I read this book when I was very young, probably around age six, and I’ve remembered it ever since. I couldn’t recall the book’s name for years until I was cleaning out my bookshelf and stumbled across it. I immediately sat down to read it.

The Wicked Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House is a children’s novel that features Maureen, a nine year old girl that has a reputation on the playground for being a hard slapper and a stay-after-schooler. When she wanders into the old Messerman house, a mansion that had long been boarded up, she finds seven paintings of seven different women. After she thinks she sees the ladies change their position, she reaches out to touch the painting, only to feel the silk of one of the woman’s dresses. 

This book takes a trip through time when Maureen meets the Messerman daughters and becomes a guest in their home. It’s unclear if she’s dreaming, time traveling, or under the influence of a spell, but Maureen makes her journey through the Messerman house, slowly learning the history of the house and its owners. 

This book is a wonderful journey that I suggest everyone take by giving it a read. 10/10

– Ellie