. While all of this is happening, the flu of 1918 is making rounds. People are dying left and right. Everyone fears that they'll be taken next, but who will it be?
Overall, I think this is a 5-star read that I highly recommend. It kept me interested from start to finish and I was really pleased with the ending. The Afterword was such a nice addition because the author explains where she got some of the ideas for the story which are inspired by true events. I'm excited to check out some other books by Mary Downing Hahn as this was my first.
Thanks to Netgalley for sharing a copy of One For Sorrow in exchange for a review.
5*****
One For Sorrow is a middle grade, chilling ghost story. It takes place around 1918 during the deadliest influenza pandemic that killed millions of people.
Annie Browne has just moved to a new town with her mother and father. She's a bit timid and she's nervous about making friends at her new school, the Pearce Academy for Girls. The first girl she meets is Elsie, and Elsie doesn't waste any time filling her in on how horrible the girls at Pearce are. None of the girls like Elsie and she convinces Annie that they won't like her either. Every day, Annie can't seem to get away from Elsie as she's consistently holding her hand and inviting herself over to her house. She tells everyone that Annie is her best friend and because of this, nobody else wants anything to do with Annie. They begin making fun of her too and Annie becomes miserable. Elsie is bossy, pushy, and just not fun to be around. Annie can't even seem to convince her parents that there's something not right about Elsie. She has to find away to get away from her.
One day, Elsie doesn't show up for school and Annie finally gets a chance to gain the friendship of some of the other girls, especially Rosie, the most popular. She becomes friends with the very group of girls that hate Elsie, including Rosie. A few more days pass and Annie wonders how Elsie will take the news when she returns. Will she be mad at Annie or will they stay friends? Will Annie take on the same bullying behaviors her classmates have bestowed on Elsie?
I just have to say--I couldn't put this book down. From start to finish, the narrative had me completely enthralled. I had to know how this story would end and what would come of Annie. The characters are well developed and the book is written well with perfect pacing. There's just enough to keep you turning page after page. I also loved the mention of multiple classic books by Charles Dickens and Lucy Maud Montgomery to name a few.
With that said, I was disturbed and uncomfortable at times. I found this middle grade book a bit scary and Elsie pretty much drove me crazy from the start. It's known that Elsie has demons from her past, some that she hasn't been able to exterminate, which makes her very unstable and evil at times. It was almost more than I could bear. Rosie was also difficult to deal with. She's very cruel and tends to cause problems by calling names and bullying others by chasing them. She's pretty wound up, yet interesting. Some of the girls realize that what Rosie's doing is wrong, but many of them keep their mouths shut because they don't want to deal with the repercussions from her and they want her to remain their friend. They feel pressured to join in and all the while, the teacher doesn't seem to be on top of things and doesn't do anything to put a stop to the behaviors besides making simple commands like, "I won't tolerate this behavior." It's really annoying. While all of this is happening, the flu of 1918 is making rounds. People are dying left and right. Everyone fears that they'll be taken next, but who will it be?
Overall, I think this is a 5-star read that I highly recommend. It kept me interested from start to finish and I was really pleased with the ending. The Afterword was such a nice addition because the author explains where she got some of the ideas for the story which are inspired by true events. I'm excited to check out some other books by Mary Downing Hahn as this was my first.
Thanks to Netgalley for sharing a copy of One For Sorrow in exchange for a review.
5*****
April 1, 2019
Even though One for Sorrow is a middle-grade book I would recommend it to all readers who enjoy well written, fast paced, and excitingly real feeling ghost stories. The author takes this story from true experiences from her mothers childhood and turns it into a page-turner from beginning to end.
Taking place at the end of World War I and during the Spanish flu pandemic, the book brings to life many aspects of that time period. If you enjoy ghost stories, you will love this book as I did.
Taking place at the end of World War I and during the Spanish flu pandemic, the book brings to life many aspects of that time period. If you enjoy ghost stories, you will love this book as I did.
April 15, 2024
4.5 stars
This was such a page-turner for me that I read it in one day. The story and characters were so captivating that I was hooked on page one. I think this is the first time I’ve ever read an entire book in one day.
This is a suspenseful story that’s a mixture of historical fiction and a children’s ghost story. I didn’t want to stop reading this because I HAD to know what happened next. I was so engrossed in this story that I didn’t watch the baseball game on TV. I watch just about every Baltimore Orioles game, but I couldn’t put this down, so I skipped the game.
The characterization is fantastic! Each character is distinct not only in dialogue, but also in behavior and action. In addition, their relationships with each other were well defined. The characters are well developed, especially Annie, Elsie, Rosie, Jane, Lucy, and Eunice. Elsie is creepy! She’s needy, spiteful, controlling, and obsessive. On Annie’s first day of school, Elsie demands that she be best friends with her and she won’t allow Annie to be friends with anyone else. She forces Annie to hold her hand and drags her around the playground. When the other girls try to talk to Annie, Elsie answers on her behalf. Elsie goes out of her way to threaten and intimidate Annie. I felt so sorry for Annie, especially when Elsie’s ghost taunted Annie. Everyone thought Annie was either crazy or irresponsible whenever she told them that Elsie’s ghost was responsible. Even as a ghost, Elsie was trying to get Annie in trouble.
The pacing was perfect. I can’t think of a single time when the story dragged.
The setting was vivid allowing you to feel like you’re living in 1918. The hearses were horse-drawn and it was a luxury for people to have cars. There’s a strong sense of the political climate, especially when the characters talk about the war and government action. Wakes were common, complete with coffins in the living room. I could feel the ambiance as the guests paid their respects.
It has a nice tidy ending giving the story a satisfying resolution.
If I were a child reading this, I would have found it disturbing. As an adult, I loved every moment of it! I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.
Jenny’s Book Bag | Facebook | Twitter
This was such a page-turner for me that I read it in one day. The story and characters were so captivating that I was hooked on page one. I think this is the first time I’ve ever read an entire book in one day.
This is a suspenseful story that’s a mixture of historical fiction and a children’s ghost story. I didn’t want to stop reading this because I HAD to know what happened next. I was so engrossed in this story that I didn’t watch the baseball game on TV. I watch just about every Baltimore Orioles game, but I couldn’t put this down, so I skipped the game.
