Down a Dark Hall

Down a Dark Hall is my favorite Lois Duncan book. Even from the first, the book drew me into the intricate plot. From start to finish, you could have never guessed the ending. It's a story about this girl, Kit, who attended this exclusive school, Blackwood. She's only one of the four "special" students. Along the way, Kit learns about the dangerously eery history about Blackwood, solving mysteries after mysteries and unlocking hidden secrets that could have cost her life and the other students if they had stayed hidden. Down a Dark Hall is truly a gem and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good suspenseful mystery. I couldn't put the book down until I had finished. The ending left me breathless.

I remember years ago when I first picked up this book I really didn't expect much from it. I must say I was blown away with because it had elements that I loved. Ever since I read this book, I've been a Lois Duncan fan. The book is about a a fourteen-year old girl named Kit going to a special boarding school named Blackwood while her mother and her new stepfather take a long Honeymoon. But Kit soon finds out some thing strange: they are only four girls in the boarding school. What follows is a supernatural mystery. Kit and her new friend Sandy soon find out the reasons why they were selected to attend Blackwood. Soon their lives are at stake and it's up to Kit to find a way out.Great read. I highly recommend it.

This book above all is Lois's greatest book! She makes the scenes and characters come alive. Not to mention this book is really creepy and scary. I started to read it and couldn't put it down. I finished it in less than 2 hours. Warning: Don't read it at night, like I did. It spooked me out!

Here's the deal: I read a spooky book when I was twelve. I couldn't remember the title or the author; all I knew is that the memory of long, dark hallways, doors locked from the inside and four lonely girls trapped in an institution haunted my nightmares for ten years. My concrete memories consisted of the thread of a plot: Four young girls, gifted with ESP, are brought to a private school so the headmasters can channel dead artists through their minds and sell the art as originals. About a month ago, I mentioned the elusive book to a friend, who immediately named the title and the author, admitting his fear, as well. Pretending to buy for a younger sister who doesn't exist, I bought the book again -- with a new cover no longer featuring the young heroine with a candle -- and was overcome once more by Lois Duncan's ability to surround the simple narrative with swirling mists, dark corners and flickering candlelight. DOWN A DARK HALL introduced me to the glorious world of wondering what's behind the door, a passion that extended into Stephen King, Clive Barker and even dark comic books. But even the "adult" writers can't capture atmosphere the way Duncan can. Like King's Carrie, Duncan illustrates the pain and chaos of adolescent girlhood, and the impossibility of escaping a world that doesn't understand. The difference is that your little sister can read Duncan while she's still young enough to feel the character's confusion... and the impact is strong enough to last a decade.