The House Next Door

by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Overview

HAUNTED HOUSE
On a whim, Emma Donovan bets her twin brother, Charlie, that she can spend the entire night alone at the spooky, abandoned house next door. The place is seriously creepy, but she's determined to overcome her fears and prove her brother wrong. Until she finds herself reliving a horrific night from the house's past and a passionate love with a handsome — and strangely familiar — young man.
When Charlie finds her, he's sure it was all just a dream. Yet Emma has persistent paranormal experiences involving the house and the young man from the past. As her "dreams" intensify, Emma becomes convinced that they are very real...and that she has a dreadful part to play in the supernatural reenactment of a tragic love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780743418386
Publisher:	Simon Pulse
Publication date:	01/01/2002
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	595,073
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Richie Tankersley Cusick writes horror novels for teens and adults, and while she enjoys exploring the dark side of human nature, her young adult books usually focus on some aspect of growing up, as well.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 6-10-Cusick does a good job of building suspense in this supernatural thriller. To get her twin brother Charlie to take her friend Val to the winter dance, Emma Donovan accepts his challenge to spend a night in the creepy, empty house next door that is supposedly haunted. Soon, the 17-year-old finds herself caught in a century-old love affair with anything but a happy ending. She becomes deeply involved in the secrets of the house, and Charlie and Val struggle to save her before the romance plays out its tragic conclusion a second time. Though the characters are fairly typical for the genre, they successfully sustain the mood of the story, and Cusick has incorporated some effective "twin speak" details into the story. The scenes involving two spinster neighbors are an unnecessary and distracting addition; Charlie, Emma, and her ghost lover are really enough to move the action forward and bring it to its conclusion. Still, this is a hauntingly good read.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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