The characterization is fantastic! Each character is distinct not only in dialogue, but also in behavior and action. In addition, their relationships with each other were well defined. The characters are well developed, especially Annie, Elsie, Rosie, Jane, Lucy, and Eunice. Elsie is creepy! She’s needy, spiteful, controlling, and obsessive. On Annie’s first day of school, Elsie demands that she be best friends with her and she won’t allow Annie to be friends with anyone else. She forces Annie to hold her hand and drags her around the playground. When the other girls try to talk to Annie, Elsie answers on her behalf. Elsie goes out of her way to threaten and intimidate Annie. I felt so sorry for Annie, especially when Elsie’s ghost taunted Annie. Everyone thought Annie was either crazy or irresponsible whenever she told them that Elsie’s ghost was responsible. Even as a ghost, Elsie was trying to get Annie in trouble.
The pacing was perfect. I can’t think of a single time when the story dragged.
The setting was vivid allowing you to feel like you’re living in 1918. The hearses were horse-drawn and it was a luxury for people to have cars. There’s a strong sense of the political climate, especially when the characters talk about the war and government action. Wakes were common, complete with coffins in the living room. I could feel the ambiance as the guests paid their respects.
It has a nice tidy ending giving the story a satisfying resolution.
If I were a child reading this, I would have found it disturbing. As an adult, I loved every moment of it! I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.
Jenny’s Book Bag | Facebook | Twitter
July 3, 2017
Against the ominous backdrop of the influenza epidemic of 1918, Annie, a new girl at school, is claimed as best friend by Elsie, a classmate who is a tattletale, a liar, and a thief. Soon Annie makes other friends and finds herself joining them in teasing and tormenting Elsie.
2.5 stars. I've read a few of Mary Downing Hahn's books and liked them quite a bit. I don't read a lot of middle grade, but her books are usually fun, creepy reads. This one I did not like as much as the others I've read. Despite there being a ghost, this was not a creepy book, and that disappointed me. Most of this book was not pleasant to read. There is a lot of bullying done among school girls and although I wanted to feel badly for the girl that was being bullied, and I did at times, it was hard to because she was just as mean as the bullies. For most of the book none of the girls were really likable because of all of the meanness, but in the end the girls all do change. But it does take a vengeful ghost to get them to that point.
The thing I found most interesting about this book was that it was inspired by a story from the author's mothers own experience of living during the Spanish influenza and surviving it. The part in the book when the girls go to the different homes to pay their respects to and view the dead, mainly so they can get free cake, candy, and punch was something her mother and her mother's friends actually did, and they really did end up at a house that belonged to one of their classmates that they had no idea had died until they saw her in the coffin.
If you like reading books about mean girls or vengeful ghosts you might like this book, but for me it was just ok.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for giving me a copy of this book.
Review also posted at https://writingsofareader.blogspot.com/
2.5 stars. I've read a few of Mary Downing Hahn's books and liked them quite a bit. I don't read a lot of middle grade, but her books are usually fun, creepy reads. This one I did not like as much as the others I've read. Despite there being a ghost, this was not a creepy book, and that disappointed me. Most of this book was not pleasant to read. There is a lot of bullying done among school girls and although I wanted to feel badly for the girl that was being bullied, and I did at times, it was hard to because she was just as mean as the bullies. For most of the book none of the girls were really likable because of all of the meanness, but in the end the girls all do change. But it does take a vengeful ghost to get them to that point.
The thing I found most interesting about this book was that it was inspired by a story from the author's mothers own experience of living during the Spanish influenza and surviving it. The part in the book when the girls go to the different homes to pay their respects to and view the dead, mainly so they can get free cake, candy, and punch was something her mother and her mother's friends actually did, and they really did end up at a house that belonged to one of their classmates that they had no idea had died until they saw her in the coffin.
If you like reading books about mean girls or vengeful ghosts you might like this book, but for me it was just ok.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group for giving me a copy of this book.
Review also posted at https://writingsofareader.blogspot.com/
January 4, 2021
4.0 Stars
This was an incredibly gripping middle grade horror story. I really enjoyed the historical aspects involving the first world war and influenza outbreak. I also liked that it showed a realistic depiction of childhood friendships, which can often be cruel, especially among young girls. The haunting wasn't exactly creepy, but I still found the story to be very compelling. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
This was an incredibly gripping middle grade horror story. I really enjoyed the historical aspects involving the first world war and influenza outbreak. I also liked that it showed a realistic depiction of childhood friendships, which can often be cruel, especially among young girls. The haunting wasn't exactly creepy, but I still found the story to be very compelling. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
September 1, 2022
Overall rating: B-
"One crow for sorrow," Elsie whispered in a voice as harsh as the wind on a winter night. "Your sorrow."
What happens when a young girl trying to fit in makes fun of the wrong person who then dies? Not anything good that's for sure.
A tame ghost story for tweens to sink their teeth into with a very anti-climactic resolution. Not too dark but definitely not sweet and merry. A story my very young sister would love.
"One crow for sorrow," Elsie whispered in a voice as harsh as the wind on a winter night. "Your sorrow."
What happens when a young girl trying to fit in makes fun of the wrong person who then dies? Not anything good that's for sure.
A tame ghost story for tweens to sink their teeth into with a very anti-climactic resolution. Not too dark but definitely not sweet and merry. A story my very young sister would love.
June 24, 2022
One for Sorrow definitely had its dark moments for being a middle grade book. Dark, but not all that scary. Which is probably why I enjoyed this so much. Might be weird to say but I said it. Deal with it. I do, however, think the pacing could have been a bit better. At times it just felt like nothing was really happening to keep my brain invested. Then things would randomly pick up and I was happy to get things moving.
Other than that, there's a lot of death, influenza and bullying throughout the book. If this ever became a movie, I would totally watch it. Towards the end of the book, I had no idea how things were going to end. One could only hope for the best, but I've been burned before. In the end, it was a pretty interesting ghost story and now I need another one soon.
Other than that, there's a lot of death, influenza and bullying throughout the book. If this ever became a movie, I would totally watch it. Towards the end of the book, I had no idea how things were going to end. One could only hope for the best, but I've been burned before. In the end, it was a pretty interesting ghost story and now I need another one soon.
August 6, 2017
I don’t know whether the author intended to make her characters unlikeable, but if she did, they are too much for me. The bullying in this book was so horrifying, with all the pushing, name calling and peer pressure. Not only that, they also showed no respect for the plague and its victim. They even showed no remorse after Elsie’s death, which in my opinion, is their fault.
The worst thing for me is how the bullying is swept under the rug. Like, none the adults care that the girls were bullying Elsie (and Annie). They concerned more when Annie was misbehaving and talking back to them rather than when Annie was bullying Elsie. The whole thing is just disturbing, and since the book was centered on bullying, it’s almost impossible to escape it.
Our main character, Annie, was also very annoying. She can’t stand up for herself, always complaining to her parents instead of solving her problems and can’t say no to her friends. She’s definitely a spoiled brat.
The other characters weren’t very fleshed out and there were a lot of holes here. Did Elsie really was abused? What’s the story with other girls? Why the adults all ignore the extreme bullying happened there?? The story flowed really well at first, but then the whole haunting thing happened and it became very choppy.
I have no idea what’s the point of this book. The whole thing was pretty pointless and none of girls changed after this whole ordeal. The ending and resolution was very anticlimatic and dissapointing that I literally went “WTF??”.
I expected more from this author, especially since she is a well known children horror writer. I mean, she wrote Wait Till Helen Comes! I expected to be scared, but I ended up being annoyed.
This review is also posted on THE LITERARY HUNTRESS
The worst thing for me is how the bullying is swept under the rug. Like, none the adults care that the girls were bullying Elsie (and Annie). They concerned more when Annie was misbehaving and talking back to them rather than when Annie was bullying Elsie. The whole thing is just disturbing, and since the book was centered on bullying, it’s almost impossible to escape it.
Our main character, Annie, was also very annoying. She can’t stand up for herself, always complaining to her parents instead of solving her problems and can’t say no to her friends. She’s definitely a spoiled brat.
The other characters weren’t very fleshed out and there were a lot of holes here. Did Elsie really was abused? What’s the story with other girls? Why the adults all ignore the extreme bullying happened there?? The story flowed really well at first, but then the whole haunting thing happened and it became very choppy.
I have no idea what’s the point of this book. The whole thing was pretty pointless and none of girls changed after this whole ordeal. The ending and resolution was very anticlimatic and dissapointing that I literally went “WTF??”.
I expected more from this author, especially since she is a well known children horror writer. I mean, she wrote Wait Till Helen Comes! I expected to be scared, but I ended up being annoyed.
This review is also posted on THE LITERARY HUNTRESS
July 20, 2017
Yessss. I love that Mary Downing Hahn is releasing more ghost stories lately. She's the best <3
June 28, 2017
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
For a middle grade book, this is quite scary!! I know I read some of Hahn's other novels when I was in elementary school/early middle school, but that was a long time ago. I only remember thinking that her novels weren't scary, but by 7th grade I was reading Stephen King. I stand corrected! "One for Sorrow" isn't Stephen King-esque horror, but it is a well nuanced ghost story.
Eliza desperately tries to befriend the new girl at school, Annie. But Annie soon realizes that Eliza has a mean streak ('mean' might be too kind of an adjective), and decides to have nothing to do with her. Instead, she becomes part of the popular clique, led by charismatic Rosie. When Eliza dies of the 1918 influenza, like so many others in their community, she begins to haunt Annie. Eliza was a spiteful twelve year-old, and her ghost is even more vicious. If she can't be a happy living girl, Annie won't be able to, either!
While reading, I was really afraid for Annie. Eliza is a relentless force, and she places a lot of blame on Annie for the shortcomings in her own life. I did feel a little uneasy about the way Annie and her friends antagonized Eliza, partly because of her unflinching personality, but also because she and her family are one of the few Germans in town. America is still in the midst of WWI during the novel, and German-Americans are shunned and persecuted. Annie does seem to realize (however vaguely) that shouting racist epithets isn't good behavior, but this isn't fully addressed, and the lines are drawn too starkly between the good (Annie) and the bad (Eliza).
For a middle grade book, this is quite scary!! I know I read some of Hahn's other novels when I was in elementary school/early middle school, but that was a long time ago. I only remember thinking that her novels weren't scary, but by 7th grade I was reading Stephen King. I stand corrected! "One for Sorrow" isn't Stephen King-esque horror, but it is a well nuanced ghost story.
Eliza desperately tries to befriend the new girl at school, Annie. But Annie soon realizes that Eliza has a mean streak ('mean' might be too kind of an adjective), and decides to have nothing to do with her. Instead, she becomes part of the popular clique, led by charismatic Rosie. When Eliza dies of the 1918 influenza, like so many others in their community, she begins to haunt Annie. Eliza was a spiteful twelve year-old, and her ghost is even more vicious. If she can't be a happy living girl, Annie won't be able to, either!
While reading, I was really afraid for Annie. Eliza is a relentless force, and she places a lot of blame on Annie for the shortcomings in her own life. I did feel a little uneasy about the way Annie and her friends antagonized Eliza, partly because of her unflinching personality, but also because she and her family are one of the few Germans in town. America is still in the midst of WWI during the novel, and German-Americans are shunned and persecuted. Annie does seem to realize (however vaguely) that shouting racist epithets isn't good behavior, but this isn't fully addressed, and the lines are drawn too starkly between the good (Annie) and the bad (Eliza).
November 27, 2017
Wait Till Helen Comes still rules the roost.
October 8, 2022
This story is unsettling in the best way possible. It is uncomfortable to go through, especially if you are the kind of person who has an unhealthy fear of public humiliation and social ostracization, but the relief that comes with the ending is well worth it.
Annie and her family just moved to town during the Second World War period. She attends a private girls school and immediately she's picked up by an outcast named Elsie. Elsie is rude, demanding, and kind of evil... and she's determined to be Annie's friend, her only friend, thorough whatever means necessary. Annie on the other hand, wants to be accepted by the other girls, who first ostracized Annie because she is associated with Elsie.
