Summary:
Twelve-year-old Amy Treloar has a problem - her sister Louann is making her life miserable. She causes her to loose all of her friends, she makes Amy a perpetual baby-sitter, and Louann has to be included in everything that Amy does. Finally, Amy gets so angry that she blows up at her mother and Louann and runs to see her Aunt Clare who is cleaning out Amy's grandparent's old house. Clare suggests that Amy stay with her for a few days, and Amy happily agrees, especially after she finds an exquisite and detailed dollhouse in the attic. Her excitement over the dollhouse and the visit quickly turns to fear as things begin happening in the dollhouse that shouldn't be possible.
My Evaluation:
This book is a great mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but is not too scary for children to read. The book also discusses a topic that is not often addressed by children's books - what it is like to have a sibling who is mentally handicapped. Amy's frustrations, guilt over feeling frustrated, and protectiveness towards Louann can teach children what is like for siblings of children who have special needs. This topic simply adds a deeper layer to an intriguing read.
Reviews:
Mysko, C. (2008, October 29). Re: Retro Review: The Dollhouse Murders [Web Log Message]. Retrieved from http://clairemysko.com/?p=66%20Claire
The story centers around 12-year-old Amy Treloar, who goes to stay with her Aunt Clare for a few weeks because things are a little rocky at home. Aunt Clare, recently fired from her job in Chicago, is living in the house where Amy’s great grandparents once lived until something terrible happened to them. Although no one in the family seems to want to talk about it (especially not Aunt Clare), that something terrible looms overhead–literally–in the attic, where Amy discovers a haunted dollhouse.
What I had completely forgotten about is the subplot involving Amy’s sister, Louann. In fact, the reason Amy goes to stay with her aunt is to get a break from the stress of dealing with her special needs sister. Author Betty Ren Wright nails the nuances of this relationship. Amy is both protective of her sister and embarrassed by her. She feels suffocated by the responsibility of watching Louann, yet she’s conflicted when Louann is given more independence.
The Dollhouse Murders has some important lessons about how families so often try to protect feelings by keeping secrets, secrets that end up hurting more than they help. I breathed the biggest sigh of relief for Aunt Clare, who spent her whole adult life suffering with guilt (and probably post-traumatic stress disorder, too), going from job to job, and never finding happiness in a relationship. When she’s finally forced to talk about what happened to her when she was eighteen, I got the sense that even if the mystery hadn’t been wrapped up as neatly as it was, her burden would still have been lighter.
Kohlbeck, K. (1999). The Dollhouse Murders Review. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/The-Dollhouse-Murders-Betty-Wright/dp/0590434616
This scary mystery by Betty Ren Wright (Holiday, 1983) is sure to keep the interest of students, mainly girls. Narrator Carol Jordan Stewart does an excellent job. Her diction, pacing, and characterization are well-done. Twelve-year-old Amy is having difficulties at home being responsible for her brain-damaged sister, Louann. While visiting her Aunt Clare at the old family home, she discovers an eerily-haunted dollhouse in the attic-an exact replica of the family home. Whenever she sees it, the dolls, representing her relatives, have moved. Her aunt won't listen to Amy's claims that the dolls are trying to tell her something. This leads Amy to research old news reports where she discovers a family secret-the murder of her grandparents. The two sisters unravel the mystery. Amy grows to accept her sister and to understand that Louann is more capable than she had first thought.
My Suggestions for Use in a Library Setting:
This book could be used in a class for children who have special needs siblings. The book would be read to break the ice, and then we would have a professional discuss and work with the children on how to not resent your special needs sibling and still have your own life. We could get the parents involved as well.
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