A Spooky Story for Middle School Students
Dear Pop,
I’m a seventh grader at New Heights Preparatory School in Northridge. My English teacher recently assigned us a book report. I can choose any book I want, but the author must be a California resident. I also need to report a little bit about the writer. Please help me ASAP. The assignment is due April 8, 2019.
Panicked Student
Dear Panicked Student,
Anne McGee lives in Northridge, California and writes middle school novels. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand and visited the United States as a young adult. She fell in love, got married, and started a family here in California.
McGee’s book, The Mystery at Marlatt Manor (Book 1 in the Cedar Creek Mystery Series) is about an old haunted house. She says, “I have visited many haunted homes in different countries. In each case, I have been left with the sense that stories lie hidden behind walls just waiting to be unlocked and told.” In one Victorian home a poltergeist whispered to her the tale of Violet Marlatt. McGee says, “It seemed only right that I should put pen to paper and let others know what I heard.”
The Mystery at Marlatt Manor tells the story of Mallory Gilmartin, a young teen uprooted by divorce from her Philadelphia home. She is transplanted to rural Virginia and resents it. Cedar Creek is a complete bore and its middle school doesn’t even have a girls’ baseball team. Everything changes fast when a sports car forces the thirteen-year-old cyclist off the road and into a ditch as it speeds away from the spooky house on the hill.
Soon after, Mallory’s mom tells her about Violet Marlatt, a missing teen who disappeared 50 years ago from that mansion during a party, and was never seen again. That night, Mallory sees a flickering light in the deserted house followed by the silhouette of a girl. Could that be Violet’s ghost?
McGee’s fast paced middle school novel has teen sleuth Mallory uncovering the mystery of the missing girl and the weird people that seem to be hunting for a possible lost treasure. Along the way, McGee introduces us to a cast of quirky characters. First, there’s Grandma Aggie, who would rather ride a motorcycle, skydive, or delve into forensic science than sit in a rocker and knit. There’s also Kyle, an 8th grade nerd who wears checkered pants; Roger Dunlop, a grumpy banker; and Albert Hampton, Marlatt Manor’s creepy caretaker.
Coupled with all this, Aggie may lose her beloved home and Mallory has strange dreams that may be the key to solving everyone’s problems, including the manor’s mystery.
If you like suspense, psychic ability, and a scary story, The Mystery at Marlatt Manor is for you. Just beware, once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop until you reach the surprising climax.
Enjoy the book,
Pop
Feel free to email Pop with your questions at [email protected].
Grandma Aggie, is my kind of woman.
You would like her, Joe.