Gr 4-8-Maud's life at an orphanage has been one of neglect and poverty. When the Hawthorne sisters appear out of nowhere and adopt the 11-year-old troublemaker, she vows to be obedient. Distracted by unfamiliar pleasures such as new clothes, ice cream, and indoor plumbing, she doesn't worry too much about the sisters' insistence that her presence in their home be kept hidden. Well cared for but bored, she finds a way to communicate with Muffet, a deaf serving woman, and the two develop a close relationship. Mysteries abound, and Maud soon discovers the family secret-the Hawthorne sisters make their living by conducting fraudulent s ances and they need Maud to play the part of a girl's ghost to deceive a grieving mother. Wanting to earn her guardians' affections, Maud is drawn further and further into the scheme despite her growing qualms of conscience. Only after a betrayal and a tragedy does she finally find the loving home for which she longs. Filled with heavy atmosphere and suspense, this story re-creates life in early-20th-century New England and showcases the plight of orphans. Maud is a charismatic, three-dimensional character who is torn between doing the right thing and putting her own needs first. While much of the plot is predictable, particularly the ending, the book will find an audience with fans of gothic tales.-Melissa Moore, Union University Library, Jackson, TN Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Eleven-year-old Maud is an orphan and a troublemaker, and everyone is shocked when an elderly woman named Hyacinth adopts the headstrong girl. After arriving at her new home, Hyacinth and her two sisters explain that Maud must hide upstairs whenever visitors call. Eventually the sisters reveal the reason for their secrecy. Maud will help them fake sÚances. Maud learns a host of tricks to help the sisters with a lucrative scheme to fool Mrs. Lambert, a wealthy woman whose daughter drowned in the ocean. Convinced of her talent for trickery, the sisters take Maud to a beachside cottage where she must spend her days hiding in the attic until it is time to act the part of the dead girl in a sÚance. After getting her first glimpse of the ocean, Maud cannot resist sneaking out of the house when the sisters are away. Maud spends many evenings riding the carousel and playing in the sand, catching the attention of Mrs. Lambert and threatening the success of the scam. During the sÚance, things do not go as planned, and Maud stands to lose everything she only recently gained. The playful narrative style stands in contrast to the otherworldly subject matter and lightens the tone of the novel. Set in the early 1900s, this quirky tale puts the reader inside Maud's head to share in her puzzlement, conflict, and discovery. The strong-willed Maud's actions are at times predictable, but the situations in which she finds herself are continually surprising.-Heidi Dolamore.

Maud achieves an orphan's dream when pretty Hyacinth Hawthorne brings her home. The discovery that the maiden Hawthorne sisters expect Maud to live as a "secret child" and help them with sham seances does nothing to dampen Maud's devotion to her charismatic guardian. Schlitz realizes both characters and setting (an early twentieth-century seaside town) with unerring facility, ending on a hard-won but triumphant note.

In this fast-paced story set in 1909, three seemingly caring elderly sisters adopt feisty, orphaned 11-year-old Maud Flynn. She soon discovers that they're spiritualistic con artists who value their "secret child" only because her shortness and singing talents help them dupe wealthy bereaved clients in ever-more-elaborate shams. Ironically, intelligent and resourceful Maud unwittingly turns out to possess some apparently real powers. Schlitz's well-written narrative depicts the period's craze for spiritualism and captures melodrama at its best with an orphan; shockingly villainous, heartless characters; a happy ending and some supernatural touches. Readers will get caught up in Maud's plight and keep reading to see if she can extricate herself and to learn about the genuinely fascinating details of the fakery. However, melodrama implies certain negatives, such as a predictable, too-good-to-be-true ending and some all-black or all-white characters. Overall, an interesting, brisk read, but it will be up to readers to decide how much of this they buy. (Fiction. 10-14)

Set in the early twentieth century, this first novel tells the classic foundling story with mounting melodrama and multiple twists and turns. Eleven-year-old Maud is always in trouble in the orphan asylum, so she's delighted when she's adopted by the three elderly Hawthorne sisters. Suddenly she has the luxury of new clothes, running water, and good food. But why do the sisters hide her away? As it turns out, they want her to play the role of a drowned child in mock séances to trick their rich, bereaved clients. But smart, brave Maud rebels, bonds with the sisters' deaf housekeeper, and, eventually, finds a loving family elsewhere. The narrative goes on too long, and the séance secret is revealed too early, but the details and the surprising turnarounds will keep readers hooked. They'll enjoy the situation of the brave young rebel who spies on the powerful adults she depends on.