Curse of Ravenscourt: A Samantha Mystery (American Girls: Samantha) [Turtleback]

Sarah Masters Buckey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2005 | Series: American Girls: Samantha

Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia's NYC brownstone is being expanded to make more room for Samantha and the three O'Malley sisters. While the renovation is underway, the family moves to an apartment on the top floor of Ravenscourt, a fashionable new 13-story "apartment-hotel." Samantha is excited about their luxurious new digs--until she learns there's a terrible curse on the building's owner, Horace Raven! From the day Samantha and Nellie arrive at Ravenscourt, one thing after another goes alarmingly wrong. With the heating system on the fritz, rats in the walls, and the elevator crashing, tenants begin moving out. Worst of all for Samantha and Nellie, the little O'Malley girls get sick--and Aunt Cornelia makes a hasty and mystifying departure to visit her mother in Connecticut, leaving the girls alone at Ravenscourt with grumpy housekeeper Gertrude. Are all these troubles happening because of the curse--or is something else scaring the residents from Ravenscourt?

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Turtleback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Demco Media (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 060633677X
• ISBN-13: 978-0606336772
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery for Samantha fans., February 24, 2005

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Curse of Ravenscourt: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries) (Paperback)

When Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia decide to do some renovations on their house, the family -- which includes Samantha and her adopted sisters Nellie, Bridget, and Jenny -- temporarily moves to Ravenscourt, an elegant new apartment building. However, soon after the family moves into Ravenscourt, things begin to go wrong. Samantha hears rumors of a curse on the building's owner, and begins to wonder if it's responsible for the strange happenings. Then Uncle Gard has to leave on business, and soon after Aunt Cornelia leaves as well, supposedly to visit her mother in Connecticut. Samantha begins to wonder if Aunt Cornelia lied about her reasons for leaving, but if she feared the dangers of Ravenscourt, how could she leave her adopted daughters there? Samantha decides she must find out the truth about what is happening at Ravenscourt before something goes even more terribly wrong.

This is a nice mystery that will be enjoyed by the many girls who are fans of the American Girls, especially those whose favorites are Samantha and Nellie. The longer length of this book will be appreciated by girls who are beginning to outgrow the regular American Girls books. The story will also be enjoyed by young readers who haven't read other American Girls books, but who enjoy historical mysteries. And as someone who grew up reading American Girls books, including those about Samantha, I really enjoyed revisiting one of my favorite childhood characters.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why the Seance Info?, April 20, 2005

By 

Historylover "A Reader" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Curse of Ravenscourt: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries) (Paperback)

If you like Nancy Drew, you'll like this book. It may be just a tad simple for the Nancy Drew crowd, but it's well enough written that it's an entertaining read. Definitely aimed at preteens. I just want parents to be aware that there is a looking back section at the end of the book that discusses ghosts and seances. It has NOTHING to do with the storyline, but if you would be offended by your daughter discovering this stuff in an American Girl book, this is not the book for you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awsome book !! a kid, May 8, 2005

By 

samantha parkinton - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Curse of Ravenscourt: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries) (Paperback)

This book rocked!! i dont recomend childeren under8 to read this before bed.When i read it the first time i was at my grandmas and when the book said the door opened by its self and a piese of paper floted in and landed on the dresser my door closed by its self.also it said a rat got in a wall, and the walls at my grandmas started creaking. so i dont recomend this for a bed time story.I thoght it rocked. and i also recomend every ag book.