A Ghost In The House [Paperback]

Betty Ren Wright (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Adjusting to her new home, Sarah Prescott notices strange occurrences when her creepy great aunt moves in, such as rooms turning suddenly cold, lights turning on and off by themselves, and footsteps passing overhead. Reprint. K. AB.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sarah's dream has finally come true--a beautiful room with a fireplace in a big house in the suburbs. But when financial troubles hit her family, that dream becomes a nightmare. Her ailing, cantankerous Great-Aunt, owner of the house, comes to stay--and with her, strange and frightening ghostly visits. Sarah and her aunt are forced to bond together--first, in self-defense; and then in friendship. This finely crafted, spine-tingling ghost story from the author of The Dollhouse Murders and Christina's Ghost offers such chilling occurrences as unexplained footsteps, objects moving of their own accord and Aunt Margaret's wheelchair spinning wildly. These episodes are masterfully balanced with a touching, true-to-life story of the awkward friendship between Sarah and her dour aunt--who surprise themselves by discovering in each other a kindred spirit. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Life seems perfect for 12-year-old Sarah Prescott when her family moves into her great-aunt's big, old house. For the first time in her life, she has a beautiful room of her own with a fireplace. But Sarah's world suddenly crumbles when Aunt Margaret returns from the nursing home and reclaims the perfect bedroom. Not only does she have to help care for the disagreeable invalid, but also Sarah can no longer have sleep-overs, and she is blamed for the strange events that occur whenever she and her aunt are alone in the house. Objects move, things fall off shelves, steps are heard in the attic, and it's always cold. Gradually the elderly woman realizes that the ghost of someone she knew as a child has returned, seeking revenge for a tragedy that occurred more than a half-century earlier. Readers who believe in ghosts will enjoy Wright's spine-tingling descriptions as Margaret and Sarah join forces to overcome their fear and protect themselves. Those who can't suspend disbelief will still find a good story about an intergenerational relationship that grows and a family's ability to pull together to face a problem. --Jeanette Larson, Texas State Library, Austin
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590436031
• ISBN-13: 978-0590436038
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #356,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great ghost story!, August 7, 2006

By 

Kind Bean "can't read enough" (New England, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Ghost In The House (Paperback)

In this book, the narrator is Sarah Prescott. She and her family have been having hard times finically, but things seem to change when they move into her Great-Aunt Margaret's house, while she is in a nursing home. Sarah finally has a large room that she instantly loves and enjoys with her new friends. Then things change with Aunt Margaret unexpectedly comes back home, wanting to stay in Sarah's room. Nothing is the same after she comes home as objects begin to move, voices could be heard singing, and a mysterious painting continues to change. Yet, only Sarah and her Aunt are the only ones to notice any of these strange occurrences. They must get over their differences and work together to survive whatever it is after them in the house.

The interesting growth of the relationship between Sarah and her Aunt Margaret are definitely what holds the story together and makes it important. It is the wonderful spooky-ness and creepy scenes through-out the book that make it fun and interesting. And on top of all that it has some wonderful lessons for children to learn about selflessness, caring after others, the importance of family, and more. This is a book to please most readers, especially mystery/ghost stories and of course, Wright's fans. I highly recommend this book to all.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Huh?, June 21, 2004

By 

Marti Muller (Conway, AR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Ghost In The House (Paperback)

Maybe this book was little too young for me. I just expected more from the author of THE DOLLHOUSE MURDERS, I was sorely disappointed when the plot became immature and pointless. The book starts out exciting enough, when Sarah is forced to move out of her room for her cranky old Aunt. As always, the relationships and character developement are the highlight of Ms. Ren Wright's story, but that alone will not be enough to entertain a reader who wants a ghost story. The plot becomes absurd and unbeliveable evn for a ghost story. In this book, I wasn't very interested in the characters and Ms. Ren Wright seems to hope that the entire book with stand on that alone, but in the the end it cannot. The ending left me saying "Huh?" because it was simply pointless. It just seemed like there should be more to it. The already ridiculous plot was resolved far too easily and the ending resolution will leave readers feeling cheated, and disappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My (11 y/o) daughter's favorite author, January 6, 2009

By 

Katherine M. Orlopp "Kt." (Valley Springs, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Ghost In The House (Paperback)

My daughter loves Betty Ren Wright and wanted to share her books with me. I was flattered but not sure I really wanted to read a chapter book. SURPRISE! Her books are well written (even for an adult reader) and interesting! This is a great story and I've gone on to read other books of hers. My favorite is The Dollhouse Murders. My daughter's reading another of her books now.