Author: Sally Nicholls
ISBN: 9781407124322
Age: 11+
Summary
A gripping psychological thriller from the author of the bestselling WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER. Eleven-year-old Olivia has been in care since she was five, and is just beginning her sixteenth placement. Her new home is a secluded farmhouse, centuries old, where she slowly bonds with her foster family. But the house holds dark secrets. Olivia discovers that it was once a notorious baby farm, where unwanted children were left to die. She becomes convinced that the place is haunted. She is desperate to save her new family from the ghosts. The danger is real – but does it come from the twisted mind of a very disturbed child? A powerful and thrilling story from one of today’s most exciting young writers.
My Review
There is no obvious ticking clock, no punchy hero’s call but there is a lot of heart. I loved this book because of its authentic voice.
I thought this would be a scary ghost story where a little girl had a call to arms to stop the ghost and save the day. But this story is so much more than that.
It’s a damaged child’s externalisation of all the hurt she’s experienced in her short eleven years. Nicholls uses the ghost story to act as a means for Olivia to express all her terror into something real. Her memories become part of the ghost haunting her at night time.
Nicholls painted a rich and tragic life of a little girl coming to terms with learning to love and to let go.
If you are interested in psychology or want a gripping story then read this book.
Many thanks to Tipperary Library for having this new release.
Michelle Moloney King 