88 Lime Street: The Way in (Denise Kirby, Scholastic)

Before Ellen has even walked through the door of her new house—an old mansion with actual towers—she senses there may be more to it than meets the eye. When the dried-up fountain in the overgrown garden magically starts flowing with fresh, clear water, she’s sure she is right. Ellen is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. But first she needs to find a way into the peculiar tower with no door. Are there ghosts in her house? Or is it something even more exciting? I loved this book. Not only because it contains, at one point, the dramatic declaration that ‘Time is the enemy’, but also because author Denise Kirby has done such an excellent job at suggesting scary rather than being scary. 88 Lime Street can be described as a classic haunted house ghost story without actual ghosts (though there are still some spooky moments). Instead, kids from throughout history are brought together in what is literally a race against Time. This book is excellent for young fans of ‘Doctor Who’ and is ideal for kids aged eight and up who want to read ghost stories but scare easily.

Dani Solomon is a bookseller at Readings Carlton

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Category: Reviews