When Elsie became sick and could not attend school, Annie had the chance to make friends with the rest of the girls. Then Elsie got well, and she saw Annie become friends with the other girls who hated her and she was all alone again.
The 1918 Spanish Flu broke out and took Elsie's life. She became a ghost and haunted Annie and made her life a living hell.
Bullying is a recurring theme of the story. This is going to be very unpopular, but Elsie is the bully here (not the other girls who ganged together to ostracize her). She is both the bully, and the victim of her own actions. And I don't believe the latter is reason for forgiving the former.
To make my point, this is some of the things she did to Annie:
- not letting her making friends with others, insisting she's the only friend Annie needs
- lying and creating misunderstandings to make others hate Annie, this putting distance between Annie and everyone else
- invading her personal space, from grabbing her hand to going into her bedroom when Annie clearly does not want to do that but can't find way to say it nicely
- breaking/hurting the things Annie cares for, from her treasured doll to the friends she doesn't want to harm, in order to punish Annie
- always playing the victim, saying garbage such as "my mother died and/or doesn't love me" and "my house isn't as nice as yours" and "I never had any friends"
These behaviors are extremely sociopathic. The main character is a young girl who doesn't have any experience in dealing with people like her. Annie and the other girl don't owe her friendship or kindness or anything else. They ostracized her for a reason, and that reason is to protect themselves.
This book's intended audience is probably someone who's is the main character's age. Books that are aimed at a younger audience usually has a message, a life lesson of some sort. I can't help ponder what that message is, and I thinkmaybe it's not sending the right message to the right people....
The following has spoilers.
From Annie's perspective, she ditched Elsie as a friend (because she's truly horrible) and then Elsie came back as a ghost to exact revenge by bullying her a hundred fold, to the point people thought Annie became crazy and sent her to an institution. So, what exactly is the message here? You can't pick your own friends? You can't ditch someone who's abusive to you? You have to be nice and understanding to sociopathic bullies? And to solve this "problem", Annie had to try to be her friend and understand her?! What the heck?! If a girl had a stalker, would you tell her to try to make friends with the stalker and understand the creep?
From Elsie's perspective, she was aggressive, rude, controlling, and actively seeked to harm someone she's trying to make friends with. When she gets rejected, she comes back and make that person's life a living hell in the name of revenge. Eventually someone comes along and takes her to a better place. So what's the message here? You can be a bully, but when others reject you because of your own actions it's their fault? And that gives you the right to hurt them to the most extreme degree? And then someone who understands you will magically appear and take you to a better place and everything will be alright?
That's the lesson I'm getting from the book. It's really not a message on how one should behave in life.
From my points above, I really don't think this book is suitable for younger children. But for an adult who can recognize the signs of a sociopathic bully, it's an utterly exhilarating read! I think it can be made into a great movie, because it had a great psychological aspect. It can be up there with the classics in the horror thiller genre. I'm getting strong "The Shining" vibes.
No adult fictional thiller has made me feel anything for a long time. And for that, I'm giving it five stars!
Annie and her family just moved to town during the Second World War period. She attends a private girls school and immediately she's picked up by an outcast named Elsie. Elsie is rude, demanding, and kind of evil... and she's determined to be Annie's friend, her only friend, thorough whatever means necessary. Annie on the other hand, wants to be accepted by the other girls, who first ostracized Annie because she is associated with Elsie.
When Elsie became sick and could not attend school, Annie had the chance to make friends with the rest of the girls. Then Elsie got well, and she saw Annie become friends with the other girls who hated her and she was all alone again.
The 1918 Spanish Flu broke out and took Elsie's life. She became a ghost and haunted Annie and made her life a living hell.
Bullying is a recurring theme of the story. This is going to be very unpopular, but Elsie is the bully here (not the other girls who ganged together to ostracize her). She is both the bully, and the victim of her own actions. And I don't believe the latter is reason for forgiving the former.
To make my point, this is some of the things she did to Annie:
- not letting her making friends with others, insisting she's the only friend Annie needs
- lying and creating misunderstandings to make others hate Annie, this putting distance between Annie and everyone else
- invading her personal space, from grabbing her hand to going into her bedroom when Annie clearly does not want to do that but can't find way to say it nicely
- breaking/hurting the things Annie cares for, from her treasured doll to the friends she doesn't want to harm, in order to punish Annie
- always playing the victim, saying garbage such as "my mother died and/or doesn't love me" and "my house isn't as nice as yours" and "I never had any friends"
These behaviors are extremely sociopathic. The main character is a young girl who doesn't have any experience in dealing with people like her. Annie and the other girl don't owe her friendship or kindness or anything else. They ostracized her for a reason, and that reason is to protect themselves.
This book's intended audience is probably someone who's is the main character's age. Books that are aimed at a younger audience usually has a message, a life lesson of some sort. I can't help ponder what that message is, and I thinkmaybe it's not sending the right message to the right people....
The following has spoilers.
From Annie's perspective, she ditched Elsie as a friend (because she's truly horrible) and then Elsie came back as a ghost to exact revenge by bullying her a hundred fold, to the point people thought Annie became crazy and sent her to an institution. So, what exactly is the message here? You can't pick your own friends? You can't ditch someone who's abusive to you? You have to be nice and understanding to sociopathic bullies? And to solve this "problem", Annie had to try to be her friend and understand her?! What the heck?! If a girl had a stalker, would you tell her to try to make friends with the stalker and understand the creep?
From Elsie's perspective, she was aggressive, rude, controlling, and actively seeked to harm someone she's trying to make friends with. When she gets rejected, she comes back and make that person's life a living hell in the name of revenge. Eventually someone comes along and takes her to a better place. So what's the message here? You can be a bully, but when others reject you because of your own actions it's their fault? And that gives you the right to hurt them to the most extreme degree? And then someone who understands you will magically appear and take you to a better place and everything will be alright?
That's the lesson I'm getting from the book. It's really not a message on how one should behave in life.
