The Haunting of Hillside School

It’s a new school year in Cabin Creek and the cousins have a new mystery. When Claire and David look out the art room window and see a girl’s pale face, they suspect it’s a ghost. How else could someone look into a second floor window and just disappear? As the cousins investigate, they find other peculiar clues: piano music lilting through the halls, the aroma of pumpkin pie, and a crooked old painting that looks like the ghost’s face. Is their spooky old school house really a haunted house? Each of the six books in this series feature atmospheric spot art throughout. Praise for Kristiana Gregory: Through Hattie’s diary, Gregory brings the rigors of the trip to life, but she also includes the details that kept the settlers going–the friendships and camaraderie that developed and the joyful events (a wedding and some births) that occurred. Gregory brings a sobering dose of reality to an era that’s often romanticized; this is a fine glimpse of history on a human scale.–Kirkus Reviews, for Dear America: Across a Wide and Lonesome Praire As she has done in several previous historical novels, Gregory brings to life events and perspectives not often found in the standard history texts… the bloody battles, and the suspenseful tone of the short, cliffhanger chapters will keep most readers involved. Meanwhile, Gregory provides insights into life in Alta California and nicely integrates Spanish words into the text. Historical notes, a glossary, a bibliography, and maps add to this novel’s utility as a starting point for history lessons as well as for leisure reading.–School Library Journal, for The Stowaway. This is heartfelt historical fiction, and readers will relish each page of the adventure.–Publisher’s Weekly, for Jenny of the Tetons, winner of the Golden Kite Award and an NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies.