Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan

Title: Down a Dark Hall

Author: Lois Duncan
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 86% or B
Buy It: Amazon

Kit Gordy sees Blackwood Hall towering over black iron gates, and she can't help thinking, This place is evil. The imposing mansion sends a shiver of fear through her. But Kit settles into a routine, trying to ignore the rumors that the highly exclusive boarding school is haunted.

Then her classmates begin to show extraordinary and unknown talents. The strange dreams, the voices, the lost letters to family and friends, all become overshadowed by the magic around them.

When Kit and her friends realize that Blackwood isn't what it claims to be, it might be too late.

My Thoughts::
I have no idea why I keep putting off reading these books! I'll look at them on my shelf, and for some reason I have the idea in my head not to read them all in a row. Even though each book is totally different and unrelated to the others. Maybe I'd just feel neglectful to the other books not by Lois Duncan that aren't getting read. In any case, I thought Summer of Fear was decent, but I liked this one even more.

Starting out, I was curious about what was going on. From reading the description I knew it was going to involve ghosts, but that did not explain the creepiness of almost every person besides the students. As time went on I literally learned everything along with Kit and her classmates. Each discovery was as a surprise to me as it was for them. After I read the book, once again I was surprised to learn that Duncan had to edit parts of each of her books before they were republished to fit in with current times and technology. I almost want to read the old versions just to see how much more frightening it would be with no chance of contact. Or maybe it's creepier now, knowing how it was purposely taken away so that they couldn't reach their families easily.

The old covers interest my. The old covers look just plain creepier, but have that dated look that wouldn't get as much as a second glance in a bookstore, but the new covers pop, and still have a weird and scary feel to them.

We got to know the characters just enough to realize when they started to act differently. The focus of the author was obviously more on the plot and how to develop it without adding too much suspicion. I don't really read these types of books often, but Duncan is changing my mind.

Overall I really liked this book, it kept me guessing and my mouth agape. I would recommend this book to those who like a bit of a mystery, or a ghost story.