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Hippo Hauntings #1
Ghost Abbey
A superbly evocative ghost story that continues to haunt long after it is finished.
Maggi has noticed something very unsettling about the old house into which her family has just moved, and which her widowed father is renovating. She gradually realizes that the house wields a dark and terrifying power, luring people in to help protect and preserve it. In fear, Maggi tries to get her family away but the house isn’t willing to let them go.
Maggi has noticed something very unsettling about the old house into which her family has just moved, and which her widowed father is renovating. She gradually realizes that the house wields a dark and terrifying power, luring people in to help protect and preserve it. In fear, Maggi tries to get her family away but the house isn’t willing to let them go.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
13 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Robert Westall
122 books110 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Robert Westall was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England in 1929.
His first published book The Machine Gunners (1975) which won him the Carnegie Medal is set in World War Two when a group of children living on Tyneside retrieve a machine-gun from a crashed German aircraft. He won the Carnegie Medal again in 1981 for The Scarecrows, the first writer to win it twice. He won the Smarties Prize in 1989 for Blitzcat and the Guardian Award in 1990 for The Kingdom by the Sea. Robert Westall's books have been published in 21 different countries and in 18 different languages, including Braille.
From: http://www.robertwestall.com/
Robert Westall was born in North Shields, Northumberland, England in 1929.
His first published book The Machine Gunners (1975) which won him the Carnegie Medal is set in World War Two when a group of children living on Tyneside retrieve a machine-gun from a crashed German aircraft. He won the Carnegie Medal again in 1981 for The Scarecrows, the first writer to win it twice. He won the Smarties Prize in 1989 for Blitzcat and the Guardian Award in 1990 for The Kingdom by the Sea. Robert Westall's books have been published in 21 different countries and in 18 different languages, including Braille.
From: http://www.robertwestall.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 26, 2018
Maggi Adams loves her dad. He hasn't been the same since her mom died. Nothing has been the same. Maggi knows they need a change, and she definitely knows they need to get far away from the horrid woman their dad hired to clean the house while he's working. She's just too forward....and common. Her dad doesn't need an entanglement like that. So when her father gets a job offer to be a project foreman on a renovation project, Maggi is so happy! Restoring an old abbey sounds like just the thing to bring her dad out of depression. Plus it will give her, and her twin brothers, something to do over summer break. After they arrive at the dilapidated old place, Maggi soon knows that there is more to the old building than anyone realizes. Strange noises. Singing when nobody is there. Accidents happen to those who try to damage the abbey. Ghostly figures. What's going on? What does the Abbey want?
I enjoyed this story. The tale is well-written and spookily entertaining. The front cover art is awesome! Maggi makes a great main character. She works hard to help her dad and keep the twins in line and bravely investigates the Abbey. While there is no graphic gore or over-the-top scary moments, there is a bit of language and some adult themes. Not enough to give it a pg-13 rating, but it might not be appropriate for kids younger than middle-grade. There is a nice element of suspense to the story, and the descriptions of the Abbey and its state of disrepair really set the stage nicely for a ghost story. The ending is a bit abrupt...but that didn't harm my enjoyment of the book. Very entertaining!
Robert Westall is the author of many books for kids and adults including The Devil on the Road and The Watch House. I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author!
I enjoyed this story. The tale is well-written and spookily entertaining. The front cover art is awesome! Maggi makes a great main character. She works hard to help her dad and keep the twins in line and bravely investigates the Abbey. While there is no graphic gore or over-the-top scary moments, there is a bit of language and some adult themes. Not enough to give it a pg-13 rating, but it might not be appropriate for kids younger than middle-grade. There is a nice element of suspense to the story, and the descriptions of the Abbey and its state of disrepair really set the stage nicely for a ghost story. The ending is a bit abrupt...but that didn't harm my enjoyment of the book. Very entertaining!
Robert Westall is the author of many books for kids and adults including The Devil on the Road and The Watch House. I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author!
