Mary Downing Hahn is a favorite among my students. They will be eager for her next scary ghost story.

Author Mary Downing Hahn writes ghostly children’s books that will delight adults as well, and her latest, The Girl in the Locked Room proves no exception. I couldn’t put it down, if you’ll pardon the cliché!

Jules Aldridge has moved — yet again — this time to Hillsborough, Virginia; her father Ron oversees the renovation of historic homes, and this time he is lovingly restoring Oak Hill, a dilapidated 200-year-old mansion. But Jules fears he’ll move yet again, as he does after he finishes every job, condemning her to a new school and no friends. But Jules soon realizes there’s a girl in Oak Hill’s attic — but only she can see her. Who is this ghostly presence?

Told alternatively by Jules and the frightened, eponymous girl in the locked room in the attic, The Girl in the Locked Room relates a great tale of friendship across time. Recommended for young and old.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group and Clarion Books in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Downing Hahn writes another spooky tale that will further entrench her as master of ghost story fiction for elementary school-aged children. Written from the dual perspectives of the ghost girl and the living girl who interacts with her, this books flashes back to the horrendous event that caused the girl's death and the present day in which the living girl can see and hear what happened over a hundred years ago. Although slightly formulaic when compared to the rest of Hahn's books, and not my favorite, I predict this book will still be in high demand in school libraries and children's services sections of public libraries.

Mary Downing Hahn rarely disappoints! I'm still in awe that one of my favorite childhood authors is still at it and is a favorite among my students! The Girl in the Locked Room has just enough creepiness to it without going overboard. It will be perfect for my fourth graders!

Fans of Hahn's previous works will be very happy with her latest. A good story, a not so scary ghost, and characters that readers can relate to. The book is a quick read with a satisfying ending for all involved.

3.5
I liked the ghost story premise of the story, but wasn't totally into the ending and the connection to like other dimensions, it seemed a little stretched.

I buy every book that Hahn reads for my library, my students can’t get enough of the creepy and involved tales she spins. This time, a family has moved into an old house, one that has long stood empty. Jules isn’t as thrilled with the house as her parents, in fact she’s a little creeped out by the presence she feels behind a locked door on the top floor of the house. But as Jules begins to ;earn the history of the old house she now calls home, she becomes fascinated with the prospect of meeting someone who lived in the house a century earlier. Someone who might be able to help her open that locked door and answer the questions about that long forgotten family. Hahn never talks down to her audience, and there is NEVER a rational explanation for anything that happens in her books. Kids will be delighted with another winning ghost story

Jules Aldridge is getting tired of moving to a new town every year. With each move she must start over building friendships and it is becoming harder and harder the older she gets. Her father restores historic buildings and goes where the job takes him. Their latest home is Oak Hill.

Lily Bennett suffers in silence in a locked room in the dilapidated manor awaiting her parents return. They told her to hide there until they returned for her, but they never came. She is lonely and frightened of the bad men who come searching for her every night.

One fateful day Jules sees Lily in the third floor window, and though it is an unusual sight, she is not afraid. Jules is determined to learn more about the family that lived in the old home, and what she finds out shakes her to the core. How can Jules help Lily change her circumstances?

“The Girl in the Locked Room: A Ghost Story” is an engaging tale of friendship, loneliness, courage and determination. Jules yearns for long lasting friendships, which are impossible when her family moves every year. When she befriends Maisie at the library, the two form a fast bond through their shared interest in learning about the grievous fate of the Bennett family. The story has some eerie moments, but is appropriate for third grade and up.