Time Windows

by Kathryn Reiss

When Miranda moves with her family to a new house in a small Massachusetts town, she discovers a mysterious antique--a dollhouse. Through the windows, she is shocked to find what seem to be living people in the tiny rooms, and gradually she realizes that scenes from the lives of the big house’s past inhabitants are being replayed there.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Time Travel, Mystery, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Kathryn Reiss was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Ohio, and received B.A. degrees in English and German from Duke University, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. After college, she lived in Bonn, Germany as a Fulbright Scholar, and during this time wrote the first draft of her first novel, Time Windows.

Ms. Reiss is an award -winning author of 20 novels for kids and teens. She has been a Writer in Residence for the Princeton Arts Council, a recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Grant for Writers, and has been a featured speaker with (among others) Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, The Northern California Library Association, The International Reading Association, Fresno County Office of Education, California Reading Association, The American Library Association, and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives in Northern California with her husband and the last of her seven children still in the nest. She is a Full Professor of English at Mills College at Northeastern University, and also teaches in the low -residency MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Reviews

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back in elementary school after my mum bought it for me at a book fair, and I read it so many times that the cover fell off. Did I replace the book? Negative...I taped the cover back on, and I still re-read it to this day.

Time Windows is the story of Miranda Browne, the quintessential city girl from New York who moves to the suburbs in Massachusetts. The house is old, quaint, and everything her parents could ever hope for. Miranda isn't so sure, but she finds an antique dollhouse in the attic and finds herself drawn to it. When a chance encounter leads Miranda to discover that she can view the past through the windows of the dollhouse, which is a replica of her house, she becomes emotionally attached to those she sees through the windows. Strange things start happening though - the events that used to happen in the house begin to unravel and happen again through those living in the house now. Miranda must figure out the mysteries of the dollhouse before something bad happens.

This book hooked me from the first page. It was an intriguing concept with mysteries, ghosts, time travel, and just enough paranormal to keep me satisfied. The writing is quick, fast-paced, and easy to follow.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves YA and MG books, for sure. I give it a 4.5 out 5 because I still think the ending was too abrupt for my liking.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read to over half way through but this became a real chore to read so decided to give up. This started well, a family moves away to a house that hasn't been inhabited for some years. After some health problems this was meant to be a new start but women in the family or female visitors start to behave in a strange and aggressive manner. the daughter of this family, Miranda, finds a doll's house which is a replica of the house they live in. She discovers that when she looks through the windows she can see into the past and see snapshots of families lives who have lived there before, soon she realises that those lives weren't happy ones

This was dragged on way too long and we just lost interest in what would otherwise have been a scary mystery. There was some offputting parts about cute boys and cringeworthy descriptions of creeping up on someone in a cellar. The strange behaviour of the adult women in the story, supposedly from the curse of the house went unnoticed for too long. This could have been a fun quick read but this felt like something we were keen to get over and done with.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-drawn characters and an interesting story, but I thought this dragged on too long. It didn't keep me invested. But I forced myself to finish and it was a quick read.

[L. Soper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the first time in early middle school. Incredibly atmospheric and suspenseful, a real nail-biter. I've since read this as an adult and it does not disappoint!

[Amanda Meuwissen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may have been the first book I ever read twice. Looking back now, it's not monumental enough to me for a 5 as far as story, and yet it really stuck with me over the years. I remember how vividly I was able to picture what was happening, the fear associated with certain moments, especially the...secret room, to try and avoid spoilers too much. A great story for a younger reader who enjoys being scared. Though this may have further attributed to my irrational fear of dolls...

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book probably 20-30 times over the years and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s so creepy!

[Wealhtheow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade.

Miranda's family moves into an old house in a small town. She's immediately fascinated by the dollhouse she finds in the attic. It's a perfect replica of the house--and if she looks through the dollhouse windows, she can see into earlier moments in time, stretching back to 1904! But there's something deeply wrong in the families she sees through the windows, echoing over and over. And to her horror, Miranda begins to notice the same wrongness in her own family.

