The Dollhouse Murders [Paperback]

Betty Ren Wright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2008 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Best-selling author Betty Ren Wright earned eight state awards for this middle-grade mystery about a murder kept secret in a dollhouse. Amy is terrified. She hears scratching and scurrying noises coming from the dollhouse, and the dolls she was playing with are not where she left them. Dolls can't move by themselves, she tells herself. But every night when Amy goes into the attic to check on the dollhouse, it is filled with an eerie light and the dolls have moved again! Are the dolls trying to tell her something? Are their movements connected to grisly murders of her own great-grandparents?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wright's taut, suspenseful novel proves a solid choice to kick off the Live Oak Mysteries audio series. The attic is always a great place to look for nuggets of one's family history, but when 12-year-old Amy explores her great-grandparents' attic, she uncovers clues to a chilling family secret. As Amy and her Aunt Claire sift through clothes, trinkets and other memorabilia, Amy comes across Aunt Claire's long-forgotten dollhouse, a finely crafted replica of the house they are in. Aunt Claire seems unusually distressed about the dollhouse and Amy is determined to find out why. The real fun begins when Amy learns that the dolls in the dollhouse move of their own willAand that they seem to be trying to tell her something. After a little sleuthing at the local library, Amy learns that her great-grandparents were murdered years ago and that Aunt Claire's fianc? (who died in a car accident that same night) was the prime suspect in the unsolved case. Before long, Amy unravels the mystery, helping Aunt Claire to resolve her feelings about the past. A subplot about Amy's relationships with her parents, younger sister and best friend adds depth and warmth to this crisply paced tale. Stewart handles the narration with aplomb, using her voice to give listeners a hint of each character's personality. Her portrayal of Aunt Claire, who delivers a few chillingly snappish retorts to Amy, is particularly strong. Ages 8-up. (Mar.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-This scary mystery by Betty Ren Wright (Holiday, 1983) is sure to keep the interest of students, mainly girls. Narrator Carol Jordan Stewart does an excellent job. Her diction, pacing, and characterization are well-done. Twelve-year-old Amy is having difficulties at home being responsible for her brain-damaged sister, Louann. While visiting her Aunt Clare at the old family home, she discovers an eerily-haunted dollhouse in the attic-an exact replica of the family home. Whenever she sees it, the dolls, representing her relatives, have moved. Her aunt won't listen to Amy's claims that the dolls are trying to tell her something. This leads Amy to research old news reports where she discovers a family secret-the murder of her grandparents. The two sisters unravel the mystery. Amy grows to accept her sister and to understand that Louann is more capable than she had first thought. This audiobook would be an excellent choice for schools and public libraries.
Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 149 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (P); Reissue edition (August 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823421724
• ISBN-13: 978-0823421725
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Dollhouse Murders, March 2, 2000

By 

Delphine Byrd (Lancaster, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dollhouse Murders (Paperback)

Wright, Betty Ren. (1983). The Dollhouse Murders. New York: Holiday House. I like this book because it is a simple mystery children ages 9-12 can read and enjoy. The book is a very interesting realistic fiction book. While visiting Aunt Clare in her Great grandparent's old house, Amy discovered a wonderful dollhouse in the attic. It is the replica of her Great Granparent's house. Everytime Amy visits the attic eerie things happen. Strange noises come from the dollhouse, lights are on in it and the dolls have been moved from where she had left them. Amy is very frightened, but she wonders if the dollhouse is trying to tell her something about the murders of her Great Grandparents 30 years ago. Amy wants to solve the mystery. On a stormy night Amy and her sister make one more visit to the attic. They watch as the Grandmother doll gives them a clue about the murders. They tell Aunt Clare what the doll revealed to them. Together they solved the murder mystery of that fateful night 30 years ago.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best book ever!, April 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dollhouse Murders (Paperback)

Amy feels very alone because she has to always watch her brain damaged sister luann. so amy runs away to live with her aunt clare in amy's great grandparents old house. while she is there aunt clare shows a dollhouse to amy that is an exact replica of the house they are living in now. The only thing amy does not know about the house is her great grandparents were murdered in it, but no one knew who killed them. and amy thinks that the dolls in the dollhouse are trying to tell her what happened the night of the murder. i read this book in 4th grade. and i read it twice in 6th grade. this is by far the best book i have ever read!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mystery nostalgia, October 28, 2001

By 

Gloria Bringas (Uvalde, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dollhouse Murders (Paperback)

I read this book when I was in elementary school and it was GREAT!! Could not put it down. I'm so happy to find that this book still exists! Great story for young mystery lovers. I would read it again without a second thought. I thought it was written with the correct descriptions and details that needs to be present in a pre-teen novel, and this is why I liked it and remember it with such fondness. I highly recommend it!! The copy that I read was a paperback and I believe there are no illustrations(but I could be mistaken), what I am sure of is that it made me imagine every scene as I was getting deeper and deeper into the plot. Definitely not a boring book!