When Grown-Ups Give Advice, Even When They're Clueless

Hello everyone!

"Murders in the Dollhouse" is part of the "House of Shadows" series by Betty Ren Wright.

Kids, I read this in e-book form.Book blurb

My thoughts

The story takes place in America, in a small town near Chicago. The main character is a 12-year-old girl named Amy.

Amy has a sister named Luann. Luann was a year younger than her sister and she was a special kid.

Amy had to take care of Luann when their parents were away, which wasn\'t easy for her.Because of this, Amy felt trapped; she couldn\'t do her own thing, and the other kids didn\'t really want to hang out with her when Luann was around.

The responsibility of taking care of Luann was a major source of tension between Amy and her mom.

After one of these blowouts, Amy runs away to her aunt Claire\'s place, hoping to escape the drama. Aunt Claire lives in an old family house that\'s been empty for a while. She\'s come to clean it out and sort through the old stuff.

Aunt Claire lets Amy stay with her for a bit, which gives Amy the break she\'s been craving.

Amy loves spending time with Aunt Claire; they talk a lot, and Amy helps out around the house. She\'s got a lot of free time, which is a welcome change for her.While exploring the attic, Amy stumbles upon an amazing dollhouse that\'s a perfect replica of their family home. It\'s got all the details just right.

There are even doll versions of the family members\' faces.Amy is completely smitten with this dollhouse, but Aunt Claire is a bit more skeptical.

I was really curious to figure out the mystery that my aunt was keeping from me, and I wanted to know what was going on with the creepy dollhouse. As I started to notice weird things happening around the dollhouse, I got even more determined to get to the bottom of it.But what had really happened in the past?

I have to admit, the reviews and the blurb really sold me on this book, so I had high expectations.It\'s an okay read, but it didn\'t really keep me on the edge of my seat.

There were a few suspenseful moments with the dollhouse, but overall, it felt like the main plot was taking a backseat to the protagonist\'s teenage problems.

As a horror story, this book falls short, but I think it\'s okay for a young adult audience. I can see why younger readers might enjoy it.

2. The author does a great job of tackling the theme of special kids, and it\'s a big part of the book. She really drives home the point that you shouldn\'t put that kind of burden on other kids in the family.

I have to admit, I wasn\'t always thrilled about taking care of my little sister. It\'s not that I don\'t love her, but she\'s 12-13, and she\'s got her own interests and friends.What really got to me was my mom\'s attitude - she just assumed I\'d take care of my sister without even asking me how I felt about it or giving me any space.

I was really disappointed with the ending of the book. I wanted something more satisfying. The author did a great job of keeping me guessing throughout the book, but the explanation and resolution felt a bit weak.So, what\'s the verdict?

This book is a bit of a mixed bag - it\'s a mystery, a thriller, a horror story, and a family drama all rolled into one. It\'s not particularly strong in any one area, but it\'s an interesting read. I think I was expecting more horror and suspense, but it was nice to see the story from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl.

I might be being too harsh on the plot. The book is a quick and easy read, and I\'m sure younger readers will enjoy it more than I did.