When I read this as a kid, it was almost too scary. Even now, as an adult, it is an effective horror story. Miranda realizes that little Dorothy's death back in 1904 was a terrible mistake, and that if she can find the key that locked her in the attic, she can undo it. She puts the key in the dollhouse attic where Dorothy can find it, thus undoing not just Dorothy's death, but all the unhappiness and child abuse that the other families that moved into the house then re-enacted.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when Dorothy escaped the attic, and lived till she was over 90 years old, unlike before when she died in the airtight room in the attic. She escaped the attic with the key that Miranda put in the dollhouse, a few minutes after Dorothy was locked in the attic by Lucinda. The worst part was when Dorothy died, the first time, before Miranda helped her. What happened was she was thrown in the attic, for spilling perfume, getting locked in the attic, and getting scared, so she fell into the artight hiding space used in the underground railroad. My favorite character was Miranda because she helped Dorothy escape from the attic and live. The worst character was probably Lucinda because she started the whole thing by being mean and throwing Dorothy into the attic. I like this book because it had a mystery in and Miranda could see the past.
Auryn 11 years old, 2015

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time Windows is a middle grade book that would probably appeal to 10-14 year olds the most. I found it to be enjoyable but predictable I thought the dollhouse aspect and seeing into the past through it was interesting, but nothing that happened in the book really surprised me. By the time everything happened I had figured it out already.

My only real complaint is I felt like the girl in the book was written a little too young for her age at times. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a teenager and not a 10 year old. At least up until she started befriending the neighbor boy.

This is the second book I’ve read by Kathryn Reiss. I liked her YA book Dreadful Sorry a lot more than I liked this one. I’m not sure if I’ll read anything else by this author since most of her books seem to be middle grade and I’m not all that interested in reading middle grade books.

[Miranda Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I pick out this book in fifth grade because the main character's name was Miranda? Yes. But was that why I loved it so much? No; I loved it because the story is freaking amazing. I've read this book so many times and I'll continue to read it many more. Such an addicting plot with lovable characters and a fantastic mystery. READ READ READ IT!

[Erica Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood re-read. I forgot how much I enjoyed Kathryn Reiss’s writing. So dark for a middle grade book, but it has all the elements of a good mystery: a girl, a Victorian ghost, and a dollhouse. But be prepared for some generational trauma inherited via haunting.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damn. I was really invested in the beginning, but I quickly became tired of the story. I wasn't expecting so much abuse. It felt like it took Miranda forever to put the pieces together that clearly the house is affecting the women who stay there. Also, I found Dan more icky than charming. The ending was interesting, but I'm not sure how I feel about it, as someone frustrated by the intricacies of time travel. 2.5 stars.

[Nattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this right after reading The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall, so lets just say it took me a while to fall asleep. Time Windows is much scarier than the other book, but not so scary I couldn't read it, but both books combined put a spook in me and made me think about life and death too much, and I don't need any extra help when it comes to that.

I was mesmerized by the scenes that took place in the doll house, which only Miranda could see. I can honestly say that if I had a doll house that was a replica of my own home, and I could see former residents' lives fly by in the tiny rooms; I would never get a moment of sleep ever again. Miranda says she's scared, but that never seems to stop her from tucking in peacefully at night, which left me scratching my head.

I didn't give the book 4 stars because the ending was kind of a copout, I mean it was great in a way, but it didn't make sense and it sort of made everything that had happened until then seem like it hadn't really mattered.

I guess if one can believe that a person can see the past in a doll house, one should also believe that it's possible to change the past in the present, but I didn't. Like, say I wanted to stop the Titanic from sinking, I believe that if I time traveled to that day I might be able to accomplish that, if they didn't toss me overboard or something, but I don't think I could change anything that happened in 1912 in 2016. Whatever happened already did, and you can't change that or you would have to change everything.

The story addresses that altering history could very well mean that you might not even exist, but it still went with the decision to do so in order to get a more pleasant ending was my feeling.

[Jelyjam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just re-read this book after reading it when I was in 6th grade, because this story always stuck with me even tho for many years I could not remember the title. But thanks to the modern power of the internet I was able to search the plot and figure it out when I was trying to think of good books for my little bookworm daughter to read over the summer. I re-read it before I let her read it because she is a little younger than I was when I read it and I remember it being a bit scary. However, other than a bit of an over all suspenseful/creepy feeling the book gives and maybe a couple parts here and there that were a bit spooky, the book was not as intense as I remember it being as a kid lol. Either my age or my memory may have dramatized the intensity of the story but the reason I chose this book is due to the impression it left on me that not many books did. I read many books as a kid but not many do I remember loving as much as this one. And even upon reading it as an adult it still managed to keep my interest.

