The House of Dead Maids (YA)

The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle. 2010. September 2010. Henry Holt. 160 pages.

I was not the first girl she saw, nor the second, and as to why she chose me, I know that now: it was because she did not like me.

Our heroine, Tabby Aykroyd, has been chosen to be the new nursemaid at Seldom House. The young master has also been newly chosen. Something that Tabby finds odd indeed. Why adopt a young boy--a wild boy at that--to be the new master?

Of course, if Tabby were waiting for things to make sense at Seldom House, she'd be waiting forever. Everything she's seen, everyone she's met has been strange. Mr. Ketch and Miss Winter especially. And that would also include the ghost haunting her room. (There's something so familiar about that ghost...)

The boy Tabby cares for doesn't have a name exactly. Mr. Ketch, the one who brought him to Seldom House, just calls him his little heathen git. But Tabby chooses to think of the boy as Himself. He doesn't want a Christian name--so he says. Since this one is a mystery, I can't say much more about the plot. But I would definitely recommend this one!

The House of Dead Maids is a prequel to Wuthering Heights. And while I didn't love Wuthering Heights, I did love this one very much. Dunkle knows how to do gothic! The atmosphere of this one is just right. This one would be perfect for Carl's RIP challenge.

You can read the first two chapters at the author's website.
To view a slideshow of the interior illustrations, also visit the author's website.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews