Mary is an bullied orphan living at Thornhill in 1982. We learn of Mary and her circumstances through her diary.

Ella is a young girl living in present times who moves in next to Thornhill, which has been closed and abandoned since 1982. The reader follows Ella's story through illustrations interspersed between the written entries of Mary's diary.

Pam Smy does an excellent job of integrating the story of Mary via her diary to Ella in present day via illustrations. The story was captivating and moves quickly and easily from one point in time to the next. I think teens will enjoy both the plot and drawings.

Mary has been living at Thornhill for a long time--long enough to have seen other girls come and go, to get adopted or fostered somewhere, and occasionally returned. Mary keeps to herself in her attic room, sculpting puppets and avoiding the others girls, and in particular avoiding the one who bullies her mercilessly. Ella has just moved to town, and sees the old Thornhill building from her bedroom window. She's seen glimpses of a girl on the property, and is eager to make a friend. Told in alternating viewpoints (Mary's 1982 prose and Ella's 2017 wordless comics), the two stories come together in an unsettling conclusion.

Mary's prose sounds more like it was written in 1882 than 1982, possibly a deliberate choice to echo the tone of The Secret Garden (to which Thornhill-Mary makes several allusions).

I found this okay, but middle-graders will probably love it.

This was a creepy book about a girl, Ella, who moves into a house near the abandoned Thornhill Institute for Children and finds a diary from another girl, Mary, who lived in the home in 1982. Ella's story is told through pictures and Mary's story is told through her diary entries. The story was bizarre and creepy. It definitely creates an atmosphere of suspense and mystery, and I couldn't put it down once I started. That being said, the characters were fairly one dimensional and the plot was a bit generic. It's definitely worth a read, but it's unfortunately not my favorite.

So, I love me a good creepy read. I read a massive load of YA, and at some point it all starts to read the same. Even the bully books seem to tell the same story with the same outcome. And honestly, there's nothing all that new about this bullying storyline. What is refreshing about this book and what makes it stand out is the format. I love how each girl's story is told differently - Mary's through her diary entries and Ella's through beautiful illustrations. And I was not expecting that ending, which is my favorite thing in a good story. Another positive aspect about this book is that though the publisher is marketing for the upper middle grade audience, this is an excellent choice for teen readers, especially reluctant readers. It will also appeal to graphic novels readers. Definitely a book that I would add to my personal collection.

A haunting read, Thornhill alternates between 1982 and present day as two lonely girls connect to each other across time. In 1982 Mary, a resident of Thornhill Orphanage, tells her heartbreaking story of being tormented by another girl in the orphanage through diary entries. In 2017, Ella moves into a home next to the now closed Thornhill Orphange. Ella's story, told through illustrations, is also one of loneliness and isolation as she deals with the loss of her mother and life with a father who is rarely home. When Ella observes Mary's ghost in the garden of Thornhill, she investigates and, through Mary's old puppets, builds a connection with her.
This is a heartbreaking, emotional story of two girls, over 30 years apart, who connect over their isolated lives with a startling, chilling conclusion. This will be a fine choice for readers grades 5 and up looking for a haunting ghost story with a bit of reality weaved in.

Début author Pam Smy stuns with this hauntingly written and illustrated tale for tweens and teens. "Thornhill" is the story of two girls, Ella and Mary, with decades of separation. Mary's story is told through diary entries while Ella's is conveyed via illustration. The two narratives weave the disparate timelines together as Ella discovers what happened to Mary in the abandoned home for orphaned girls next door. While Ella appears gentle and inquisitive, Mary's suffers from "selective mutism" and is overcome by feelings of isolation and fear. As Ella unravels Mary's history, she will find herself eternally linked with Thornhill herself.

While this review is based on a digital galley and final artwork/layouts were not seen, it is very clear that Smy has struck a perfect balance between the two narratives, unfurling details in just the right spots. The narrative becomes steadily darker until the last 10% of the story, when Smy unleashes the tale's true demons. Hand this book to any middle grade reader ready for something truly scary (though caution them that this isn't a jump-scare title) or any teen looking for a quick read. Here's hoping Pam Smy has many more dark and beautiful books in the works!

I am not sure what to say about this book. I do typically like scary stories and even sad ones but this was just so sad and disturbing - not in the actions themselves but in the implications. It is about a girl, Mary, in an orphanage at Thornhill which is closing down in 1982. Then is is also about a girl, Ella, in 2017 who moves in next door to the abandoned Thornhill building. Mary's story is told through her diary and Ella's story is told through pictures.

Mary is selectively mute (the why we never know or how she became an orphan) and is abused by one girl at Thornhill in particular. Ella is left alone a lot and begins exploring the ruins of Thornhill and sees a mysterious "person". Through Mary's diary we discover the events leading up to a tragic event. The disturbing part is that no one helped her - she was obviously hurting and no one reached out. Ella finally finds Mary's room and her diary.

But the ending... I wasn't a fan, so sad and tragic and I felt unnecessary.

Dark and creepy, haunting illustrations, with an unexpected ending that will send chills down the reader's spine. Alternating point of views are conveyed in an unique blend of time periods and storytelling methods (diary and graphic novel formats).

Interesting concept with the combination of print and illustration to tell two stories. Similar to Brian Selznick, but not quite as well executed. As often with bullying books I get very frustrated when no progress seems to happen. Raised more questions than it answered, but I think that is great for a child's imagination. Might make a good book group book.