[Audra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this was written for middle school kids but it really doesn't read like that at all. It was so intriguing to see how the ghost over the years took over the women who lived in the house. And the way the book ended...well that's why I gave it four stars instead of five! I can't say why because it will spoil the book, but I needed to see something happen that didn't. I guess I'm being a brat about it, but oh well. LOL

Definitely a great read to snuggle up with on a cozy fall day.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was in high demand in elementary school- you had to wait on a list to check it out.
Imagine- You move into a new house. In the attic is a dollhouse replica of the one you live in, and when you look inside it, you are transported back to 1904 to see the house's creepy history play itself out.

[Beth]

damn this book HOLDS UP!!!!!!! and is more horrifying and beautiful than i remembered, wow.

the moral of the story is never buy a house.

[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Time Windows" - written by Kathryn Reiss and published in 1991 by HMH Books for Young Readers. Miranda has moved from New York City to an old house in Massachusetts with her parents and quickly discovers a dollhouse in the attic, and it's not just an ordinary dollhouse. "The dollhouse frightened her, but Miranda didn't care as long as she could lean into its little rooms and lose herself in its mysteries of the past." This YA novel is really well written with a good contemporary vibe, but also a strong current of creepiness. The dollhouse is a replica of her new home and looking through the windows Miranda is able to see scenes from the lives of several families who lived there over the decades. "It was like an addiction, this fascination of hers. Forbidden or not, she must watch." I was uncomfortable with the treatment of children in these scenes, but that's a solid part of the story Reiss tells. This was a well-crafted, spooky book packed with tension.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying that I read Time Windows because my girlfriend told me it was her favorite book when she was 9 years old. She made it sound crazy and it definitely was wild. I haven’t read many mystery/thriller books that I can remember, especially with paranormal elements, so it was different for me in that way. Branching out! I actually really liked it. The story of the house and the past residents kept me interested, even though I thought a few parts were weird and some things didn’t make sense/left me with questions. I wasn’t particularly attached to any characters and was slightly annoyed at the random anti-city rhetoric at some points, buuut of course none of that was enough to make me stop reading. Pretty weird but funny and a satisfying ending

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was probably in fifth grade, sought it out for years, and finally found it again this year. Certain parts certainly haven’t aged well since the 80’s but overall, if you like thrillers and scary books for younger kids or nostalgic Scholastic pieces, I would suggest this.

(Probably more of a 3.5 than a 4.)

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a YA fiction kick right now and I got this from the library and it turns out it’s a book I’ve been looking for for years!! SO GOOD! Really fun and scary and dramatic. Haunting of hill house meets coraline type - great young adult lit.

[Silvara Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

This is the perfect slightly creepy book to read during October. It isn't too creepy, certainly something you can read while alone at night, but it's just creepy enough to get that little shiver every once in a while.

I loved how the dollhouse worked. And the way events Miranda saw through the windows there played out in her own family like some kind of psychic echo effect. The secret rooms in the houses were neat, and I love how the one in Miranda's house helped further the mystery. I also liked how she put all the clues together and what she did once she had figured out the mystery.

It was strange and distracting that Miranda called her mother "Mither" through the entire book, and there was no explanation about why until more than half-way through. I also didn't like where the book ended. I really wanted to see her meet a certain character we were told about near the end. But it wasn't a bad ending, I just wanted more!

If you're looking for a good Halloween read, you should try this book.

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

[Michaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my Lord...this book. I stole this book from my classroom library in 5th grade...sorry Mrs. Lambert! I loved it so much and read it so many times. I'm a sucker for time travel and mysteries...and creepy dollhouses I guess.

Weirdly my most vivid memories of this book 15 years later are magnolia trees and Miranda eating blueberry pie for breakfast (and her flute lesson at the end... because I pictured it happening in the foyer of my piano teacher's house)

I was a wimp and easily scared as a kid, but this was just scary enough to be addicting. I forbade my younger sister from reading this book (she was much more easily scared than I was) to the point that by the time she was old enough to handle it, it had become a rule. She is now 23, has the book in her apartment, and has not yet read it. I have officially given her permission to read it...we shall see if she does.

