A story of darkness told with warmth, Ciara McLellan

The Haunting
Margaret Mahy
Hachette
Originally published 1982
Republished 2017

 

 

 

August 24, 2022

From the opening of The Haunting to its satisfying conclusion, Margaret Mahy delves into the secret legacy gifted to select members of the family, and how the family’s secrets, even ones deeply buried in the past, constrain the relationships of the Scholar family.

Eight-year-old Barney has been haunted before, but this time, it’s different. We see this in the very first sentence of the book, which hooks us nicely into the beginning of this wonderful adventure. “When, suddenly, on an ordinary Wednesday, it seemed to Barney that the world tilted and ran downhill in all directions, he knew he was about to be haunted again.”  Read more

August, 2022 Melissa Review archive, Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , , ,

A classic story that’s far from average, Sasha Maclean


The Changeover
Margaret Mahy
HarperCollins
Pub. 1984

 

December 8, 2021

Do you love books with vampires, spine-tingling horror, and breathtaking romances? Do you love books that seem to be average but end up completely blowing your socks off? Well, then look no further than The Changeover.

The author of The Changeover is one of New Zealand’s greatest authors, famous for her many picture books, novels and short stories. There’s even a playground in Christchurch named after her. That’s right: the one, the only, Margaret Mahy. Of course, Margaret Mahy’s fame gave me very high expectations for The Changeover. It also raised the very high bar which is my standard for books.  Read more

December, 2021 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

A story infused with trademark Mahy magic, Eleanor Bassett


Kaitangata Twitch
Margaret Mahy
Allen & Unwin
Pub. 2005

 

October 26, 2021

I was once part of a book club that got to send questions to Margaret Mahy. Since then, her books contain weirdly more meaning, as the author is even more personified to me (perhaps a positive part that’s left out of discussions around the link between the author and their personality, and their work?). The first Margaret Mahy YA novel I remember reading was Organ Music, a book that I couldn’t find on my shelves and forgot I read until this one; Kaitangata Twitch.

 Kaitangata Twitch has the trademarks of a Mahy YA book.  Read more

October, 2021 Tanya Prince Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers:

Blast from the past, Sarah Meyer

The Changeover
Margaret Mahy
Hachette
Republished 2016

 

Have you ever wanted to be a witch? No? Neither has Laura, but if she wants to save her little brother Jacko she must changeover and become a witch. Jacko has been marked by an enemy, and with each day that passes he grows weaker as his youth is sucked out of him, and if Laura changes over she has a chance to save him. Margaret Mahy writes about Laura’s fictional journey in her supernatural romance book The Changeover. This book has recently been made into a Kiwi film and is currently in cinemas.  Read more

December, 2017 Info Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , ,
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