The Girl from the Attic

Gr 4-8–When Maddy’s mom remarries and moves the family to the country, Maddy is sure she’ll hate it. She and her stepdad don’t get along, and she’s not sure how she feels about her mother’s pregnancy. At least their new home is intriguing; not only is it octagonal but it also has an attic door that takes Maddy through to the same house—100 years ago. There, Maddy finds a family with troubles of their own: a struggling soap factory, a sister with consumption, and a boy, Clare, whom Maddy is determined to help. But what will happen when Maddy begins to ignore the needs of her family for this one in the past? Though this story is straightforward, it takes some time to find its footing. It contains several plot threads that trail off or are frustratingly underdeveloped. Much of the conflict stems from characters being oblivious to important occurrences, or forgetting about the tasks they set out to accomplish. In fact, Maddy achieves so few of her goals in the historical time line that the reader is left wondering why she had to time travel at all. The redemptive arc ultimately focuses on Maddy mending her relationship with her own family, but the author’s attempts to draw parallels between Maddy’s present-day life and her friendship with Clare fall short.