From Publishers Weekly
When her great aunt dies, orphaned Gwen goes to live with the Mercy family on their remote but beautiful farm. Starting from the moment she arrives at her new home, Gwen has frequent encounters with the ghost of a girl her own age. However, any mention of these spectral appearances upsets Mrs. Mercy and angers stern Mr. Mercy to the point where he threatens to send the orphan packing. With the help of the Mercys' son, Gwen uncovers a long-hidden tragedy, lays to rest the wandering spirit of Mercy Manor and makes peace with her foster family. Though this novel lacks the hair-raising psychological suspense of Lois Duncan's ( Stranger with My Face ) thrillers, readers will find ample rewards in the resilient heroine's efforts to come to terms with her new life. A cozy setting and gently spooky goings-on enhance a pleasant if not particularly distinctive read. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Again, Wright deftly combines an old-fashioned ghost story with a modern family dilemma. Gwen Maxwell, 12, feels as though the bottom has fallen out of her life--for the second time. Five years ago, after her parents died in a car accident, she came to live with loving Great-aunt Mary in Winfield, Wisconsin. Now Aunt Mary has also died and, except for a much older brother whose concern for her welfare is little more than perfunctory, Gwen is alone again. Enter kindly Dena Mercy and her family, with plenty of room for a foster child at beautiful Mercy Manor. Inconveniently, Gwen's presence at the farm stirs up ghosts of Dena's past, jeopardizing Gwen's tenure with her newfound home. Purely for her own sense of self-esteem, Gwen takes on the lonely task of persuading her foster mother to acknowledge a long-ago family murder. Gwen succeeds; and despite the tumult wrought in the household, we know she'll be welcome to stay. A delightful juxtaposition of golden summer days and clammy haunted nights to warm and chill the reader. (Fiction. 8-12) --
Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