From my points above, I really don't think this book is suitable for younger children. But for an adult who can recognize the signs of a sociopathic bully, it's an utterly exhilarating read! I think it can be made into a great movie, because it had a great psychological aspect. It can be up there with the classics in the horror thiller genre. I'm getting strong "The Shining" vibes.
No adult fictional thiller has made me feel anything for a long time. And for that, I'm giving it five stars!
February 24, 2019
This middle grade novel is an atmospheric, ominous tale that takes place during WW I and the influenza epidemic. Annie is the new girl in her class and is struggling to fit in. An unpopular, unlikable girl named Elsie immediately claims Annie as a best friend. Annie finds herself in a difficult situation. The decisions she makes in dealing with the other girls is tied up with the epidemic and soon Annie feels trapped. As she is haunted by her past, she needs to find a way to move forward. As noted, this is a ghost story and may not appeal to some children and the adults who help them choose their reading material. I believe this book would have given me nightmares in my elementary school years.
December 13, 2017
I expected a creepy horror story that gave me chills up my spine. What I got was a shallow read that tried to be way too deep. *sigh* Calm yourself Katherine. Stay calm. I know that this was a middle grade read, and obviously won't have as much depth as young adult or adult, but it was as flat as the salt flats in Utah.
The characters were annoying AF. I didn't like any books except the old lady that I already forgot the name of, and even she wasn't really the best character, and I didn't care much for her. And Elsie was just so RUDE. MAYBE THE OTHER GIRLS DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE YOU'RE RUDE AS HELL. I understand that she came from a sad background, but... You could try to be a bit nicer. Like, the first thing she does after meeting Annie is tags along with her to go to Annie's house and nearly break her doll. What a great friend. And Annie chooses to spend time with the other girls, when clearly, they're all extremely mean and rude too. And she realizes it's wrong, but she still decides to spend time with them!
The plot was kinda boring. You could see how Mary Downing Hahn wanted to make it way deeper, but it didn't really work out for me. She tried to make it about treating people better, but you know what? There's a reason that people didn't like Elsie. Perhaps she was broken, but these girls are in 6th grade. I did not act like this in 6th grade and I hope people didn't act like this back in 1918. I wanted to continue reading, not because of the plot or the characters but because I needed to find out what happened. I didn't read it for reading it, loving it, but only to quickly get to the end. I read this book so quickly, and only wanted to get to the end, and forcing myself to get through this book was not fun. It all felt so repetitive, and there were almost no differences from beginning to end. No character development, and the beginning felt entirely like the end.
And my biggest disappointment was that I wanted something scary, and it really wasn't that bad. I wanted a hardcore horror novel, not some story about being nicer to people who blame all of their problems on someone else, because it's clearly not their fault. UGHH. It was just really annoying, and I found myself just getting plain mad through the entire book. Perhaps if some of the characters were actually likeable I would actually ENJOY THE BOOK.
The characters were annoying AF. I didn't like any books except the old lady that I already forgot the name of, and even she wasn't really the best character, and I didn't care much for her. And Elsie was just so RUDE. MAYBE THE OTHER GIRLS DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE YOU'RE RUDE AS HELL. I understand that she came from a sad background, but... You could try to be a bit nicer. Like, the first thing she does after meeting Annie is tags along with her to go to Annie's house and nearly break her doll. What a great friend. And Annie chooses to spend time with the other girls, when clearly, they're all extremely mean and rude too. And she realizes it's wrong, but she still decides to spend time with them!
The plot was kinda boring. You could see how Mary Downing Hahn wanted to make it way deeper, but it didn't really work out for me. She tried to make it about treating people better, but you know what? There's a reason that people didn't like Elsie. Perhaps she was broken, but these girls are in 6th grade. I did not act like this in 6th grade and I hope people didn't act like this back in 1918. I wanted to continue reading, not because of the plot or the characters but because I needed to find out what happened. I didn't read it for reading it, loving it, but only to quickly get to the end. I read this book so quickly, and only wanted to get to the end, and forcing myself to get through this book was not fun. It all felt so repetitive, and there were almost no differences from beginning to end. No character development, and the beginning felt entirely like the end.
And my biggest disappointment was that I wanted something scary, and it really wasn't that bad. I wanted a hardcore horror novel, not some story about being nicer to people who blame all of their problems on someone else, because it's clearly not their fault. UGHH. It was just really annoying, and I found myself just getting plain mad through the entire book. Perhaps if some of the characters were actually likeable I would actually ENJOY THE BOOK.
September 8, 2017
Annie is the new girl at school, she just moved and is a bit stressed about making friends.
But Annie isn't given a choice by Elsie, who the minute she saw the new comer, decided they were going to be best friends.
What Annie didn't know is that her new friend is mean, bossy, highly umbareble and would get her in a lot of trouble. None of the other girls liked Elsie, so, they didn't like Annie either.
It is 1918, and the an influenza epidemic is reaping people, old young, babies and Elsie was one of its victims.
Elsie is dead, and only Annie can see and hear her.. It's just the begining of her worst nightmare.
Usually, I'm not into ghost stories, but in this one, the characters were very developped and very distinct. The narrating was awesome you almost belong to that period, I felt the urge to slap Annie in the first chapters and shoot Elsie in the last ones because man, that litte girl was seriously creepy.
Great read, thanks Netgalley for the copy!
But Annie isn't given a choice by Elsie, who the minute she saw the new comer, decided they were going to be best friends.
What Annie didn't know is that her new friend is mean, bossy, highly umbareble and would get her in a lot of trouble. None of the other girls liked Elsie, so, they didn't like Annie either.
It is 1918, and the an influenza epidemic is reaping people, old young, babies and Elsie was one of its victims.
Elsie is dead, and only Annie can see and hear her.. It's just the begining of her worst nightmare.
Usually, I'm not into ghost stories, but in this one, the characters were very developped and very distinct. The narrating was awesome you almost belong to that period, I felt the urge to slap Annie in the first chapters and shoot Elsie in the last ones because man, that litte girl was seriously creepy.
Great read, thanks Netgalley for the copy!