October 2, 2018
In sheer bafflement I have to ask: how hard is it to F-up atmospheric settings? Why misuse “Ghost Abbey” on a story that showed one non-interactive ghost?! If I liked the style, protagonist, and gleaned points of interest from the tale Robert Westall did tell; three stars for something compelling would be a cinch. No dice. His first mistake was making drama of lame sidelines; everything but the abbey's potential for archaeological importance. Considering this was, an albeit tedious, 176-page story; it took forever to arrive at George Adam's dream job: restoring a landmark and mental health after losing his wife.
Although I think a dream job and a change is enough of a draw, I understand impoverished characters makes their opportunity urgent. Instead of sketching that a little, we are mired in Maggi's distress about a housekeeper who pretends to work, only when their Dad is there. What child of any age would hesitate to say: “Dad, that lady isn't doing squat”? Without it being obvious that Maggi cooks and cleans, what poor person hires help? It was stupid that they actually left the house to avoid the useless woman. When they get to the abbey, Maggi is depicted as doing nothing but cook and clean. She explores enough to make a sensational discovery and befriend her Dad's boss but how could Robert squander pages like that? Nobody reads a paranormal mystery to watch a child clean, while two useless brothers run around. The off-hours are the spark of every adventure novel!
There are two observable metaphysical anomalies but a non-static spirit, with an identity, would be far more exhilarating. Finally, despite being asked to check for structural incongruities; the gambit of patting down peeling wallpaper for days and not opening the wonder underneath, skewed this to two stars.
Although I think a dream job and a change is enough of a draw, I understand impoverished characters makes their opportunity urgent. Instead of sketching that a little, we are mired in Maggi's distress about a housekeeper who pretends to work, only when their Dad is there. What child of any age would hesitate to say: “Dad, that lady isn't doing squat”? Without it being obvious that Maggi cooks and cleans, what poor person hires help? It was stupid that they actually left the house to avoid the useless woman. When they get to the abbey, Maggi is depicted as doing nothing but cook and clean. She explores enough to make a sensational discovery and befriend her Dad's boss but how could Robert squander pages like that? Nobody reads a paranormal mystery to watch a child clean, while two useless brothers run around. The off-hours are the spark of every adventure novel!
There are two observable metaphysical anomalies but a non-static spirit, with an identity, would be far more exhilarating. Finally, despite being asked to check for structural incongruities; the gambit of patting down peeling wallpaper for days and not opening the wonder underneath, skewed this to two stars.
April 20, 2008
I came across this book when I was in junior high.
For some odd reason, I'd go back and read it every summer. I'm a huge fan.
For some odd reason, I'd go back and read it every summer. I'm a huge fan.
May 19, 2011
Set in England. Maggi's mother died 2 years ago leaving her father despondent and Maggi to care for the house and her two younger brothers. Her father's construction business is in trouble since he is sunk in sorrow, the blousy housekeeper/babysitter he's hired to watch Maggi and her brothers has set her matrimonial sights on him and does no housekeeping, and Maggi has to do all the shopping, cooking, and housework. Then, right when school is ending, her father gets an offer to repair an old abbey/mansion in Cheshire. Desperate to get him away from the predacious housekeeper, Maggi convinces him to accept the offer and the family moves away to live in the abbey while the work is being done. Additional characters include Ms. MacFarlane, secretary of the trust which owns the abbey, and a group of juvenile delinquents on some sort of court-ordered work release who create havoc. Gradually Maggi comes to realize that the ancient abbey has a sort of self awareness and an ability to protect itself. For example, the lead hooligan gets his comeuppance when he tries to destroy part of the outside of the building.
