A quick read and an enjoyable little ghost story. ( )

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

It was a quick, fun read. I didn't find it particularly scary though. But I can see how younger children would. I introduced Hahn's books to my 12-year-old niece and she loves them. If I run across more of her books I'll read them, but I won't actively search for them. I think these would have been books I would have loved in my tween days, but I've certainly outgrown them now. ( )

12-year old Florence has lived 7 long years at Miss Medleycoate's Home for Orphan Girls, following the accidental death of her parents. When her great uncle contacts the orphanage saying he wants Florence to come live with him at Crutchfield Hall, she is excited to be starting a new life. She even has a cousin James that she longs to meet. When she arrives at Crutchfield Hall, she learns that her Aunt doesn't want her there, James is ill and never leaves his room, and the Hall is haunted by a vengeful ghost.

For me, this book was very reminiscent of The Secret Garden (or even Jane Eyre to an extent). Poor girl is whisked away to live in a large, gloomy house. She is forbidden to see her invalid relative, but does so anyway. Spooky plot line with a ghost or other secret that she and the invalid relative solve together. I did enjoy this book....but the plot seemed very cliche. However, the book was written for middle grade children. The plot might not be so cliche for a young reader.

I found the Aunt character to be a bit too much of a stereotype. The melodramatic, harsh cruelty she showed the little girl was a bit over the top. Sort of like an evil stepmother sort of character. Very one dimensional. Although in such a short book, I wasn't really expecting much in the way of detailed character development. But a little more dimension in the characterizations would have made the story seem a bit more fleshed out.

Just as the story got to the exciting part, it ended. No fanfare or excitement....it just was done. There was never a climactic moment when the aunt was confronted with her inappropriate behavior. In the end she just sort of went away out of annoyance. The mystery plot line came to a lackluster end as well. Just when you thought there might be a last battle between good and evil, it pretty much fizzled and just ended.

This one was just ok for me. The idea wasn't original, and the presentation was a bit lacking.

My rating: 6/10
Spooky situations, but age appropriate for middle grade children.
Ages 10
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A quick read and an enjoyable little ghost story. ( )

When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents' death. But Florence doesn't expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it's too late?

This is advertised as juvenile literature but I needed a "children's or Young adult " book for another challenge and found that this one also fit this challenge and I had read Mary Downing Hahn's work before and found that she was an expert at weaving a goose bump raising ghost story no matter how how you are. In the beginning you feel sorry for Sophia...the little ghost...but befor long you discover she is far from the angelic creature idolized by Eugenie. Sophia proves to be spiteful, manipulative, and determined to avenge her death. While some of Hahn's literary references will likely go over the heads of the _targeted age group, most readers will be too absorbed in the chilling atmosphere of the tale and Sophia's terrifying influence on the living world to care. A deliciously spine-tingling tale that even the most "mature" readers will enjoy. ( )

This book was pretty good though I wasn't thrilled with the ending. It didn't feel like there was any sort of closure.
I've read most of Hahn's books and this one fell in the middle. I highly recommend Wait Till Helen Comes and The Doll in the Garden two of my favorites. ( )

Fairly short story about an orphan girl who encounters a ghost when she is taken in by family she didn't know she had. This book would be good for fourth and fifth graders who like ghost stories. It was slightly creepy without being too scary. ( )

Very similar to another of Hahn's ghost stories, The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall tells the tale of a badly-behaved spirit and the poor child she haunts. Orphan Florence learns that she has a long-lost uncle who wishes to care for her, and leaves the city of London for the dreary and lonely Crutchfield Hall. There, she meets her kind uncle, his cruel sister, her sickly cousin James, and the ghost of her cousin Sophia. Just like in Deep and Dark and Dangerous, the spirit of Sophia compels Florence to do things the living girl knows are wrong. This book is filled with scary moments and detailed descriptions. Much better writing than Deep and Dark and Dangerous, though the story is very short. ( )

In Victorian times, Florence is rescued from the orphanage by her rich Great-Uncle Tom, and goes to live in his country manor, Crutchfield Hall. There she discovers that her cousin James is an invalid, bedbound and confined to his room.

So far it's The Secret Garden, but wait!

Great-Uncle Tom's sister, the Bible-thumping Great-Aunt Eugenie, loathes and abominates the newcomer because how could Florence ever match Eugenie's darling, James's big sister Sophia, who fell off the roof to her death a year ago? According to everyone else, however -- though they're at first reluctant to tell Florence this -- Sophia was a malicious little toad who made James's life a misery and was just about as vile to others . . . except Great-Aunt Eugenie, to whom she sucked up for toys, dresses and candies.

Hey, we're in Rebecca! No, no: again, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Florence soon becomes aware, as are the servants and of course James, that Sophia's ghost still haunts the place. In fact, Sophia wants James dead, because she believes his death will bring her back to life. She also wants to torment Florence, and doesn't much care if Florence dies too.

