Rebound by Sagebrush, October, 1999
ISBN: 0881035122
Available: New and Used
Lois Duncan presents us with a chilling Gothic nightmare in Down a Dark Hall. Kit is starting eighth grade at the very exclusive Blackwood School. It’s so exclusive there are only three other students! A local tells Kit there are rumors that the house the school is in is haunted by the family of the previous owner, who had all died in a terrible fire. Strange things have started happening to the girls- Lynda, who has never studied art, suddenly becomes a talented artist; another girl is visited by a ghostly lady in a white dress, and Kit is waking up at the piano with stiff fingers, although she has very limited skill. Isolated, finally without any communication to the outside world, the girls discover that their headmistress is a medium with sinister intentions, who is using them as receivers for artists, musicians, writers, and mathematicians. As the spirit possessions become more frightening, Kit looks for a way to escape before they are all completely taken over. Suggested for grades 5 and up. Highly recommended for public library collections and school library media centers.
Contains: Spirit possession, violence, mention of suicide, disturbing behavior, ghosts, and suggestion of romantic intent.