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?
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Book Description
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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.
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 the Audio Cassette edition.
Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format: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
Format: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
Format: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!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Dollhouse Murders
The Dollhouse Murders is a scary book. It starts off at the mall. Amy and her new friend, Ellen are talking and Amy's sister Louann makes a store employee mad. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rebecca L. Delass
one of my favorites
I have been a fan of Betty Ren Wright since reading The Dollhouse Murders. Yes, it is a very scary book. It is incredibly well-written, and it just fun. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Judith H. Jordan
Interesting read
Bought this for my daughter and she loves it! I am so happy she has a book she enjoys!!
Published 9 months ago by JWest
One of my favorite books since I was 8
Amy is tired of always having the 'burden' of taking care of her developmentally disabled sister. Fortunately for her, her Aunt Clare has recently moved back to town to pack up the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by E. S. Charpentier
Still Haunting 20 Years Later
When I was in the 4th grade, this book was one of the few "chapter" books at the library that would be passed around between friends. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Stephanie Bowsher
Book that started my love of mysteries!
I read this book when I was in 4th grade in the 80's. I COULD NOT put it down! It took me all of 3 days to read it and the suspense the book built up had me jumping at every noise... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Supermansgirl199
The Dollhouse Murders - A Kid's Review
The reason I read this book is because it was a novel my class was working on. Amy is the main character. She is my favorite because she solves the mystery. Read more
Published on October 30, 2009
Great Mystery Book!
My 9 year old daughter needed a "mystery" book for her 4th grade language arts class. I found this had won many awards for the 4th-6th grade reading level. Read more
Published on October 28, 2009 by Kimberly Morgan
Scary - but great!
I read this book as a kid, it came in a boxed set of creepy stories. I loved them all, but they terrified me. I kept them, and at age 28 I imagine they'd still be scary! Read more
Published on August 30, 2009 by Meagan Haar
A haunting tale...
If you like ghost stories and the supernatural, then this book is for you. Even though it's geared towards a younger audience, I think even adults may enjoy this book as well. Read more
Published on July 17, 2009 by jaggedtears
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Amy Treloar kicked off her shoes and climbed onto a cushioned bench in the middle of Regents Mall. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dollhouse stairs, dollhouse parlor, grandmother doll, caramel corn, attic door Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Clare, Grandma Treloar, Miss Tatlock, Miss Treloar New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Amy Treloar kicked off her shoes and climbed onto a cushioned bench in the middle of Regents Mall. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dollhouse stairs, dollhouse parlor, grandmother doll, caramel corn, attic door Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Clare, Grandma Treloar, Miss Tatlock, Miss Treloar New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 7
books:
See all 7 books this book cites
15
books
cite this book:
See all 15 books citing this book
- Ghosts Beneath Our Feet (An Apple Paperback) by Betty Ren Wright in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Scared Stiff by Jahnna N. Malcolm in Front Matter
- A Ghost In The House by Betty Ren Wright in Front Matter
- Scared to Death by Jahnna N Malcolm in Front Matter
- The Girl in the Window (An Apple Paperback) by Wilma Yeo in Front Matter
See all 7 books this book cites
- Educator's Companion to Children's Literature: Folklore, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Fantasy, Biographies, and Tales from Here and There by Sharron L. McElmeel on page 90, page 91, and page 94
- Too Many Secrets by Betty Ren Wright in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- A Ghost In The House by Betty Ren Wright in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- The Magnificent Mummy Maker by Elvira Woodruff in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Guided Comprehension in Action: Lessons for Grades 3-8 by Mary Beth Allen on page 39
See all 15 books citing this book
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