Behind the Attic Wall

Maggie Turner is a problem. Anti-social and rebellious, she is expelled from a series of schools and is finally sent to live with her eccentric great-aunts. Lonely and unhappy --- despite the occasional visit from the charismatic Uncle Morris -- she discovers a room behind an attic wall. Another world awaits her -- of talking dolls possessed by the ghosts of former inhabitants of the house tragically killed in a fire. The talking dolls strained my credulity -- initially; eventually I became as absorbed in them as Maggie. Their unexpected arrival after the poignantly understated writing earlier in the book would, I think, prevent this being an effective class reader. An unusual and stimulating novel, however, and highly recommended for the library shelves -- probably to be read by second and third year girls.