It's not clear why 12-year old Maggi is responsible for all chores, cleaning, cooking, laundry, and child care re her brothers with the dad cheering her on--"That's my Maggi, a great cook." Some of the juvenile delinquents are chilling in their complete lack of empathy or interest, young sociopaths in the making, "controlled" by a completely ineffective idiot who mouths complacencies about their poor upbringings and (self-fulling) lack of future means of employment--but the house takes care of them! A budding romance between Ms. MacFarlane and Maggi's dad is a sweet solution to the dad's despondency. So...stereotypical characters. Still, it's an interesting story with a nice build-up to Maggi's gradual realization of the building's paranormal abilities and her efforts to protect her family and learn the secrets of the abbey.
It's not clear why 12-year old Maggi is responsible for all chores, cleaning, cooking, laundry, and child care re her brothers with the dad cheering her on--"That's my Maggi, a great cook." Some of the juvenile delinquents are chilling in their complete lack of empathy or interest, young sociopaths in the making, "controlled" by a completely ineffective idiot who mouths complacencies about their poor upbringings and (self-fulling) lack of future means of employment--but the house takes care of them! A budding romance between Ms. MacFarlane and Maggi's dad is a sweet solution to the dad's despondency. So...stereotypical characters. Still, it's an interesting story with a nice build-up to Maggi's gradual realization of the building's paranormal abilities and her efforts to protect her family and learn the secrets of the abbey.
November 10, 2017
This one was a disappointment, honestly. Less than 200 pages, and it still took me over a week to finish, because it just didn't hold my interest. The plot was pretty scattered; the scares, such as they were, were not scary, and the story just kind of rambled along until realizing three quarters of the way through that it needed a point, and jamming one in for the end. Maggi seemed awfully quick to jump to conclusions that happened to be right despite lacking any real evidence for doing so. The climactic scene was also completely ridiculous. It also lacked a lot in characterization; the twins in particular were simply convenient mischief machines with no actual personalities (also, I'm sorry, if you're going to have actual humans called "Baz" and "Gaz", I'm going to at least need to know what those are short for), and Maggi's complete willingness to play Susie Homemaker, while I guess I'd buy it from a kid who's lost her mom, the rest of the world being totally okay with it and nobody making any effort to intervene or even really commenting on it seems weird. I know the book is old, but it's not that old.
So yeah — not scary, even by children's book standards, the plot is barely coherent, and the characters are just vehicles to move along said plot. There is so much better juvenile horror out there. Pass.
So yeah — not scary, even by children's book standards, the plot is barely coherent, and the characters are just vehicles to move along said plot. There is so much better juvenile horror out there. Pass.
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February 29, 2016Well this just threw me back to my childhood! This book popped up on my Goodreads and the memories came flooding back. Guess my taste in books hasn't changed much in the past thirty-ish years;) This one may have to be a reread as an adult. Always fun to see how your perspective changes as you grow up.
October 9, 2009
A girl named Maggi who moved to a spooky Abbey with her dad and her two brothers.
February 9, 2015
Master story teller!
March 27, 2016
Cute little ghost story. Not scary.
December 27, 2024
You can't go wrong with Westall. I pulled this down for a re-read (I must have bought it brand-new when I was young, working and flush with cash) and was thrilled to find I had forgotten the plot and could enjoy it all over again. Atmosphere is excellent, with some good scares. I like reading books written from a child/teen's [coming-of-age] point of view - this one in particular gives the angles both of disliking fakery in adults and of the heroine's slow understanding of adult motivations. She is a young carer, who's had to cope with a lot of drudgery, but most of all she wants her Dad to be happy again.
If I were feeling uncharitable I'd drop a star for one rather guessable payoff at the end, which I won't spoil, but you have to remember this is aimed at children, who may not have the knowledge to have spotted the clues earlier. Again, in an adult version of the same story, some of the characters would have been fleshed out more - but to demand that would be entirely to miss the point of this kind of storytelling. We see through youthful eyes at all times. Sometimes that's clearer, in a way. Well, in the haunted world!
