The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn

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The Old Willis Place
by Mary Downing Hahn
(Audio)

I LOVED Mary Downing Hahn's stories when I was young--especially her ghost stories. This isn't one I read when I was a kid, but it was available on audio and I was in the mood for it.

This is the story of Diana and her little brother, Georgie, who get a new neighbor, a little girl named Lissa. Diana hasn't had a friend in years, but she knows she isn't supposed to talk to her. It took me a little time in the story to figure out that this was a much different kind of ghost story, because the main characters were the ghosts. They're nice and sympathetic, but they can't come right out and tell anyone they're ghosts. They live by a set of rules that seem to come to them to help preserve them--don't make friends, don't stray too far from where they died, etc. But they're still kids at heart and want what kids want--they steal a bike to enjoy the pleasure of riding. They take a stuffed animal and a book and enjoy reading Lassie Comes Home the way any kids would. But that doesn't make up for what else is missing for them.

This story has a lot of layers, as we figure out that Diana & Goergie are ghosts. We discover what happened to them and what happened to Mrs. Willis, an evil spirit who haunts the area. Just when you think you have the measure of things, another little layer of the mystery is pealed back. And the ending was sweet and perfect.