April 7, 2022
Out of all the Mary Downing Hahn books I've read, this one was the most unsettling. This story is about a young girl named Annie who moves to a new town where she doesn’t know anyone. Her first day of school she's claimed as best friend from Elsie, a troubled girl who's deemed tattle tail, liar, and thief by her fellow classmates. Elsie makes the class hate Annie because they're friends even though Annie really doesn't like Elsie because she's mean to her. When one day Elsie dies suddenly of the flu, Annie and her new friends think they're rid of Elsie forever, but Elsie has other plans.
This book took a disturbing turn really setting it off from other works by Mary Downing Hahn. As most of her books are spooky they're not to spooky but like I said this one was different. This story was unsettling, it takes place in 1918 when the Spanish Influenza was on the rise so of course there's a lot of talk and mention of death and the way they handled certain situations was different from how it would be handled in modern day. I honestly thought I wouldn't be that into it just because it was based a long time ago, but honestly I think it makes the story all the more interesting and better.
This book took a disturbing turn really setting it off from other works by Mary Downing Hahn. As most of her books are spooky they're not to spooky but like I said this one was different. This story was unsettling, it takes place in 1918 when the Spanish Influenza was on the rise so of course there's a lot of talk and mention of death and the way they handled certain situations was different from how it would be handled in modern day. I honestly thought I wouldn't be that into it just because it was based a long time ago, but honestly I think it makes the story all the more interesting and better.
July 15, 2024
What a huge disappointment. I am always looking for YA or middle grades books set during the Spanish Flu because there are so few, so when I read about this one I was intrigued. Spanish Flu and a ghost story? Yes please! Well, as it turns out, no. There were at least 3 sections that provided specific information about the flu pandemic (two with the father and one with the teacher, Miss Harrison) that rang so false that they pulled me out of the story. They were just info dumps, not things that real people would say, and I'm pretty sure people at the time didn't even know most of the information they were conveying (although we do know it now). Plus, I was hoping for a creepy ghost story (which I'm not usually into, but was in the mood for), and this was not it. This was just straight up bullying. In fact, the whole book was girls bullying and being horrible to each other. The only character I cared about was Mrs. Jameson, and we don't meet her until the last third of the book. Super disappointing read.
May 2, 2018
Not my cup of tea. I struggled with this one. It was a little too slow and boring for me. Also, it was a bit repetitive and I didn’t think “the moral of the story” or “lesson” was strong enough. I would have liked it more had there been more remorse or true conviction of actions.
October 8, 2020
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It’s 1918 and the war is burning Europe. Troops from the USA have been sent over the Atlantic to fight with the allies, while back home the influenza epidemic breaks out.
Annie Brown has just moved to Mount Pleasant. She is the new girl at this school and all she wants is to make some friends and have a happy school year. Alas, the one girl that has no other friend in her class decides that Annie will be her best friend. And that’s because Elsie Schneider has no friends, even though she’s been going to the same school for a while now. Her classmates want nothing to do with her because she is mean, a liar and a thief. Her last name, which is German, is a reason for the rest of the girls to make fun at her. The Germans are not good people, they are the ones that started this war, where many fathers and uncles have gone to fight.
The decision for the girls to be best friends is Elsie’s alone. Annie is not comfortable with that, but what can she do? What could she possibly say? She didn’t know this girl before and she didn’t know that Elsie has no other friends. When Elsie invites herself at Annie’s home after school, Annie doesn’t feel easy, but she guesses that at some point, Elsie will have to go back to her place. But Elsie seems to envy her for her home, her parents, her room and her toys. This doesn’t end well and Annie tries to find a way to not be friends with Elsie any more, but Elsie doesn’t take it. One day, Elsie doesn’t come to school, so Annie get’s the chance to actually meet her other classmates and hang out and play with them. Soon she becomes part of their gang, and she is no longer an outcast.
In the midst of the epidemic, people start wearing masks and take precautions but they are not always fruitful. Soon, Mount Pleasant and the whole Baltimore is mourning their dead. Young and old people, men and women, even children are not spared. One of the influenza victims is Elsie Schneider and now Annie and the rest of the girls feel so bad about themselves for being mean and tormenting the last time they saw Elsie. Even so, life goes on for the living. Sometimes, also for the dead. Because Elsie refuses to stay dead. She comes back as ghost and is making Annie’s life a living hell.
In this book we see many different themes that are present in middle grade ages. Apart from the influenza epidemic that added another level to the story, it talks a lot about bullying, envy between children and the blur that those years would have with respect to treating injuries and so on. It’s pretty clear that Elsie had issues. She didn’t just woke up one day and decided to be mean with everyone. She felt that she lacked in many aspects of life, being not that wealthy and having a step mother instead of her own. We don’t see much about this relationship, but after Elsie’s death we see a bit more of her stepmother and it seems that this was all in Elsie’s imagination.
It is a story that can keep the reader engaged, which means it must have something good. It is also a ghost story, a spooky read perfect for young readers that like this genre, without any fear of ugly nightmares. Nothing gore or unsuitable can be found in the story. It would be nice to have more background information so as to understand Elsie’s behavior, but since the story was being told from Annie’s point of view, we didn’t have that chance.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.
It’s 1918 and the war is burning Europe. Troops from the USA have been sent over the Atlantic to fight with the allies, while back home the influenza epidemic breaks out.
Annie Brown has just moved to Mount Pleasant. She is the new girl at this school and all she wants is to make some friends and have a happy school year. Alas, the one girl that has no other friend in her class decides that Annie will be her best friend. And that’s because Elsie Schneider has no friends, even though she’s been going to the same school for a while now. Her classmates want nothing to do with her because she is mean, a liar and a thief. Her last name, which is German, is a reason for the rest of the girls to make fun at her. The Germans are not good people, they are the ones that started this war, where many fathers and uncles have gone to fight.
