I wanted to grab a quick read, and this book fit the bill perfectly at 184 pages. It's about a 15 year old girl whose mother inherits a haunted house, Graymoss, in Louisiana and plan to adopt a bunch of hard-to-adopt children with her husband and live there. Problem is, Lia isn't crazy about that idea. The walls whisper one word over and over which no one can quite figure out, the designs on the ceiling turn into hissing and spitting monsters, invisible hands reach out and grab at people's hair and face; there have even been a couple of "accidents" of people falling down stairs after claiming they were pushed by something. The answers to the haunting lie in Lia's great-great-great grandmother's diary and a well worn copy of 'Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe'. Can Lia solve the mystery and free Graymoss from the evil within it's walls? What is that one word that the house keeps whispering, then screaming? Will Lia and her parents be able to live in Graymoss, or will they run from the old plantation house like their ancestors have for the past 200 years?

This is an enjoyable read. Overall I give it 3 stars out of 5. ( )

This is a book my 11 year old was interested in reading. She had two chapters left and so I picked it up to see what it was about. The story started out promising, but I figured out the ending well before the main character, which is always a little disappointing. There were phrases that were repeated over and over in the text which droned on and on and on, and the ending didn't come soon enough. The big showdown at the end was rather anti-climatic, but as far as "not-so-spooky, spooky stories" goes, this is a good one for a pre-teen reader. ( )

Nixon brings us yet another fun, creepy, and suspenseful thrill ride. This time, Lia must solve the mystery of her family's haunted mansion. I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it to YA mystery fans. ( )

A fast-paced and suspenseful read from four-time Edgar award winner, Joan Lowery Nixon, THE HAUNTING tells the story of 15-year-old Lia, whose parents have inherited Graymoss, a mysterious family plantation supposedly haunted by an oppressive evil that only comes out at night. Feeling she can't live up to the legacy of the "Women Who Are Exceptionally Brave" in her family, the bookish Lia nonetheless finds herself drawn into the mystery that surrounds the plantation by clues found in an old family diary. Lia's admirable process of self-discovery is marred only by an unconvincing, melodramatic attitudinal about-face two-thirds of the way through the book, but fans of Nixon, as well as the young adult mystery genre in general, will find plenty to enjoy here. ( )

Fantastic creepy ghost story. Lia's great grandmother left her mother a family plantation home called Graymoss.But no-one has lived in Graymoss since the original owners due to the terrible hauntings that occur at night. There is even a rumour that people have been scared to death. Lia doesn't want to move house (her parents have a dream of adopting a whole family)and she hopes her parents stay there and are scared away. Meanwhile there are clues in the original owner Charlotte's diary as to who the ghost is and also a gorgeous local boy who offers to help her.