Module 9 - Dollhouse Murders

Book
The Dollhouse Murders
Written by Betty Ren Wright

Citation
Wright, B.R. (1983). The dollhouse murders. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary
Amy Treloar's aunt lives in the family house which hold the answer to a family tragedy that killed Amy's grandparents. Guilt and fear drive Amy's aunt to stay away and forbid Amy to continue down the path of revealing what the attic holds. However, a childhood toy, Amy's aunt's dollhouse, seems to be speaking to Amy, begging to share what insights and secrets it has kept hidden within its walls for so long. Amy, although scared, is determined to find out what the dollhouse is trying to tell them, even against her aunt's wishes to stop the research and investigation. The truth is upstairs in the attic, within the dollhouse - Amy is sure of that. But, can she find the answers before its too late?

Reviews
Publisher's Weekly (1999): Wright's taut, suspenseful novel proves a solid choice to kick off the Live Oak Mysteries audio series. The attic is always a great place to look for nuggets of one's family history, but when 12-year-old Amy explores her great-grandparents' attic, she uncovers clues to a chilling family secret. As Amy and her Aunt Claire sift through clothes, trinkets and other memorabilia, Amy comes across Aunt Claire's long-forgotten dollhouse, a finely crafted replica of the house they are in. Aunt Claire seems unusually distressed about the dollhouse and Amy is determined to find out why. The real fun begins when Amy learns that the dolls in the dollhouse move of their own will and that they seem to be trying to tell her something. After a little sleuthing at the local library, Amy learns that her great-grandparents were murdered years ago and that Aunt Claire's fiance? (who died in a car accident that same night) was the prime suspect in the unsolved case. Before long, Amy unravels the mystery, helping Aunt Claire to resolve her feelings about the past. A subplot about Amy's relationships with her parents, younger sister and best friend adds depth and warmth to this crisply paced tale. Stewart handles the narration with aplomb, using her voice to give listeners a hint of each character's personality. Her portrayal of Aunt Claire, who delivers a few chillingly snappish retorts to Amy, is particularly strong. Ages 8-up.

School Library Journal (1999): Grade 4-6-This scary mystery by Betty Ren Wright (Holiday, 1983) is sure to keep the interest of students, mainly girls. Narrator Carol Jordan Stewart does an excellent job. Her diction, pacing, and characterization are well-done. Twelve-year-old Amy is having difficulties at home being responsible for her brain-damaged sister, Louann. While visiting her Aunt Clare at the old family home, she discovers an eerily-haunted dollhouse in the attic-an exact replica of the family home. Whenever she sees it, the dolls, representing her relatives, have moved. Her aunt won't listen to Amy's claims that the dolls are trying to tell her something. This leads Amy to research old news reports where she discovers a family secret-the murder of her grandparents. The two sisters unravel the mystery. Amy grows to accept her sister and to understand that Louann is more capable than she had first thought.

Suggested Use
Because of the mysterious nature of the book, allowing students to create book trailers that show other students the highlights of the plot, give rise to the clues that help the mystery along, and, in general, get students excited about checking this book out of the library.

Impression
I have read this book aloud to my fourth grade students for years. I love the several chapters that have on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments when something big is about to happen! The descriptions lend a movie-like mental image, engaging readers and listeners for the duration of the book. The ending is satisfying for even the most picky mystery reader.

Module 8 - James and the Giant Peach

Book
James and the Giant Peach
Written by Roald Dahl, Illustrated by Lane Smith

Citation
Dahl, R. (1996). James and the giant peach. New York: Penguin Group.

Summary
James escapes a horrible childhood with abusive, repulsive aunts by climbing into a magic, giant peach. Already taking up residence in the peach are several insects - Miss Spider, Centipede, Old-Green Grasshopper, Lady Bug, and Earthworm - who rely on him to help them escape their rolling peach adventure. James' intellect saves the peach-dwelling group more than once as they thwart the plans of the Cloud-Men who bring the weather to the world, escape ferocious sharks, and eventually land in New York City. There, the traveling group, although first assumed to be aliens, are warmly received. The group live on to become important, productive citizens of New York City.

Reviews
Horn Book Starred (September, 1996): The text in this new edition remains unchanged, but the book is updated with Smith's black-and-white pencil sketches. His interpretation of the fantasy -- which contemporary young readers will recognize from Disney's film version -- is not quite as magical as Burkert's delightful renderings in the original edition. The new edition will suffice, but readers shouldn't skip the first.

Kirkus Review (1996): This newly illustrated edition of an avowed children's favorite has all the makings of a classic match-up: Milne had Shepard, Carroll had Tenniel, and now Dahl has Smith. Yes, there is a movie tied in to all of this, but more importantly, author and illustrator were made for each other, and it's of little consequence that it took almost 35 years for them to meet.

Suggested Use
Capitalizing on the Cloud-Men and their creation of weather, I would use the book as a jumping off point for a writing and illustrating activity where students explain, in personification-style, how weather works. As a class, we could combine the stories and illustrations into a book to be housed and cataloged in the school library.

Impression
I have heard of and about James and the Giant Peach for years, especially once the movie came out. I am not, in general, a fan of fantasy fiction and was hesitant to read any of the books on the list under the subheading. However, this book was very engaging. The descriptions of the insects, shark attack, and Cloud-Men are magnificent, helping the reader imagine and play the book in the mind. I would recommend this book to any student 4th grade and up.