From Publishers Weekly
Miranda can't explain her fascination with the dollhouse in the attic of her family's big, old house--no one would believe that she has discovered a time machine that allows her to see into the sometimes frightening lives of her house's previous occupants. But when her family begins to mirror the dollhouse family's ugly behavior, Miranda must act quickly to prevent disaster. Reiss puts a new twist on time travel in this suspenseful first novel. Reminiscent of The Indian in the Cupboard in its validation of children's play, this intricately woven ghost story pits its heroine against the forces of child abuse and untimely death in a deft, entertaining and inventive style. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-- Moving from New York City to an old house near Boston, Miranda, 14, becomes obsessed with what she sees through the windows of a dollhouse she finds in the attic. She discovers that her new home is haunted by beautiful, angry, abusive Lucinda. In 1904, Lucinda locked her young daughter, Dorothy, in the attic and left her stuffy husband to run away with a lover, and then was killed in a train wreck. Her malignant influence soon begins to work on Miranda's mother. In a page-turning climax, Miranda realizes that only she can save her mother from madness by rescuing Dorothy and changing the past. Although the book raises profound philosophic questions and deals with strong passions, its style, characterization, and emotional trajectory do not match its potential. The greatest problem is Lucinda. Readers are never sure whether she is an archetypal figure of pure evil or a strong-willed woman declaring her independence from a narrow, repressive husband. Is she caricature or character? How and why does she influence the other characters? Also, a love interest between Miranda and the boy across the street occurs with implausible ease. Pam Conrad's Stonewords (HarperCollins, 1990), Eleanor Cameron's The Court of the Stone Children (Dutton, 1973), Diana Wynne Jones's Fire and Hemlock (Greenwillow, 1984), and Ursula K. LeGuin's adult novel The Lathe of Heaven (Bentley, 1982) all create more complex characters while facing the philosophical implications of changing the past. Still, the well-structured mystery, the fast-moving plot, and the accessible prose make this a useful addition to fantasy shelves. --Margaret A. Chang, Buxton School, Williamstown,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
