The Haunting

Rating:
Summary: Someone Was Coming For Him . . .
Review: "Barnaby is dead! I'm going to be very lonely." When a ghost appears to young Barney and speaks these words he's terrified. Barney's always been a little different, but what can the eerie voice that haunts him want? It's up to Barney and his big sister, Tabitha to find out what's happening. Something, or someone is coming to fetch Barney--and its getting closer each day. Tabitha is about to discover that her ordinary family . . . is not so ordinary after all.

Mahy has a way of weaving supernatural elements into the ordinary everyday world and allowing the reader to experience both in a fascinating tapestry. The subtle, but powerful magic that takes over the story. The mysterious past of a long-lost relative become intriguing elements as the plot unwinds. But what gives this book its power is the element of family and the varied and often challenging relationships that exist.

Various family members act and interact with each other in different ways, with surprising undercurrents and support structures. It's interesting to see how these peices all fit together--Mahy doesn't present readers with a perfect family, but a family with its ordinary flaws . . . and one very extraordinary, tantalizing secret.

This book will probably appeal most to the sensitive reader who enjoys subtlety and emotional development vs. direct action and adventure. Children feeling out of place, whether in their family or in society, may identify strongly with this story and gain an inkling of their own identity. This might be for the child who is looking for something more sophisticated than Harry Potter, yet enjoys the aspect of fantasy and magic in a contemporary setting.

This book was my introduction to Margaret Mahy. The author has written a number of books that explore paranormal and supernatural elements. If you enjoy this book, please check out some of her other titles, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

^_^ Happy Reading!
--shanshad

Rating:
Summary: The Weird and Mysterious Family.
Review: The title of the book is "The Haunting." Margaret Mahy is the author and illistrater of the book. If I had mto give a shot summary of the book, this is what it would be:There is a family named the Palmer family .There is a boy named Barnaby who thinks he is dead because there is a voice or ghost that tells him ,but6 it really is his great great uncle who died and he also has the same name.His family also has many powers. that is why I say they are weird or cool.

Rating:
Summary: Get children this book.
Review: This book is truly terrific. I love most of Margaret Mahy's books dearly, including this one, and this is the only one I've read that is clearly "Children's" and not "YA". Of wonderful magical Children's books such as the Green Knowe series, Grimbold's Other World, E. Nesbit's works, and The Ordinary Princess, this is one of the few set in a fairly recent time and ordinary (seemingly) family. It is not diminished as great kids' fantasy by a setting far less dated and remote than, say, that of the Dark is Rising series, or Alan Garner's books. After reading many of these works and growing up a bit, a young person could go on to read Aliens in the Family, The Changeover, and The Tricksters, these three in my opinion the best of her YA fantasies. Get your favorite youngun started now with this book or read it and get hooked yourself on Margaret Mahy!