Jane Kelley’s The Girl Behind the Glass is a scary book. Lovers of scary movies and scary stories told in the dark at sleepovers will devour this book about a haunted house, a horrible act, and an unsuspecting family.
The Zimmers have moved to the suburbs of New York City from Brooklyn. While they’re waiting for the completion of their new home, they hastily rent a huge old house on Hemlock Street that’s been derelict and mouse-infested for years. The children of the town used to come and throw rocks at the windows and dare each other to run up and touch the front door and pretty much everyone in town feels some kind of foreboding, angry presence in that house. But twin sisters, Anna and Hannah, along with their bratty older sister Selena, and their parents, have no clue about the house’s history or the watchful, menacing presence that lurks on the property. Soon after their arrival, Anna and Hannah discover some odd things, and Hannah in particular seems more susceptible to the powerful energy that courses through the rooms of the old house. When Anna makes a friend from school and inadvertently casts Hannah aside, an almost inexplicable anger starts welling up in Hannah that makes her unfocused, surly and on edge. Before long, creepy and unsettling things are happening to everyone and soon its obvious no one can ignore the truth that’s been staring them in face all along.
Combining the best of the horror genre (both books and movies), The Girl Behind the Glass is scary enough for adults whose imaginations can run wild while simultaneously handled just perfectly for its intended middle grade audience. I loved the point of view in this tension-filled story as Kelley slowly revealed the painful history of the house on Hemlock Street and the tragedy that scarred it forever. Ultimately, Hannah and Anna are able to bring peace and resolution to this torment filled house, but the cost is nearly too much for anyone to pay.
- Posted by Cori