The Haunted Attic

1932.

Judy and her family move into a house that is supposed to be haunted. It belonged at one time to Vine Thompson who was the leader of a gang and who died but left behind hidden loot.

Judy has major problems at school since some students make the assumption that she stole a valuable ring and are now shunning her. The house seems to cause problems since she hears various strange-sounding noises at night.

A sub-mystery revolves around Peter who doesn't know who his parents were. His grandparents refuse to give him any information about them.

Judy plans to hold a Halloween party, but it seems the attitude of the girls at school will cause them to shun her party. Still, there are the mill girls that she can invite.

The book shows just how quickly students can turn on another one, and how easily it is to not bother to find out if one is really what you accuse them of being or not. The various scenes are well done, especially the attic.

There are also some racist things, though, as when the book notes "Judy had never seen a Negro except in pictures and this one fascinated her..."There are also some other things that show the strength of prejudice at the time.

Another problem I had is that Horace, Judy's brother, seems to do more detective work that Judy does. Thus, I have mixed feelings about this particular story.


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