If I were feeling uncharitable I'd drop a star for one rather guessable payoff at the end, which I won't spoil, but you have to remember this is aimed at children, who may not have the knowledge to have spotted the clues earlier. Again, in an adult version of the same story, some of the characters would have been fleshed out more - but to demand that would be entirely to miss the point of this kind of storytelling. We see through youthful eyes at all times. Sometimes that's clearer, in a way. Well, in the haunted world!
March 19, 2025
I am going to have this rounded up to 2 stars because it wasn't that Ghost Abbey was bad as much as it was...boring.
Maybe because I am in my early forties it just didn't really strike me as much Robert Westall did with The Promise which I have already read. If I had read this book in middle school, it might have been a little more interesting as the main character, Maggi, is twelve going on thirteen.
If you like your scares where nothing is scarier, there are better books with atmosphere about places that are haunted. The blurb on the back of the book is quite misleading, making the story seem much more interesting.
Also, you better be prepared for a lot of dialogue that is very British, boarding on brogues that may leave you quite confused. There are only a handful of actual suspenseful things, and the ending is just as puzzling.
Maggi is a very good main character since she has to look out for her father and brothers and be a little wise beyond her years. Her relationship with her father is also very touching to read about since I lost my own father in my late teens and her dad reminds me of my own being so handy with building things.
So, as I said there are good things about Ghost Abbey... but just not enough to say I really liked it.
Maybe because I am in my early forties it just didn't really strike me as much Robert Westall did with The Promise which I have already read. If I had read this book in middle school, it might have been a little more interesting as the main character, Maggi, is twelve going on thirteen.
If you like your scares where nothing is scarier, there are better books with atmosphere about places that are haunted. The blurb on the back of the book is quite misleading, making the story seem much more interesting.
Also, you better be prepared for a lot of dialogue that is very British, boarding on brogues that may leave you quite confused. There are only a handful of actual suspenseful things, and the ending is just as puzzling.
Maggi is a very good main character since she has to look out for her father and brothers and be a little wise beyond her years. Her relationship with her father is also very touching to read about since I lost my own father in my late teens and her dad reminds me of my own being so handy with building things.
So, as I said there are good things about Ghost Abbey... but just not enough to say I really liked it.
January 4, 2020
Another one of those buried gems hidden in an outdated ‘80s art cover. Interesting take on a haunted house story. Usually there’s a restive spirit, a murder victim wanting justice or a heartbroken soul wanting closure. In this case, the actual house is the animated soul seeking something from its living inhabitants. The 12-year-old protagonist is believable and pitiable; she is still mourning her dead mother on top of being responsible for running the household and caring for her brothers. Her despondent father even says it out loud at one point. But her point of view and opinions are still very much that of a child, which lends a nicely realistic touch to the ghost story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2021
I adore Westall. I love the way he writes, the sentence structure, the design.
Ghost Abbey was as haunting and quiet and beautiful as any of his books.
The main character, Maggi, a woman before her time, bearing that she's only 12, but she takes care of everything and everyone.
That gives her the foresight to recognize the house is haunted, and the appropriate way to respond to it.
An excellent book, as usual.
Ghost Abbey was as haunting and quiet and beautiful as any of his books.
The main character, Maggi, a woman before her time, bearing that she's only 12, but she takes care of everything and everyone.
That gives her the foresight to recognize the house is haunted, and the appropriate way to respond to it.
An excellent book, as usual.
January 19, 2023
This was a tough one for me. I wouldn't call it the ghost story I was expecting. More the sounds you hear, the feelings you get, than the visual spirits of other stories.
Until about 2/3 through, I would have given it probably only 2 stars- it was kind of hard to read through, slang and accents written out, details drawn out.
But by the end, watching the story play out, it was good. Sweet and griping story of how they rescue each other without a real villain cast.
Interesting read.
Until about 2/3 through, I would have given it probably only 2 stars- it was kind of hard to read through, slang and accents written out, details drawn out.