Even if a bit derivative, this is all well enough told; but then it just sort of peters out. The book's a fun way to pass an hour or so -- it's for kids, and about novella-length -- but I'm sure that by this time next week I'll have forgotten all about it. Joan Aiken lite, really.
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Not great but not bad - worth the time I spent reading it but not much more ( )

An atmospheric, spooky tale with some nice nods to Dickens and Poe. ( )

This book was not as well done as "Wait Til Helen Comes". I felt that the ending wasn't finished enough and left me wanting a little more. It was fun to read and I think middle school students would love it! ( )

A decent enough, quick-read of a gothic ghost story. 3***, but not comparable to Wait Till Helen Comes or some others of Hahn at her best. ( )

This is a short tale about an orphaned twelve-year old girl, Florence, who has finally been sent for by her Great-Uncle Thomas, who keeps a country home with his sister, Great-Aunt Eugenia, and his nephew James. But there is one other resident of the house, one with evil intentions, and that is James' dead sister Sophia.

Though this book was definitely creepy, I couldn't stand Florence's lack of willpower or her Aunt Eugenia's ridiculous prejudice against her. The characters were just too one-dimensional and I was disappointed that the female main character was so weak. I was actually kind of rooting for something bad to happen to her by the end, which I'm sure wasn't the author's intention.

http://webereading.com/2012/10/rip-vii-read-2-ghost-of-crutchfield-hall.html ( )

This book is satisfyingly gothic -- the plucky orphaned protagonist, the decaying old manor, the sinister and hostile aunt, the sickly and delicate cousin, the fearful and superstitious servants, and the malevolent ghost, teasing and taunting and vowing revenge. A page-turner for grades 4-6.

Curriculum: I love ghost stories, and would teach this genre along with other traditional tales. Students can use this as a mentor text to write their own tales of the supernatural.

Hahn, M. D. (2010). The ghost of Crutchfield Hall. Boston: Sandpiper.

When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents’ death. But Florence doesn’t expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it’s too late? ( )

Florence is an orphan girl from London and she has been in Ms. Medlycoats home for girls for a long time now. Finally she gets to go and live with her Uncle in Crutchfield Hall. Just one year ago Sophia, Florence's cousin just died. James, Sophia's brother says he killed his own sister. At first Florence doesn't believe that Sophia can come back, but when Florence feels the cold chills and hears the muffled laughter of a child she believes that ghosts do exist. Sophia is trying to kill her brother because she believes if he dies she will live. Of course its not true because they will both be dead. Later on Florence and James tell Sophia to go away by reliving what happened on the day she died. Now Uncle,James and Florence all live together at Crutchfield Hall ( )

This suspenseful ghost story starts out the way of classics like A Secret Garden: orphaned girl goes to live with distant relatives, sickly boy cousin, and mean head-of-house. From then on, however, it turns into a haunting tale of a girl who died too soon and cannot rest for the unfairness of it. Dark and creepy with believable characters and a moody setting. The ending is not satisfying because the ghost's reason for returning to her grave is unclear, however some ambiguity about her possible return does help. Grades 4+

Originally Posted Here: http://www.goodbooksandgoodwine.com/2011/04/book-review-the-ghost-of-crutchfield...

I would classify The Ghost Of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn as historical fiction horror. The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall is a very brief middle grade book chock full of orphans, servants, a mean old lady, and a ghost.

12 year old Florence’s parents died in a boating accident when she was very young. Apparently her parents were estranged from their siblings, as no one was able to take Florence in. SO, Florence ends up chilling out in some orphanage for a few years until her Uncle Crutchfield decides to adopt her. Upon arrival at her new home, she makes friends with the servants, pisses off her mean old aunt, and decidedly is not allowed to meet her bedridden cousin James, who is also an orphan. Oh and did I mention James’ sister Sophia is dead of an unfortunate accident and is haunting the hall? She is evil and not exactly a friendly ghost like Casper.

At this point in history, they are not going to call the ghost busters, so it is up to Florence and James to figure out a way to make Sophia go back to hell, since obviously she is not destined to sing in a heavenly choir. Let me just say straight up, children terrify me. Seriously, you get some creepy kid just standing there and staring and good lord, the chills, they go up and down my spine. And well, Sophia being a grade-A jerkwad, comes up with these mean things to do to the residents of Crutchfield Hall, things that involve dolls, snowmen, roofs. You know, run of the mill terrifying things.

I won’t say this is the greatest book I have ever read. It isn’t exactly full of depth and deep heartfelt revelations or laugh out loud humor or crocodile tears. However, it isn’t a terrible way to pass the long hours of the afternoon away. The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall isn’t half bad, and I think it is worth taking out of the library, unless you are a genuine elementary school kid or a middle grader, then you might want to add The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall to your collection.

Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley. ( )

Take a little girl named Florence Crutchfield, formerly of Miss Medleycoate's Home for Orphaned Girls in London, mix her with a long-lost kindly uncle, a puritanically mean spinster aunt, a sickly cousin named James, and another cousin in malevolent ghost form, and what do you get?

A wonderfully creepy Poe-esque middle reader that will even entertain adults, The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall is certain to be a favorite. I loved the eGalley so much that I have ordered a copy for the shelves. This is one of those that could be a favorite middle reader for years to come. If you have a middle reader in your house, boy or girl, get this one. It is available now in hardcover, ebook, and CD, and will be available in September in paperback.

QUOTES (from an eGalley; may be different in finished copy):

"It were her fault, ye know. Her throwed a ball right in front of that wagon and Nero gone after it. I swear she done it a-purpose. A spiteful thing, she were."

Uncle said the dead did not return. He was wrong.

I looked at her with both pity and loathing. Pity because she was most certainly dead and not about to go dancing with anyone. Loathing because she was man and spiteful and obviously had not benefitted morally from dying.

Writing: 5 out of 5 stars
Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Characters: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 4 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING: 4.375 out of 5 stars ( )

Twelve-year-old orphan, Florence is looking forward to leaving Miss Medley’s orphanage to start her new life with her aunt and uncle at Crutchfield Hall. It’s bound to be an improvement over the orphanage. Yet though her uncle is genial enough, the rest Crutchfield Hall is a rather gloomy place inhabited by her uncle, an irritable aunt, James, her ailing cousin, and a ghost. The ghost is James’ sister Sophia. Sophia hunts Crutchfield after her accidental death. Sophia, spoiled, selfish, and cruel while alive, is even more so in death. Blaming James for her death, she tries to manipulate Florence into helping her exact revenge on James.
Normally I’m a fan of Mary Downing Hahn’s books, but I was disappointed in this one. The story line is appealing, but along the way the story fell flat. The scare factor is not as great as it is with other Hahn books. Sophia comes across more as a spoiled brat rather than a truly scary ghost. The ending was too abrupt without a logical sequence as to how the problem was resolved. It just happened. As a reader I was left wanting more.

Recommended for Grades 3 – 5.

Mrs. Archer’s rating 2 of 5. ( )

Florence is a twelve year old orphan who is sent to live with an uncle and aunt. Her uncle had been searching for her since finding out about her parents tragic death. She arrives a day early at Crutchfield Hall and can already tell her aunt doesn't like her. She compares everything Florence does to Sophia. Sophia was Florence's cousin who died six months earlier in a tragic accident. Her aunt won't let her meet her cousin James. Florence feels early on that someone is watching her. She hears a voice and then she is being forced to do things she would not normally do. When she tries telling her aunt and uncle, her uncle doesn't believe in ghosts and her aunt is enraged she would blame her "sweet " niece. The one who could do no wrong. But, Sophia is back to finish something, to seek revenge. She will not let anyone get in her way. Hahn has once again created a ghost story that I enjoyed and one I know my students will devour. ( )

Mary Downing Hahn was the author of my childhood nightmares. Her books, especially Wait Till Helen Comes, terrified be as a child. The only time in my entire life that my mother limited the content of my reading was to not allow me to read her Hahn's books after dark.

It was with this background that I picked up The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall, expecting to be scared. And I wasn't. It's not that I'm so grown-up now or so desensitized by years of scary books and movies that I hadn't been in late elementary-middle school. I admitted just a couple months ago that I couldn't read The Dead Boys right before bed. It's that Sophia wasn't all that scary. She's mean, but not evil; jealous, but has no power/knowledge to get what she wants. She's just a sad, spoiled girl who doesn't want to be dead and who will hang around grabbing everyone's attention with her antics and tantrums until she gets what she wants: a second chance at life. Because it's just nor fair! Especially when James gets to live. Sophia terrorizes James and tries to get Florence to help (and sometimes succeeds).

But it still wasn't scary.

Because the whole story revolved around Sophia and Florence and James' fear of her, The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall kind of fell apart for me. Younger readers who are not quite ready for the super-scary stuff but are still looking for a Halloween book will be happy with this one.

Book source: Arc picked up at ALA

In the nineteenth century, ten-year-old Florence Crutchfield leaves a London orphanage to live with her great-uncle, great-aunt, and sickly cousin James, but she soon realizes the home has another resident, who means to do her and James harm. ( )

I found this book to be a charming and sweet ghost story, even if the ghost herself was anything but sweet. Mary Downing Hahn’s writing cast Florence in a wonderful light as a sincere young girl trying to find her footing in her new home. Her cousin James is both a tender child and a frightened child and evoked memories of A Secret Garden for me.

The book is a quick read at only 160 pages, but the pages are used to the fullest advantage. I despised the great aunt right away and loved Spratt, the everything-man, feeling that anything the he said should be adhered to, because he is someone that knows what’s what, even when no one else will admit to a thing. My only wish was that the story would continue on and have a more defined ending…but maybe there is more to come of this story. ( )