The Ghost Locket

Lolli is in England with Freya and they have come back to help with the opening of the family house in Spitalfields.  But Lolli does not want to go into the house as she knows it is haunted by a malevolent spirit.  Her strange behaviour and her inability to tell anyone what is happening to her is a mystery to all around her.  But gradually she is able to realise what she must do to free the house of the spirit and release the 'ghosts' Clara, Elsie and most of all of Madame Le Noir.

Lolli is a courageous girl and her fear is palpable, after all who would not be afraid of a spirit which shakes the wall until it bulges and become Madame Lenoir?  She has lived with her fear of this house even when in Singapore and was afraid to hear what Elsie wanted to tell her on her last visit before she died.  But Elsie is sitting in the chair by the hearth and her spirit encourages Lolli to do what must be done.

There is a lot to take in during the telling of this story, some of it quite difficult for a young reader to understand; there is talk of mesmerism for example, portals are another, but the atmosphere of a haunted place permeates the pictures the words paint and gradually the reader begins to understand the fear Lolli must have and the determination she shows to rid the house and herself of the woman.

The story paints a lovely picture of the multicultural nature of Spitalfields, and the group of friends doing interesting work with people that draw Lolli in, despite her wish to be alone.  Lolli is dealing with the loss of her mother and also Elsie, which is told sensitively without drama, but the reader sense a healing process taking place in this warm, friendly environment. 

Girls of 10+, not of a nervous disposition, will enjoy this tale.

256 pages / Reviewed by Janet Fisher, librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+