But by the end, watching the story play out, it was good. Sweet and griping story of how they rescue each other without a real villain cast.
Interesting read.
September 6, 2022
I was expecting a discovery that would explain the supernatural influence, but no, that didn't happen. And imagine being so cranky about women insisting on "Ms." as a title that you'd refer to a character as "Mzz McFarlane" throughout a whole book! Not my favorite by Westall but still quite satisfying.
November 30, 2022
Classic gothic haunted house story with a likable (if young!) protagonist and mysterious teddy bears. The dad reminded me of Hugh Crane from the Flanagan Haunting of Hill House. The ending was a bit rushed, but for what this was, it was very good!
December 19, 2024
I adore Young adult novels from my childhood & ones from that era I have yet to read. An old Abbey and a youth Maggi, beyond her years, arrive at the Abby her father is to restore. But they are in for many surprises during its renovations.
February 22, 2020
A favorite of mine as a child
September 26, 2020
This book was alright, though it definitely felt like more of a family drama than a horror story. There weren't too many scary or thrilling scenes at all!
September 12, 2021
I love a haunted house book
May 17, 2022
Too boring. Took so long for any action to happen.
January 10, 2023
Very difficult to put down
April 16, 2023
Read this one with my 11 year old son. We read it together- meh He seemed to like it or the mystery of it anyway. He deemed several parts “boring” and said there wasn’t enough “scary parts” lol
August 11, 2024
Alle elementari presi questo libro in biblioteca senza mai finirlo e senza mai restituirlo.
Nonostante ciò non sono riuscita a dimenticarlo e avevo bisogno di scoprire il finale. Fortunatamente l’ho trovato su un sito di libri usati ed ecco qua, Gaia Junior davvero interessante anche per i più grandi. Libro thriller per ragazzi molto piacevole.
Nonostante ciò non sono riuscita a dimenticarlo e avevo bisogno di scoprire il finale. Fortunatamente l’ho trovato su un sito di libri usati ed ecco qua, Gaia Junior davvero interessante anche per i più grandi. Libro thriller per ragazzi molto piacevole.
December 15, 2025
I found this gothic horror very enjoyable. I wouldn't say it was especially scary, but I enjoyed reading through Maggi's perspective and Westall built the tension well in key scenes.
July 7, 2018
Robert Westallin "Kummitusluostari" (Karisto, 1991) kuuluu Kauhujuttu-nimiseen kirjasarjaan, joiden kansikuvia katselin kirjaston lastenosastolla kultaisella 1990-luvulla, mutta joita en koskaan tullut lainanneeksi. En rehellisesti sanottuna tainnut uskaltaa.
Maggi-niminen tyttö asuu jossakin Pohjois-Englannissa yhdessä leskeksi jääneen isänsä ja kahden rasavillin veljensä Bazin ja Gazin kanssa. Elämä tuntuu olevan vähän surumielistä, mutta sitten rakennusurakoitsijana työskentelevä isä saa vanhan luostarin kunnostettavakseen ja koko perhe suuntaa etelään. Luostarissa he tutustuvat "Pelkkä" McFarlane -nimiseen naiseen, joka omistaa paikan. Työtä piisaisi muutenkin, mutta pahus kun vanhassa rakennuksessa tuntuu vielä kummittelevankin...
"Kummitusluostari" on merkillinen pieni lastenkirja. Lähdin lukemaan sitä perinteisenä kummitusjuttuna, mutta loppujen sainkin romaanin, jonka yliluonnollisten tapahtumien sijasta keskiöön nousevatkin perhe- ja ihmissuhteet. Kirjaa voisi melkeinpä pitää lapsille suunnattuna versiona Sarah Watersin Vieras kartanossa -romaanista.
