Scholastic Canada - Haunting at Cliff House

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Scholastic Canada Ltd.
ISBN 0-590-71517-8
144 pages
Ages 12-15

by Karleen Bradford

When her father inherits an estate from his great-aunt, Alison reluctantly agrees to spend her summer in Wales. The dreary mansion called Pen-Y-Craig (Welsh for Cliff House) is far from her Ottawa home, and her summer is far from ordinary.

Alison discovers an ancient diary, a haunted cave, and the story of a young girl called Bronwen who lived at Cliff House in 1810. Alison sees spirits and hears voices that compel her to unravel Bronwen's tangled and tragic history. But can she learn from Bronwen's disasterous mistakes, and undo the wrongs of the past and the present?


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Spread from HAUNTING AT CLIFF HOUSE
by Karleen Bradford

The next day was Sunday. Alison came down to breakfast feeling drugged. She hadn't slept well, tossing and turning until well after midnight. When she had finally fallen asleep she'd had strange, uneasy dreams. Bronwen's voice had called and called. Alison had searched for her along endless corridors and everywhere in the enormous proportions. But somehow the voice had stayed just out of reach, Bronwen herself just out of sight.

Alison poured milk on her cereal and set it in front of her, then sat there, forgetting to eat.

"Well, Alison," her father asked, "what would you say to going to church today?"

At first she didn't react, then the meaning of his words hit her. Another shock. She couldn't remember the last time her father had gone to church. What was happening to him anyway?
The mystery was explained by his next words. "Meiriona suggested we go. It's a lovely little village church, she says, and the vicar is a lively man who preaches an interesting sermon. I thought we might just drop in. It's only a short walk from here."

Alison's first impulse was to refuse, but she changed her mind. The thought of church was somehow appealing.

They grey stone church, high up on the cliffs overlooking the town of Aberidris and the harbour, looked very old. Meiriona was waiting for them by the front door. Alison felt an unexpected surge of pleasure when she saw Gareth standing beside her. She smiled at him, remembering his struggle with the seal, and he grinned back. He looked oddly stiff and formal in a jacket and tie. Alison was glad she had fought her unruly curls into submission and tied them back neatly for a change.

The service was simple and quiet. As Alison relaxed back into the pew and listened to the small choir sing, she began to feel more peaceful than she had since the day they'd arrived. But her happy, contented mood was shattered when Meiriona leaned towards her father and whispered something to him. Mr. Evans smiled down at her with a look on his face and a sparkle in his eyes that Alison couldn't even remember seeing before. She looked away quickly and didn't respond when Gareth held out his prayer book to share with her. She paid no attention at all to the rest of the service, fidgeting during the vicar's sermon and longing only to be out and away from there. Away from Meiriona.

From Haunting at Cliff House. Copyright © 1985 by Karleen Bradford.

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"I loved this book!" Shelby, Rating: 10

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