The Ghost at Dawn's House (the Baby-Sitters Club #9): Volume 9

Great!

Posted originally on my blog: [...]I realized my previous reviews about the beginning of the series might have been a bit too harsh. Yes, there are some really immature moments and certainly some things that question why these girls believe they are the best baby-sitters, but as I get further into the series, I begin remember exactly why I loved this series so much as a child.The truth is, my younger self just wanted to be able to have what these girls have: a supportive group of friends to grow up with and share important experiences with. When I first read this book, I didn’t care that my favorite characters: Stacey and Mary Anne were scaredy cats. It didn’t bother me that Dawn was clearly overreacting to the house settling or the storms raging outside her home. Instead, I enjoyed the experiences these girls had and I loved the idea of picturing how my teenage years would be.In this book, Dawn finds herself determined to uncover the mysteries of her home and she’s convinced there’s a secret passageway somewhere. Between the scary book she’s reading, some strange noises and an overactive imagination, Dawn goes a bit to the extreme with imagining about what’s lurking behind the walls in her house. Even the actual discovery doesn’t help her get over the anxiety she feels. Perhaps had she shared the discovery with her friends sooner, she wouldn’t have had so many odd experiences and discoveries in and out of the passageway.This main plot line happens to overlap with the main babysitting plot that revolves around Nicky Pike. A few years younger than his triplet brothers, Nicky constantly finds himself being left out of things or stuck with just the Pike girls. This storyline actually is a continuation from Stacey’s and Mary Anne’s experiences with the Pike family in Boy-Crazy Stacey. In an attempt to find something for himself, Nicky uncovers the secret passageway in Dawn’s barn and uses it as a hiding place for when he needed to get away from his family life. This causes many of the strange day time noises that Dawn hears and even some of the things she finds in the passageway.I feel as if this is the first semi-solid book in this series. Sure, it follows the same predictable pattern that all of the books are notorious for. But for the first time, the girls seem more realistic and relatable. After all, who didn’t have an odd experience in their home during a storm or blackout, while growing up?I’m glad I continued my reread of this series and that I can look back on some fond memories that I have from reading these books.

She reads these things

My daughter loved this book! Great quality and arrived on time.

Just as described.