Kirja ei rehellisesti sanottuna ole erityisen pelottava, ja sen alkuun sijoitettu "traileri" (alkuun sijoitettu, vajaan sivun mittainen ote kirjan keskeltä) on suorastaan harhaanjohtava. Lukija odottaa koko ajan että jotakin tapahtuisi, mutta taitaa sitten pettyä pahemman kerran kun toiminta ei käynnistykään. Loppuratkaisukaan ei ole erityisen hyytävä. Yleissävy on myös hieman aikuismainen, mikä saattaa karkoittaa nuorimmat ja ennen kaikkea huonoimmat lukijat pois.
Englantilaisuus on aika voimakkaasti läsnä, muutenkin kuin alituisen teenlatkimisen kautta. Lisäksi mukaan on istutettu vähäsen yhteiskuntapolitiikkaa: taloa kunnostamaan saapuneiden lättähattujen raggarimaista käytöstä selitetään sillä, että heillä "ei ole työtä, ei toivoa, ei tulevaisuutta" (s. 114) ja "kapitalistinen järjestelmä riistää heitä" (s. 78).
Lastenkirjastoihmisen mielestä "Kummitusluostari" on omassa lajissaan melko mielenkiintoinen tapaus, mutta se saattaa olla niin aikaan ja paikkaan sidottu, ettei sille löydy enää lukijakuntaa muista kuin nostalgiannälkäisistä aikuisista.
Maggi-niminen tyttö asuu jossakin Pohjois-Englannissa yhdessä leskeksi jääneen isänsä ja kahden rasavillin veljensä Bazin ja Gazin kanssa. Elämä tuntuu olevan vähän surumielistä, mutta sitten rakennusurakoitsijana työskentelevä isä saa vanhan luostarin kunnostettavakseen ja koko perhe suuntaa etelään. Luostarissa he tutustuvat "Pelkkä" McFarlane -nimiseen naiseen, joka omistaa paikan. Työtä piisaisi muutenkin, mutta pahus kun vanhassa rakennuksessa tuntuu vielä kummittelevankin...
"Kummitusluostari" on merkillinen pieni lastenkirja. Lähdin lukemaan sitä perinteisenä kummitusjuttuna, mutta loppujen sainkin romaanin, jonka yliluonnollisten tapahtumien sijasta keskiöön nousevatkin perhe- ja ihmissuhteet. Kirjaa voisi melkeinpä pitää lapsille suunnattuna versiona Sarah Watersin Vieras kartanossa -romaanista.
Kirja ei rehellisesti sanottuna ole erityisen pelottava, ja sen alkuun sijoitettu "traileri" (alkuun sijoitettu, vajaan sivun mittainen ote kirjan keskeltä) on suorastaan harhaanjohtava. Lukija odottaa koko ajan että jotakin tapahtuisi, mutta taitaa sitten pettyä pahemman kerran kun toiminta ei käynnistykään. Loppuratkaisukaan ei ole erityisen hyytävä. Yleissävy on myös hieman aikuismainen, mikä saattaa karkoittaa nuorimmat ja ennen kaikkea huonoimmat lukijat pois.
Englantilaisuus on aika voimakkaasti läsnä, muutenkin kuin alituisen teenlatkimisen kautta. Lisäksi mukaan on istutettu vähäsen yhteiskuntapolitiikkaa: taloa kunnostamaan saapuneiden lättähattujen raggarimaista käytöstä selitetään sillä, että heillä "ei ole työtä, ei toivoa, ei tulevaisuutta" (s. 114) ja "kapitalistinen järjestelmä riistää heitä" (s. 78).
Lastenkirjastoihmisen mielestä "Kummitusluostari" on omassa lajissaan melko mielenkiintoinen tapaus, mutta se saattaa olla niin aikaan ja paikkaan sidottu, ettei sille löydy enää lukijakuntaa muista kuin nostalgiannälkäisistä aikuisista.
May 22, 2013
DON'T MESS WITH THIS PLACE: IT COULD KILL YOU!
