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    The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story
    The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story
    The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story
    Audiobook4 hours

    The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story

    Written by Mary Downing Hahn

    Narrated by Ellen Grafton

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Diana and her little brother Georgie have been living in the woods behind the old Willis place, a decaying Victorian mansion, for what already seems like forever. They aren’t allowed to leave the property or show themselves to anyone. But when a new caretaker comes to live there with his young daughter, Lissa, Diana is tempted to break the mysterious rules they live by and reveal herself so she can finally have a friend. Somehow, Diana must get Lissa’s help if she and Georgie ever hope to release themselves from the secret that has bound them to the old Willis place for so long.
       Mary Downing Hahn has written a chilling ghost story in the tradition of her most successful spine-tingling novels. The intriguing characters, frightening secrets, and plot twists will delight her many fans.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateFeb 20, 2009
    ISBN9781423381143
    The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story
    Author

    Mary Downing Hahn

    Mary Downing Hahn’s many acclaimed novels include such beloved ghost stories as Wait Till Helen Comes, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, and Took. A former librarian, she has received more than fifty child-voted state awards for her work. She lives in Columbia, Maryland, with a cat named Nixi.

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    Reviews for The Old Willis Place

    4/5

    29 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I was read this book about 2 years ago in 5th grade.I took me a whiile to cath that the main characters are ghost poor kids died at a young age. Sad btu they make a goodo story. A young girl and her father move in to watch an old house. The young girl meets the young hosst girl but doesnt know shes a ghost. When the ghost girl convinces that they should go into the old Willis place where her mom watched the old lady that lived there and died.Te ghost girl and boys parents went to heaven but they had unfinished business. When the 3 children go in the house they let the old ladys spirit out bad things happen when they open the basement door. They find there own bodies! How would you feel if you were a ghost and found your old rotten body in a basement? In all the find out the old lady is a good person. Read this book find out what happens to the chilren when they walk in the house, see how they died in the basement, see what happens to the old ladies spirit.
    • 5/5
      This book is about Diana and her brother, their mom died in a house fire when they were five. Ever since then they have lived in the woods and their is a hounted house in the yard named willis place. A little girl named lily Comes along and Diana wants to be friends with her but Lily thinks she is a horrible monster and every time they get close something bad happens.
    • 4/5
      I read this with my elementary age daughter and we spent almost the first half of the book rather annoyingly confused about the main characters, young Georgie and Diana who live in the woods apparently alone. Then we figured things out and as the pieces began to fit we enjoyed the clever supernatural tale that neatly ties up the loose ends. The narrator is a 12-yr-old, but the book is not written in a 12-yr-old voice... maybe because she's not really 12. Overall we enjoyed the book, especially the author's take on life after death.
    • 4/5
      The book Old Willis Place is about a girl named Diana and her brother, their mom died in a house fire when they were five. Ever since then they have lived in the woods and their is a hounted house in the yard named willis place. A little girl named lily Comes along and Diana wants to be friends with her but Lily thinks she is a horrible monster and every time they get close something bad happens. That is what the book is basically about. I really liked this book because it is about ghosts and what they can trick you to doing. I personally like all books with mysteries and ghosts. I think that if you like to be scared then this is a great book for you. You wont be able to put it down. I rate this book with 4 stars.
    • 4/5
      Dianna and Georgie are two siblings living in the woods near their old house. They have not seen their parents in a long time and are surviving together in a messy shack with mysterious rules. When Lissa moves with her father to the estate, Dianna sees the opportunity to make a new friend. However, the rules that govern her and her brother get in the way. Will Dianna and Georgie find their way back to their parents and escape whatever seems to be controlling them?
    • 4/5
      The Old Willis Place: a Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn - It's been awhile since I read Hahn's earlier ghost story, Wait Till Helen Comes, but that story made such a shivery impression on me that I had to read this new one when it came across my desk the other day. And I wasn't disappointed. Hahn has woven another brilliantly frightening story, this time revolving around Diana and Georgie, two siblings who live like wild children in the woods behind the crumbling old Willis mansion, and who are hemmed in by certain rules and boundaries around the place, all dating back to when "the bad thing" happened. We meet Diana and Georgie as they hide in the bushes, awaiting the arrival of the new caretaker and his daughter, who Diana immediatley wants as friend. As the story moves on, we learn more about Diana and Georgie and their relationship with Lilian Willis, the old lady who died in the mansion, but whose spirit is said to haunt the place. As Diana and Lissa, the caretaker's daughter, become friends, Diana lets Lissa in on a terrible secret involving a locked storeroom in the basement of the Willis place. The secret is uncovered and bodies are removed from the house, which sets in motion a final confrontation between Diana & Georgie and Lilian.Although I figured out pretty quickly that Diana and Georgie were ghosts, I was still compelled to continue reading until I learned the truth about "the bad thing." One thing I've always liked about Hahn's work is the theme of forgiveness that runs through them. That theme appears here again, as Miss Lilian explains her actions to the children and Diana forgives her. Plenty of shivers up the spine, but also a suitably redemptive ending. I read this one in a few hours and passed it on to Liz. She's been reading it all day.
    • 5/5
      The plot is summarized in other reviews. I gave it 5 stars because of its author, not because it's my very favorite ghost story Hahn has written. Even her more minor books, such as this one, are superior to most all other writers of ghost stories for this age group. As an adult, and having loved both The Others and Sixth Sense, I realized immediately that the reader was dealing with child ghosts who are have corporeal bodies--they would have to in order to form a friendship with the caretakers daughter Lissa, who is unsuspecting. Realizing this didn't spoil my overall enjoyment. I might wish for more complexity, but for that I need to read a book such as Diana Wynne Jones' "Time of the Ghost." I always enjoy the way Hahn writes and appreciate that she includes adults in her novels. I think this age group doesn't need the frightening alienation they find in books where adults are absent or children believe they can't be helped by any adults when they are in danger, such as in the series Goosebumps. This is a good, solid read with compelling characters and some good frights leading to a satisfying ending--something else this age group needs.
    • 3/5
      Although it took me a long while to catch on that two of the main characters were ghosts, I truly enjoyed this light thriller. I think young adults would appreciate the themes of friendship and forgiveness as well as the mysterious ghost story.
    • 4/5
      Narrated by Diana and Georgie, this book is the story of their death and afterlife. When the new caretaker brings his daughter, Lissa, to the old Willis place, Diana is so desperate to have a friend that she begins breaking the rules. As she gets to know Lissa nd lets Lissa know more about her own life (both now and then) Diana and Georgie finally have a chance to change the way they've been for the past fifty years. Dang! I was about halfway through and I thought it wasn't that scary...but it definitely has super creepy vibes during the second half. Good book for kids who like to be scared/disturbed by their reads.
    • 5/5
      I am very picky about books but I really love this book
    • 2/5
      Knowing I like YA books, my friend and local librarian recommended this book.Diana and her brother live in a shed in the woods near the abandoned Old Willis Place. A former mansion, years ago, their parents were employees of the cruel owner.Diana and her brother had a different life before "the terrible thing" happened. There were rules then and rules now. When a young woman and her father move to a trailer near the property, rules are broken with dramatic consequences.The book was a light, easy read and might be a good Halloween book for teenagers.
    • 4/5
      Tired of the rules that have bound them ever since "the bad thing happened," twelve-year-old Diana ignores her brother's warnings and befriends the daughter of the new caretaker, setting in motion events that lead to the release of the spirit of an evil, crazy woman who once ruled the old Willis place.