The decision for the girls to be best friends is Elsie’s alone. Annie is not comfortable with that, but what can she do? What could she possibly say? She didn’t know this girl before and she didn’t know that Elsie has no other friends. When Elsie invites herself at Annie’s home after school, Annie doesn’t feel easy, but she guesses that at some point, Elsie will have to go back to her place. But Elsie seems to envy her for her home, her parents, her room and her toys. This doesn’t end well and Annie tries to find a way to not be friends with Elsie any more, but Elsie doesn’t take it. One day, Elsie doesn’t come to school, so Annie get’s the chance to actually meet her other classmates and hang out and play with them. Soon she becomes part of their gang, and she is no longer an outcast.
In the midst of the epidemic, people start wearing masks and take precautions but they are not always fruitful. Soon, Mount Pleasant and the whole Baltimore is mourning their dead. Young and old people, men and women, even children are not spared. One of the influenza victims is Elsie Schneider and now Annie and the rest of the girls feel so bad about themselves for being mean and tormenting the last time they saw Elsie. Even so, life goes on for the living. Sometimes, also for the dead. Because Elsie refuses to stay dead. She comes back as ghost and is making Annie’s life a living hell.
In this book we see many different themes that are present in middle grade ages. Apart from the influenza epidemic that added another level to the story, it talks a lot about bullying, envy between children and the blur that those years would have with respect to treating injuries and so on. It’s pretty clear that Elsie had issues. She didn’t just woke up one day and decided to be mean with everyone. She felt that she lacked in many aspects of life, being not that wealthy and having a step mother instead of her own. We don’t see much about this relationship, but after Elsie’s death we see a bit more of her stepmother and it seems that this was all in Elsie’s imagination.
It is a story that can keep the reader engaged, which means it must have something good. It is also a ghost story, a spooky read perfect for young readers that like this genre, without any fear of ugly nightmares. Nothing gore or unsuitable can be found in the story. It would be nice to have more background information so as to understand Elsie’s behavior, but since the story was being told from Annie’s point of view, we didn’t have that chance.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.
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April 19, 2020I almost didn’t finish reading this because the bullying was way over the top and seemed like it would never end. This book may be a little too much for some middle grade readers due to the excessive bullying in it. I liked it towards the end though.
December 5, 2021
SO AWESOMELY DARK!
Don’t get fooled by the fact this is a Middle Grade book!
This story is DARK. The perfect wintry read, dark, melancholic, Gothic and scary!
The writing style and the blend of paranormal and historical fiction is perfect for young readers! And even though the pace may be slow at times the underlining tension of people dying from influenza, and school bullying will keep you turning the pages and then the ghost story is really a goose·bumps inducing!
Towards the end, as it reaches it climax, you will be more than ready for that nasty ghost to go away!
Don’t get fooled by the fact this is a Middle Grade book!
This story is DARK. The perfect wintry read, dark, melancholic, Gothic and scary!
The writing style and the blend of paranormal and historical fiction is perfect for young readers! And even though the pace may be slow at times the underlining tension of people dying from influenza, and school bullying will keep you turning the pages and then the ghost story is really a goose·bumps inducing!
Towards the end, as it reaches it climax, you will be more than ready for that nasty ghost to go away!
August 15, 2017
Awww man...so much potential for creepiness, ruined by the total absence of likeable characters.
October 24, 2017
This was a little hard for me to get into. I didn't sympathize with any of the girls because none of them were ever very nice. Ultimately I read it to see how much damage the ghost could do.
February 11, 2018
I usually like Hahn's books but this one was very disturbing and no unenjoyable to read. The book was really about severe bullying - not something I cared to read about through the whole story.
November 26, 2021
Another 5 star 'Knocked it out of the Park' ghost story from this newly found author; Mary Downing Hahn! And to think she has been around forever!! LOVED this ghost story of picked on Elsie, and the havoc that she is going to cause in 'One For Sorrow!'
check out my Video review here: don't forget to Subscribe and not miss out on upcoming reviews!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlmPB...
Now, I don't know if reading this while the world and America is going thru an epidemic called Covid-19 added to the eeriness and creep factor or not.....but believe me when I tell you that MDH can write a ghost story unlike any other author who writes fiction, and especially middle grade horror! This book took place in 1918 during the end of World War 1, and during the Spanish Influenza epidemic which killed millions.........and it was a PERFECT read for me right now, and I LOVED it! This is my 2nd Mary Downing Hahn book, that I have listened to, now I do own copies also.....but his audio was incredibly well done.
Annie Browne is the newest student at the private Pearce Academy for Girls, and she is 12 years old. She is nervous about starting school at a new school because she had a lot of friends at her old school, and she is not looking forward to having to start all over. On her first day of school she meets Elsie Schneider; a 'fat, and ugly German Hun!' as she is known thruout the school. She is also the schools tattletale, and very poor, with rotten and crooked teeth....and she immediately attaches herself to Annie, telling her 'we will be the best of Friends...I just know it!' and Annie's life will never be the same. The girls at the school right away start to talk badly about Annie because of Elsie, and Annie tries to tell them all that she doesn't even like Elsie and tells the more popular girls to give her another try.
Now, this is not a spoiler as it is revealed on the back cover of the book; Elsie dies from the flu epidemic.
It is the winter and the girls are having a great afternoon in the soon to be winter cold, with their mittens and scarves on and buying penny candy at the store, when one of the girls brings up the fact that they should all read the obit's in the local paper, and go to the wakes at the homes of the newly dead whether they know them or not, just to get 'Free Sweets, cake and candy' and will be able to save their allowances for other things. Well, they go from house to house and then one of the last ones for the day is a house in 'the bad and poor part of the town' and they go in, and find Elsie dead in her coffin in the family parlor! Yes, Elsie has passed from the Influenza epidemic of 1918!
Now, i do not want to say anything else about this ghost story as I want you to be thoroughly entertained and spooked as I was, but there is a school sing-song rhyme that girls tease and torment Elsie with that you will NEVER forget:
Elsie had a little bird
It's name was Enza
One day she opened up the window
And 'In-flu-Enza!'
