Maggi Adams loves her dad. He hasn't been the same since her mom died. Nothing has been the same. Maggi knows they need a change, and she definitely knows they need to get far away from the horrid woman their dad hired to clean the house while he's working. She's just too forward....and common. Her dad doesn't need an entanglement like that. So when her father gets a job offer to be a project foreman on a renovation project, Maggi is so happy! Restoring an old abbey sounds like just the thing to bring her dad out of depression. Plus it will give her, and her twin brothers, something to do over summer break. After they arrive at the dilapidated old place, Maggi soon knows that there is more to the old building than anyone realizes. Strange noises. Singing when nobody is there. Accidents happen to those who try to damage the abbey. Ghostly figures. What's going on? What does the Abbey want?

I enjoyed this story. The tale is well-written and spookily entertaining. The front cover art is awesome! Maggi makes a great main character. She works hard to help her dad and keep the twins in line and bravely investigates the Abbey. While there is no graphic gore or over-the-top scary moments, there is a bit of language and some adult themes. Not enough to give it a pg-13 rating, but it might not be appropriate for kids younger than middle-grade. There is a nice element of suspense to the story, and the descriptions of the Abbey and its state of disrepair really set the stage nicely for a ghost story. The ending is a bit abrupt...but that didn't harm my enjoyment of the book. Very entertaining!

Robert Westall is the author of many books for kids and adults including The Devil on the Road and The Watch House. I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author! ( )