Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...
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Book Review: The Doll in the Garden, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

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book review the doll in the garden

The Doll in the Garden, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is a ghost story about ten year old Kristi and her mother moving into the upstairs apartment of Miss Cooper's house. Miss Cooper is an elderly woman who dislikes children and warns Kristi to stay out of the garden or there would be consequences. When a white cat that casts no shadow appears in the garden and a little girl crying could be heard coming from there, Kristi decides to investigate.

I discovered Mary Downing Hahn's books at my middle school library and decided to check one of them out when I couldn't find any books I wanted to read. The Doll in the Garden was one of the first books I read by Mary Downing Hahn and contributed to my love of reading books in the horror, suspense, and thriller genres. In my quest to reread my way through my childhood, I decided it was time to find out if this story was as good as I remembered. Although I remembered the basic storyline of the book, I didn't recall all the details, and I'm glad that I didn't remember everything.

book review the doll in the garden a ghost story
What I loved about this book as an adult is that it deals with some heavy themes in a way that younger children can grasp. These subjects include death of a parent and a friend, cancer, consumption, and friendship. The depth of these topics for such a short book was phenomenal, and by the end of the story, I was actually crying. As a child, I remember The Doll in the Garden being very spooky but not scary and not being able to wait to read more spooky books. There are no negative things I can say about this book, even as an adult.

Five out of five stars is what I rated The Doll in the Garden, A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend Mary Downing Hahn's Wait Till Helen Comes, A Ghost Story.


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