This book has a LOT of school bullying in it, so if you yourself are uncomfortable with, or have a child who will be reading this who is, you might be aware of it. As you want to feel sorry for Elsie the teased and tormented so badly before her death, it was sometimes very hard to do, as Elsie is just as bad if not worse at bullying than the girls are. Hahn writes a story that was SO fast paced, and very creepy in her descriptions of how this young ghost of a girl moves around, and how she makes life hell for Annie that it really makes this book a great ghost story to read....especially now with what is going on in our world! I LOVED this as much as I did her 'The Old Willis Place' that i read earlier this year. Pick up 'One for Sorrow' and get ready to meet Elsie Schneider, you will not soon forget her.
5 👻👻⚰️⚰️⚰️
check out my Video review here: don't forget to Subscribe and not miss out on upcoming reviews!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlmPB...
Now, I don't know if reading this while the world and America is going thru an epidemic called Covid-19 added to the eeriness and creep factor or not.....but believe me when I tell you that MDH can write a ghost story unlike any other author who writes fiction, and especially middle grade horror! This book took place in 1918 during the end of World War 1, and during the Spanish Influenza epidemic which killed millions.........and it was a PERFECT read for me right now, and I LOVED it! This is my 2nd Mary Downing Hahn book, that I have listened to, now I do own copies also.....but his audio was incredibly well done.
Annie Browne is the newest student at the private Pearce Academy for Girls, and she is 12 years old. She is nervous about starting school at a new school because she had a lot of friends at her old school, and she is not looking forward to having to start all over. On her first day of school she meets Elsie Schneider; a 'fat, and ugly German Hun!' as she is known thruout the school. She is also the schools tattletale, and very poor, with rotten and crooked teeth....and she immediately attaches herself to Annie, telling her 'we will be the best of Friends...I just know it!' and Annie's life will never be the same. The girls at the school right away start to talk badly about Annie because of Elsie, and Annie tries to tell them all that she doesn't even like Elsie and tells the more popular girls to give her another try.
Now, this is not a spoiler as it is revealed on the back cover of the book; Elsie dies from the flu epidemic.
It is the winter and the girls are having a great afternoon in the soon to be winter cold, with their mittens and scarves on and buying penny candy at the store, when one of the girls brings up the fact that they should all read the obit's in the local paper, and go to the wakes at the homes of the newly dead whether they know them or not, just to get 'Free Sweets, cake and candy' and will be able to save their allowances for other things. Well, they go from house to house and then one of the last ones for the day is a house in 'the bad and poor part of the town' and they go in, and find Elsie dead in her coffin in the family parlor! Yes, Elsie has passed from the Influenza epidemic of 1918!
Now, i do not want to say anything else about this ghost story as I want you to be thoroughly entertained and spooked as I was, but there is a school sing-song rhyme that girls tease and torment Elsie with that you will NEVER forget:
Elsie had a little bird
It's name was Enza
One day she opened up the window
And 'In-flu-Enza!'
This book has a LOT of school bullying in it, so if you yourself are uncomfortable with, or have a child who will be reading this who is, you might be aware of it. As you want to feel sorry for Elsie the teased and tormented so badly before her death, it was sometimes very hard to do, as Elsie is just as bad if not worse at bullying than the girls are. Hahn writes a story that was SO fast paced, and very creepy in her descriptions of how this young ghost of a girl moves around, and how she makes life hell for Annie that it really makes this book a great ghost story to read....especially now with what is going on in our world! I LOVED this as much as I did her 'The Old Willis Place' that i read earlier this year. Pick up 'One for Sorrow' and get ready to meet Elsie Schneider, you will not soon forget her.
5 👻👻⚰️⚰️⚰️
February 5, 2020
I’m not into ghost stories or MDH. Just read this one along with my boy so he could get all 12 Mark Twain nominees finished. He learned a good lesson. Don’t leave the one you really don’t want to read for the last one. I learned some lessons on the importance of kids having self-choice and the wrong book selection can turn a great reader into a non-reader.
April 29, 2017
I have ADORED Mary Downing Hahn's books since I stumbled upon Wait Til Helen Comes in my elementary school's library. My friends and I checked it out over and over, shivering with fear every time the main character ended up haunted. I continued reading the rest of Hahn's oeuvre that was available in the library, and fell in love with her historical fiction and coming of age stories like Stepping on the Cracks and Tallahassee Higgins. Hahn has always been a treasured writer of mine and I am thrilled to say she is still writing and her new book is fantastic.
One for Sorrow is a good combination of Hahn's various book styles - it is a ghost story, coming of age story, and historical fiction novel all rolled up into one. It is set during WWI and the Spanish Influenza epidemic in America, but the setting/era and characters (especially Annie, the main protagonist) are very approachable for readers. I did not find it "old-fashioned" or "outdated", though it had an appropriate number of historic touches. I especially liked the inclusion of jump rope songs, which morph eerily into a haunting refrain that appears again and again throughout the book.
I don't want to spoil too much, but this is a solid story. Young readers who like a little bit of spookyness (without over the top supernatural nonsense) or stories about drama among friends will really enjoy this. I would say this would be best for late elementary school or middle school. If you like any of Hahn's other books, you won't be disappointed here.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks for granting my wish!!)
One for Sorrow is a good combination of Hahn's various book styles - it is a ghost story, coming of age story, and historical fiction novel all rolled up into one. It is set during WWI and the Spanish Influenza epidemic in America, but the setting/era and characters (especially Annie, the main protagonist) are very approachable for readers. I did not find it "old-fashioned" or "outdated", though it had an appropriate number of historic touches. I especially liked the inclusion of jump rope songs, which morph eerily into a haunting refrain that appears again and again throughout the book.
I don't want to spoil too much, but this is a solid story. Young readers who like a little bit of spookyness (without over the top supernatural nonsense) or stories about drama among friends will really enjoy this. I would say this would be best for late elementary school or middle school. If you like any of Hahn's other books, you won't be disappointed here.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks for granting my wish!!)
January 10, 2021
This book was painful, and not in a “this is giving me all the feelings” type of way, but a “when will this be over” type of way. I couldn’t stand any of the characters, the plot dragged, the setting didn’t play enough of a role for my taste, and I just really did not have a good time.
February 11, 2019
I think this book is awesome. I really love Mary Downing Hahn’s books!
March 5, 2019
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(sorry I haven't updated for a while :/)
(sorry I haven't updated for a while :/)
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