The Haunting of Hillside School
Written by Kristiana Gregory
Reviewed by Sarah B (age 9)
Boo! Are you afraid of ghosts? If you aren’t, you should read The Haunting of Hillside School by Kristiana Gregory. In this book, three cousins, Claire, Jeff and David see a girl at their after school pottery class, located on the seventh floor level, who looks a lot like Nettie Tuttle, the girl who died fifty years ago. With all these mysterious clues, including someone playing Mozart music on the piano when there is no piano, the cousins, smelling cinnamon cookies smell that was Nettie’s favorite snack, they wonder, “Is someone trying to scare us or is our school hau… hau… haunted?” Read the book to find out.
I loved this book because it sometimes gave me goosebumps. For example, when Claire, Jeff and David are in the secret passageway, David falls through a broken staircase. Also, when they are in a dark room, they see a portrait that looks like Nettie Tuttle. I had many favorite parts but my absolute favorite part was when they choose to go look for more clues instead of going to the movies. My favorite character is Claire. I like her because she is brave. For example, when they are in the secret passageway, she says, “I’ll lead the way.”
I recommend this book to third to sixth graders who like intense mysteries. I also recommend this book to third to sixth graders who like to be scared once in a while. Since I like to be scared once in a while, I couldn’t put this book down!