[DelilahW · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I read as a kid and it stuck in my mind for years and years. I got my hands on a copy several decades later and re-read it. I'm happy to say it was just as good as I remember. This is a really spooky story. Very well-written, very imaginative. The writing is so descriptive that you feel like you're there, that you can reach out your hands and touch the dollhouse, that you can smell the magnolias. If you like a creepy tale with a great plot, pick this one up. Better yet, read it with the kid in your life. They'll love it.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book twice as a child and on a visit back to my childhood home, decided to read it again.
The story was still as entertaining and fun to read as it was back then.

[Karen Ballerini · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time. Mystery mixed with some historical fiction. The story keeps you turning the pages well into the night. A must read!

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe it took me this long to find this book. It was a bit disturbing but I loved it. Moving on to more of the author's books now.

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miranda and her parents have just moved into a big house in a small town. At first reluctant to leave New York City, she’s soon captivated by the old house’s secrets, particularly the dollhouse in the attic that is its exact miniature replica. She’s shocked to discover that by peering through the windows of the dollhouse, she can watch the lives of the house’s past inhabitants. But the magic is there for a reason, and Miranda may have been given this gift to stop a decades-old tragedy. Trigger warnings are included at the bottom, since they may include spoilers.

This made me so nostalgic for my elementary school library. I never read Time Windows when I was younger, but I’m guessing there are at least half a dozen magical dollhouse books from the 80s and 90s floating around out there and that almost every fourth-grade girl imprinted on one of them. Mine was When the Dolls Woke by Marjorie Filley Stover, which remains better in my mind, and I’m hesitant to take that theory into practice and ruin a beloved childhood book with current reality. All of that is to say that if you were one of those kids and you’re in the mood for a bike ride down memory lane, this book is for you.

It’s got some pacing problems, the biggest being that nearly 300 pages is just too long for the kind of story that’s being told. A lot of the filler of Miranda’s daily life and the repeats of what she sees in the dollhouse could have been streamlined or cut for a tighter story. There’s also the problem that watching through a dollhouse is an inherently passive activity. However interesting the events there might be (sometimes they are, sometimes not), by its nature it places Miranda in the role of spectator instead of participant in her own story. There isn’t a lot of action to be had inside or outside of the dollhouse.

However, what it does have is character and mystery, and I enjoyed both. Miranda’s relationships with her parents are well-developed, and when she finally brings some of the neighbor kids in on the mystery, those add a dimension to the story too. Truly, for most of the book I just wanted to know why she calls her mom “Mither,” a question that is never answered. The mystery within the dollhouse is slow to unfold, and it takes a while to discover why what Miranda is watching is even relevant. I enjoyed the little clues and the subtle but powerful ending. There’s a horrific image at the heart of this novel, for what’s otherwise a very un-scary book. I guessed it before it happened and then was horrified by it anyway, certain that it was much too grim for a children’s book, but this is, after all, the genre of The Other Mother and Princess Mombi. That aside, though, it’s more of a mystery with a single magical element than it is a horror novel.

Trigger warnings: child death, parent death, dead body (on-page), child abuse (verbal, physical), suffocation, starvation, train wrecks, fire, depression, illness, sexism.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

8th grader Miranda and her family have moved to a small town so her mom can launch her own ob-gyne practice. On her first day, she finds a dollhouse replica of the house and realizes she can see previous families through its windows, but no one else can. If I had read this when it was published in 1991, I would have been so obsessed--the cute romance with the neighbor boy! Timey wimey! The 40s! A mystery! A dead body! This would have been a formative book. I do not know how I missed it, since I think I read every other mysterious dollhouse book of the era, and I know I read others by this author that I adored.

30 years later, the romance is a little eh (lots of comments on her legs, ha), but I still love the creepy atmosphere, the mystery and the death. It's a little odd how people didn't catch on more with what was happening to Miranda's mother, given the job situation, but I think 30 years later, women are still ignored when they say something is wrong, and that still feels sadly real.

I wish we had met Nonny and the boys at the end, but overall, this was still satisfying.

[Natalie Warth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my most favorite books ever! I read this when I was 9 and remember loving it. I chose it then because it was in my teacher's library and I thought the title sounded cool. It is a really intriguing mystery, especially for more of a tween age but I still loved it when I read it at age 21.

I'm not sure if this is the kind of book that would be traditionally taught in school. It is a great casual read just for fun. I do think there is really cool foreshadowing and clues that would be interesting to teach to children. It would also be good to show students if you teach them creative writing so they have a good example.

Warnings for the faint of heart: scenes of child abuse, ghosts, curses, haunted houses