The Haunting at Cliff House [Paperback]

Karleen Bradford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0590715178 | ISBN-13: 978-0590715171 | Publication Date: 1985

From the moment she sets foot in the forbidding house high on the cliff, Alison senses a mysterious presence in one of its rooms. There she discovers an ancient diary belonging to a girl who lived in the same house, centuries before. What does this girl want...and why is she so sure only Alison can help her?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a compelling read right to the exciting climax." -- Quill & Quire

"Karleen Bradford demonstrates once again the ability to develop a pervasive mood and sustain it in a story full of intriguing characters and mystifying events." -- Children's book News, the Canadian Children's Book Centre

From the Author

While driving through Wales on one of our children's school breaks we passed a gloomy old house, sitting high on a cliff. It was pouring rain. The roof of the house shone blackly, the waves crashed against the rocks far below. As far as we could tell the house was absolutely deserted.

"I have to write a ghost story about that house," I decided. So I did.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 105 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic-TAB (1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590715178
• ISBN-13: 978-0590715171
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,275,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an award-winning writer of historical and fantasy fiction for children and young adults. Writing has always been a passion of mine, although when I was young I never thought that I could be a published author. I think I believed that all published writers were either dead or English, probably because, although I was born in Canada, I lived in Argentina until I went back for university. It was only after I was married and had children of my own that I got the idea of writing my own stories.

I followed the writer's usual path of rejection slips until I started selling short stories to magazines and school anthologies. It still took another six years until I finally published my first book. I've been writing ever since. You can check out my work at www.karleenbradford.com

During a school visit a young boy once asked me, "How many books are you going to write before you die?"

It's 23 and counting.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ghost story for all ages, October 27, 2011

By 

K. Sozaeva "Obsessive bibliophile" (Athens, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Haunting At Cliff House (Kindle Edition)

When Alison's father inherits a house in Wales from a great-aunt he's never heard of, he decides there is nothing to do but to spend the summer in Wales, where he will work on his book. However, almost as soon as she walks in the door, Alison has a bad feeling about Pen-y-Craig, or Cliffhouse as it is known in the local village. Alison discovers a diary written by a former inhabitant, and also sees and hear strange things in her old room. Is Pen-y-Craig haunted? Is there something Alison needs to do?

This is a great little haunted-house story - quite short, but plenty of plot to fill the spaces. Underneath the spookiness is a neat little sub-plot about second chances that I found quite nice. Definitely a must-read for young readers who enjoy being spooked a bit, or for readers of any age.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Hauntingly Wonderful Book By Karleen Bardford, April 14, 2000

By 

Mike Reid (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haunting at Cliff House (Paperback)

"The Haunting At Cliff House" by Karleen Bradford is a wonderfully written story about the relationship between a father and a daughter.

The story is set in the heart of Wales in a house which Mr.Evans (The father) and Alison (the daughter) inherited from a Great-Aunt. This house has a spirit trapped in time haunting it. Alison sees visions of the ghosts (Bronwen) life and is directed to an old diary. This diary holds the keys to why Bronwen is trapped. Throughout the story Alison seems to be going through the exactly the same situations as the Bronwen did in 1810. Alison soon realizes what has happened to Bronwen and helps her change the past.

Throughout this plot Alison is going through tough times herself. Her mother has long since passed away and her father has found a new woman (Meiriona) who he has taken a liking to. Alison feels her territory has been invaded by Meiriona and will ruin her tight knit relationship with her father. In helping Bronwen out with her problem, Alison discovers that she can make room, she doesn't own her father, and that everyone including her father has the right to be happy.

I recommend this story to anyone who likes mystery, suspense, sentiment, and a touch of the supernatural. Karleen Bradford once again accomplishes a perfect score.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hauntingly Wonderful Book By Karleen Bradford, April 14, 2000

By 

Mike Reid (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haunting at Cliff House (Paperback)

"The Haunting At Cliff House" by Karleen Bradford is a wonderfully written story about the relationship between a father and a daughter.

The story is set in the heart of Wales in a house which Mr.Evans (The father) and Alison (the daughter) inherited from a Great-Aunt. This house has a spirit trapped in time haunting it. Alison sees visions of the ghosts (Bronwen) life and is directed to an old diary. This diary holds the keys to why Bronwen is trapped. Throughout the story Alison seems to be going through the exactly the same situations as the Bronwen did in 1810. Alison soon realizes what has happened to Bronwen and helps her change the past.

Throughout this plot Alison is going through tough times herself. Her mother has long since passed away and her father has found a new woman (Meiriona) who he has taken a liking to. Alison feels her territory has been invaded by Meiriona and will ruin her tight knit relationship with her father. In helping Bronwen out with her problem, Alison discovers that she can make room, she doesn't own her father, and that everyone including her father has the right to be happy.

I recommend this story to anyone who likes mystery, suspense, sentiment, and a touch of the supernatural. Karleen Bradford once again accomplishes a perfect score.