The Dollhouse Murders

Synopsis

Best-selling author Betty Ren Wright earned nine 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?

• Winner of nine child-voted state awards!
• Alabama Young Reader's Choice Award
• California Young Reader Medal
• Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award
• Iowa Children's Choice Award
• Missouri Mark Twain Award
• New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
• Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award
• Texas Bluebonnet Award
• Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award

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 will--and 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 Cahners Business Information.