On That Dark Night

by Carol Beach York

Julie had lived her life at 912 Linton Street. But the things she was telling me now had nothing to do with Linton Street. She dragged a sled up a snowy hill behind her house...but there was no hill on Linton Street. She scratched patterns with her fingernails on frosty windowpanes that looked out on a brick courtyard that was not on Linton Street. People came and went around her with the rustle of long skirts. Pleasant memories of some childhood that the Julie Wintcomb I knew had never known. But not all memories were pleasant...

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Fiction, Mystery

100 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

Reviews

[Erica Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

And here I thought Allison was the boring one. WHERE IS THIS VENGEANCE FILLED SEQUEL, YORK?

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a LOT when I was young and it's still enjoyable. It's amazing how briskly these books move! Allison and Julie are best friends starting their sophomore years of high school who are also investigating Julie's past life--after a trip to a nearby town, she's realized that she remembers things from there despite having never visited before.

This is from 1985 and reading it in 2021, I got twitchy because I just want them to start looking things up on the Internet. But even without the Internet, I'm now slightly annoyed that Allison and Julie don't go to a library and look things up in old newspapers. In the end, Julie remembers what happens, but I want them to find documentation about it. Maybe it's just my history major tendencies coming out.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure how many times I read this as a tween but I loved it. So much so than when I began documenting my good reads library and couldn’t remember what this book was called or who wrote it, I set out on a quest to find it again based on what I remembered from within the story. I now have it again and can’t wait to read it as an adult!

[Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie keeps hearing a song repeating in her mind, an incomplete song that she knows she has never heard played that way - in this life. With her best friend Allison, Julie travels to another town and another lifetime to find out who she was, and what happened on that night so long ago.

This is one I kept in my collection and still have, and I remember reading it all the time when I was in middle school. Kind of spooky but not scary, this one had me fascinated. Pretty short and a quick read.

[Maeve Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot remember the amount of times I read this book as a tween. But I remember that I loved it! I found it while at my parents house this past week and was so excited to reread it. It was just at mysterious and fun as I remember. Such a nostalgic read

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting, I adore books about past lives!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my God. I read this when I was 7 years old. It was the first novel I ever read on my own. Finally found out what it was called! This really creeped me out as a child. I have no idea if this was actually a great book or terrible, because, you know, I was 7.

[Madame Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting topic of past lives. Very moody and thought provoking.

[Junell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again Carol Beach York is a master at describing weather conditions; she really creates a spooky atmosphere here. The book is a good and short creepy read, but when it ends, you feel like the story was rather pointless.
Julie keeps going on and on about having lived another life as a child; but her friend Allison has to practically beg and force her to investigate.
When the truth of what happened to Julie's former self of the early 1900's is revealed; you feel cheated because once again Julie does not want to do anything.