Book cover of The Dollhouse Murders

Book description

Dolls can't move by themselves. . . . Or can they?

This special anniversary edition of the hair-raising mystery that's kept readers up at night for thirty-five years features a foreword by Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine.

Amy is terrified. She hears scratching and scurrying noises coming from the dollhouse in…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked The Dollhouse Murders as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Imagine finding a beautiful dollhouse where its occupants reenact the night of a murder from decades ago…creepy, right? Betty Ren Wright’s The Dollhouse Murders is a unique ghost story where the ghosts communicate their tragic tale through miniature doll versions of themselves.

Its mystery and old family secrets make this book one of my all-time favorites. 

From Lindsey's list on ghost stories for young readers.

I don’t want to blame Ms. Wright for my aversion to freaky dolls, but yeah, she didn’t help. When I read the book as a kid, it just affirmed my theory that all dolls come alive at night and do twisted things.

It’s extremely well-written and appropriately spooky. Not only that, but I met this author. She came to my elementary school and spoke to us. Much to my surprise, she was a sweet, normal, real-life person. I figured if she could give my classmates nightmares, surely, I could too.

From M.R.'s list on giving kids beautiful nightmares.

In this book the dollhouse is in the attic. The main character, Amy, is terrified by the scratching noises and flashing lights coming from the dollhouse. And the dollhouse dolls are never where Amy left them. This haunting novel combines complicated family secrets with a spine-tingling mystery. I love that the dollhouse is connected to secrets in Amy’s own family—and a murder long from long ago.

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A Foot is Not a Fish! by Cornelia Maude Spelman,

In a time of alternative facts and the loss of a shared sense of reality, A Foot is Not a Fish playfully illustrates the difference between what is true and what is not through absurd fun comparisons that every child—and parent—will instantly understand.

This book playfully illustrates common truths by…

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