Customer Reviews

The Haunted Attic (Judy Bolton Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Judy is introduced in the first book, The Vanishing Shadow. This is one of the best of the 38 book series and as with all Judy Bolton's teaches about loyalty, honesty, friendship. I would like to correct a previous review. Judy does indeed grow older, and marry, however she does not have a child. This was planned, however the series was not allowed to proceed to that point

This is the second book in the Judy Bolton series, all of which were based on real-life incidents. It is well-written (far better than the Stratemeyer Syndicate's Nancy Drew), and the heroine is a likeable, down-to-earth young girl whose adventures brightened my childhood. I still enjoy reading them today!

I was introduced to both Judy and Nancy around 1948. I have always preferred Judy. I re-read several of both series lately, and am still of the same opinion. Nancy is an elitist, but likeable. Judy is a real person with good lessons about trust, honesty, making mistakes and correcting them. She embraces all types of people and encourages young people to not be afraid of differences.

As a girl, my mother bought Judy Bolton books each week with her allowance. Luckily, she saved them to share with her little girl (me)twenty four year later. Judy, as others have said, is so much better than Nancy Drew. She's a realistic heroine and a great role model. She's also a great feminist who doesn't let the guys in the novels get the glory. Not only that, but she still seemed cool in the eighties. As an adult, I have been searching for more of these books to complete the collection. Thankfully, they've begun to reprint these timeless stories. I can't wait to share them with my little girl.

This book was absolutely great! I've read the Vanishing Shadow and this one and think the haunted attic is way more engaging. Judy try's to solve the mystery of the ghost in the attic plus she deals with the problem of picking the wealthy girls ( Lois) as friends or the poor mill girls! Plus, the mystery of the house has a connection with Peters past. My favorite characters in this story have to be Judy Bolton because she's a great role model. And Irene ( the poor girl) because she is just plain sweet and musical! Read this book!

Judy Bolton's life progresses throughout the old series by Margaret Sutton. She actually grows up, marries and has a child. Thus, the story is a mystery but also realistic. The reader is introduced to Judy, her family, and friends as well the "ghost" in this novel.

Even though this book was printed along time ago and is considered old fashioned, I thouroughly enjoyed it. It was extremely well written, and in league with Nancy Drew. If you enjoy mysteries, you'll love Judy Bolton.

My best friend and I grew up reading and sharing Judy Bolton books, Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames (nurse), etc. Margaret Sutton's Judy Bolton books were our favorites. We took turns purchasing the books with our allowance monies. We saved all the books and after we were married and had children (my friend had 2 boys and I had three girls), it was decided that I should have all the old books for my daughters.

I had wanted to be a writer and an artist as long as I could remember, and Margaret Sutton was my heroine and role model.

Years later, I was a well-known artist, freelance writer, poet and photographer and was invited to a cocktail party at the home of a writer for a group of professional writers in the community. We lived in Freeport, NY, a boating & fishing village of about 52,000. To my amazement, the writer whose home I visited was THE Margaret Sutton of my childhood, and Margaret and I became friends. She was still vibrant, feisty and funny. I was honored to be her friend. What a terrific writer. She was ahead of her time and was a great role model for young women. It was an honor to know her.

The sophomore entry in the Judy Bolton Mystery Stories picks up just where the first book, "The Vanishing Shadow", left off as Judy and her family move away from flood-ravaged Roulsville and take up residence on Grove Street in the nearby metropolis of Farringdon. There's just one catch ... the Boltons' new house, located on the dividing line between the upper and lower class sections of the city, seems to be haunted - perhaps by the ghost of its former owner, a mysterious old woman with a criminal past.

How Judy and her brother Horace track down the mysterious apparition that keeps making startling appearances in the attic window and uncover a dark secret hidden in a packet of old letters found in an abandoned trunk makes for fascinating reading. And Judy's struggles to fit in to the sometimes cruel social cliques she finds at her new school in Farringdon remain as fresh and timely in the world of today as they did when Margaret Sutton wrote this wonderful volume so many years ago.

Highly recommended, especially for those who have been introduced to the characters through "The Vanishing Shadow".

I love these old pre-WW II mysteries for teens. I have read almost every series available and the Judy Bolton series is among the best.

I have a First Edition hardcover of this one (with a beautiful dust jacket illustrated by Pelagie Doane -- that's the facimile on the paperback version) which I bought at a junk store in Kentucky for a dollar! The work was originally written in 1932 and the First Edition features an arty black-and-white Frontispiece and has 212 pages (not counting the four pages of advertising for other girls' series books at the end.)

The story is that Judy's dad (a physician) is given a free house in Roulsville subsequent to a flood where their own home was lost -- the hook is, the house is haunted! Judy and her brother, Horace, set out to solve this mystery along with a recent rash of robberies in town. Sub-plots include Judy's troubles with new friends at school and she also trys to help an adopted friend learn more about his parents.

This book was written for a completely different generation of teen girls so this work is probably best for fairly young gals (10-11?) who have yet to have their minds polluted with contemporary fare. There is a strong ethical flavor to the story that really comes off today as somewhat unrealistic but it still makes for interesting reading. One will also encounter dialogue which comes off as a little incongruous today:

"Aw, it'll queer the whole party if we don't hear the love letters," sighed Sally Belaski," (Page 203-4).

This entry is not as good as another in the series, The Ghost Parade: A Judy Bolton Mystery #5, or even Sutton's first entry, The Vanishing Shadow (Judy Bolton Mysteries), the latter of which was based upon an actual incident. Still, it's a nice literary romp for girls.

Recommended.