The Haunting of Bellington Cottage - by Laura Parnum (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

From the author of Peril at Price Manor comes a new spooky and bighearted stand-alone novel about two girls trying to figure out if they're still friends who discover their vacation rental home is haunted.

It was the perfect winter break getaway . . . until the ghost showed up.

The last time Iris's and Violet's families went on a trip together, the girls turned their rental home into an epic haunted house--and Iris has brought all her spookiest supplies to the cottage they're calling home for the next week, ready to re-create the magic they'd shared. But in the years since, Vee (don't call her Violet) has become closed off and short-tempered and wants nothing to do with anyone, especially not her mom's new boyfriend.

Vee's bad mood feels inescapable in the cottage. And soon strange things are happening that make it seem like the house itself is angry, too--doors are slamming, rooms that were perfectly neat a second ago are suddenly a disaster, and Iris hears pacing footsteps long after everyone's gone to sleep. Iris and Vee soon discover that the cottage has a secret history and that there's no need to stage a haunted house after all . . . because they're already in one.

Review Quotes

"Authentic characters inhabit an evocatively described world in this thoughtful ghost story. A powerful theme of positive communication weaves through and between the storylines. Readers who enjoy interpersonal themes and don't mind a leisurely buildup to the real shivers will appreciate this tale. Mild chills mingle with believable friendship issues in this appealing ghost story." -- Kirkus Reviews

"From the get-go, middle-grade mystery lovers will be sucked into this story. Parnum has created a rabbit hole worthy of falling down, capturing the girls' interpersonal drama and filling the narrative with situations that are touching and compelling. A well-crafted mystery with just the right amount of scare and heart." -- Booklist

"This novel is equal parts thrilling and evocative but relatively mild in terms of spookiness. Parnum creates a relatable character in Iris, a girl who is trying to find her place after her best friend moves away. Her growth in self-awareness and development of her friendship with Vee reads as very authentic. A slow build with some spine-tingling moments leads to a heartfelt conclusion. For fans of ghost stories that deliver on shivers but don't overdo it on the scares." -- School Library Journal

Praise for Peril at Price Manor: "Halle's vast knowledge of horror tropes combines with the idiosyncratic skill sets of the long-cloistered Price offspring, and between a roller-skating disco, sousaphone practice, and a horrifying foray into a stinky cheese cellar, they tackle the tickly nemeses and prove themselves resourceful and brave in the process. Playing lightly on the tropes of classic B-movie horror, Parnum's imaginative and satisfying debut is packed with high-spirited hijinks. Playful energy propels a laugh-out-loud scary story that doesn't tread too far into truly terrifying territory." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[A] good-humored romp. Debut author Parnum keeps the scares gentle but gooey via lively prose that conveys a vibrant setting. Quick-moving chapters and alternating perspectives that showcase the characters' dawning agency make for a propulsive creature feature."
-- Publishers Weekly

"Parnum's whip-smart narrative pokes fun at its own genre with a classic middle-grade cheekiness, giving each character depth beyond their archetypes. The three main characters have a delightful combination of bizarre talents. A playful acknowledgement that overbearing parents stop their kids from fully experiencing the world, this is a fantastic combination of mild locked-room horror and heroes who manifest in unlikely and hilarious ways." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"It's Alien in a spooky mansion. Nonstop action, tentacles, and slime. So much fun." -- J.W. Ocker, author of The Smashed Man of Dread End

"Price Manor is perfectly mysterious. With just the right amount of chills and thrills, I was hooked from page one!"
-- Lindsay Currie, author of Scritch Scratch and The Girl in White