Twelve-year-old Maggi has her hands full in this English ghost story; everything from insolent louts and anachronistic ectoplasm to malevolent architecture. Having taken over as the Little Missus when her Mam died, she has to deal with a gone-to-seed carpenter father, horrid younger twin brothers, and a lazy floozy of a housekeeper with designs on Dad. Naturally father and daughter jump at the chance to refurbish an old abbey/house in Cheshire for an eager contractor friend, who believes in the Past. But who knows what awaits their arrival in their hopeful innocence for a new life? More than the schoolmarmish secretary for the Marigold Trust...
To be sure--the new place has ghosts as well as a sinister conscience. Maggi learns to be kind to the house and respectful of its ancient contents. Soon she starts talking To the house (so it won't consider her an enemy), for she has realized its power of retribution. Aye, this is one abbey that can take care of itself. I hope you are good at reading dialect, for it's quite a challenge for Yankee readers to decipher the meanings of British phrases, not to mention imagine in our mind's ear the sound of Dad's broad Tyneside accent. Nevertheless, this is an interesting read about a young girl's attempts to preserve her family in the face of supernatural forces. Will she ever discover the Abbey's true secret and win its approval? Girls 10-14 will enjoy this book, but be warned: don't mess with old teddy bears!
(October 30, 2010. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Twelve-year-old Maggi has her hands full in this English ghost story; everything from insolent louts and anachronistic ectoplasm to malevolent architecture. Having taken over as the Little Missus when her Mam died, she has to deal with a gone-to-seed carpenter father, horrid younger twin brothers, and a lazy floozy of a housekeeper with designs on Dad. Naturally father and daughter jump at the chance to refurbish an old abbey/house in Cheshire for an eager contractor friend, who believes in the Past. But who knows what awaits their arrival in their hopeful innocence for a new life? More than the schoolmarmish secretary for the Marigold Trust...
To be sure--the new place has ghosts as well as a sinister conscience. Maggi learns to be kind to the house and respectful of its ancient contents. Soon she starts talking To the house (so it won't consider her an enemy), for she has realized its power of retribution. Aye, this is one abbey that can take care of itself. I hope you are good at reading dialect, for it's quite a challenge for Yankee readers to decipher the meanings of British phrases, not to mention imagine in our mind's ear the sound of Dad's broad Tyneside accent. Nevertheless, this is an interesting read about a young girl's attempts to preserve her family in the face of supernatural forces. Will she ever discover the Abbey's true secret and win its approval? Girls 10-14 will enjoy this book, but be warned: don't mess with old teddy bears!
(October 30, 2010. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
April 27, 2013
Robert Westall is definitively the reason I have a problem with over-commaing. Somehow I missed this book in my childhood, so it's the first time I've read it, now. Without the attachment of memory, the dialect-heavy opening is a little tougher than in his other books, but, like all his stories, for me, once it's begun, it rolls right along and you don't want to leave it for a moment just in case something happens whilst you're not looking.
Still, as his books go, whilst there's a sense of impending and actual horror at times, it isn't the most appealing to read, nor the most interesting. The characters are well-drawn and the realism is certainly there; there are aspects of this book that would've been best left in the eighties, but sadly found their way out. Not the worst read, but not something I'm keen to keep, nor a thing I'd recommend.
June 21, 2008
I thought I'd read nearly all of Westall's books and short stories, so coming upon this one that had somehow slipped through my net was a pleasure. Not up there with Westall classics like Devil on the Road, Cats of Seroster, The Scarecrows, or The Machinegunners, but I have such a soft spot for all of his writing that I'm giving it 4 stars out of author loyalty (rounding up from the three and a half it should probably get, if goodreads would let one give half stars).
October 5, 2010
While this was no Stones of Muncaster Cathedral, I liked it a lot more than Yaxley's Cat. We had another fretful protagonist here, but she was also clever and capable and at all effective at anything, which was a big improvement. And there was a building-with-a-life-of-its-own, which I'm a big sucker for.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews