The Curse of Ravenscourt: A Samantha Mystery

Samantha looks up at the massive building. Outlined against the grey sky, the carved ravens stared down at her from the rooftop. "It can't be cursed," she told Nellie, trying to sound brave. But inside, she felt a shiver of fear. "A Samantha Mystery: The Curse of Ravenscourt" is among Sarah Masters Buckey's list of "succeeding whodunits yet." Set in the year 1906, eleven-year-olds Samantha and Nellie, whom are the two main characters of the book outline, temporarily stay at the new apartment-hotel Ravenscourt, coordinated by Mr. Raven and his daughter Eloise. As both young girls learn not only of the somewhat quaint hotel staff, but also the omens of the hotel; blood on the elevator doors, eerie night sounds, and various moments of suspicion, they begin an adventure to capture the ruthless prankster behind the antics, which leads to discover his foremost intentions of the caper-making. Speaking from my experience, this particular American Girl mystery book will thoroughly succeed in catching your interest in the midst of the plot; you will find it difficult to put down this thoughtfully written book! Mrs. Buckey did a fabulous job with the research of s?ance' performances/ghost shows and historic Victorian hotels, proving this with her concise summary of "Looking Back: A peek into the Past." Overall, I give this book an A+ and highly recommend it to any young, ambitious sleuths.

This is another in the History Mystery series from American Girl, in which a young American girl is confronted by a mystery that will test her resolve and her ability. This is another story of Samantha Parkington, a ten-year-old orphan girl living in the America of 1905. While their house is being redecorated, Samantha's adoptive father moves the family to an apartment. However, when he leaves on business, Samantha learns that the apartment building is cursed and many mysterious things are happening. When Samantha's adoptive mother leaves under strange circumstances, Samantha and her sister Nellie are left to unravel the mystery by themselves. But, by using the knowledge of solving mysteries given them by reading Sherlock Holmes, the girls might just bring a little more justice to the world! Overall, my fourteen-year-old daughter and I found this to be a great book. The mystery is very well written, keeping you wondering just who is up to what. Also, I liked that the book gave a clear-eyed view of the harsher side of life in early twentieth century America, but handled it without being heavy handed. So, if you have a younger reader who likes a good mystery, then get this book. It is a wonderful addition to the Samantha series of American Girls books, which my daughter and I both highly recommend.

i loved it...it was a tru samantha story. the decription was amazing and the suspense was incredible. ms. buckley put lot sof effort into making this book a success!!

This book rocked!! i dont recomend childeren under8 to read this before bed.When i read it the first time i was at my grandmas and when the book said the door opened by its self and a piese of paper floted in and landed on the dresser my door closed by its self.also it said a rat got in a wall, and the walls at my grandmas started creaking. so i dont recomend this for a bed time story.I thoght it rocked. and i also recomend every ag book.

When Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia decide to do some renovations on their house, the family -- which includes Samantha and her adopted sisters Nellie, Bridget, and Jenny -- temporarily moves to Ravenscourt, an elegant new apartment building. However, soon after the family moves into Ravenscourt, things begin to go wrong. Samantha hears rumors of a curse on the building's owner, and begins to wonder if it's responsible for the strange happenings. Then Uncle Gard has to leave on business, and soon after Aunt Cornelia leaves as well, supposedly to visit her mother in Connecticut. Samantha begins to wonder if Aunt Cornelia lied about her reasons for leaving, but if she feared the dangers of Ravenscourt, how could she leave her adopted daughters there? Samantha decides she must find out the truth about what is happening at Ravenscourt before something goes even more terribly wrong. This is a nice mystery that will be enjoyed by the many girls who are fans of the American Girls, especially those whose favorites are Samantha and Nellie. The longer length of this book will be appreciated by girls who are beginning to outgrow the regular American Girls books. The story will also be enjoyed by young readers who haven't read other American Girls books, but who enjoy historical mysteries. And as someone who grew up reading American Girls books, including those about Samantha, I really enjoyed revisiting one of my favorite childhood characters.