Synopsis
The arrival of their crotchety old grandfather coincides with Jeff and Megan's discovery of a magical Victorian house, which seems to fulfill their wishes by decorating itself to fit their dreams.
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Reviews
Grade 4-6-- Jeff's irascible grandfather has come to the Armsteads' home, and he finds fault with everything his grandson does. Jeff, 11, takes refuge in the garden of an old deserted Victorian home in the neighborhood. When he finds a key that will open the cellar door, he and his younger sister enter the house. Subsequent visits lead to a series of mysterious happenings that culminate in a surprising climax and the resolution of at least part of Jeff's difficulties with his grandfather. Klaveness handles the problems of an intergenerational household with sensitivity, exploring them from somewhat a different standpoint than that taken by Robert Kimmel Smith in The War With Grandpa (Delacorte, 1984); the loving, caring Armsteads are trying hard to make a place for a lonely, and very bossy, old man. This nice mix of adventure, suspense, humor, and the ambiance of summertime in a small town is well-balanced, making for an enjoyable novel. --Tatiana Castleton, Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Klaveness returns to her accustomed theme--the past's
influence on the present. Jeff and his younger sister Megan are
compelled to share a partitioned room when their crotchety
grandfather returns to their small town to live. When Jeff
continually runs afoul of Grandfather's expectations, his anxious
father tries to smooth things over in an attempt to make up for a
relationship he missed in his own life. The summer's only solace
is exploring an invitingly empty Victorian house--which seems to
become less abandoned and in better condition each time Jeff and
Megan explore it. The riddle's solution not only involves
Grandfather's past but also offers new hope for the family's
current situation.
Family tensions are well portrayed, but the mystery about
the house is less engaging: the solution is telegraphed early,
while lengthy descriptions of the house's interior slow the pace.
Still, a better-than-average depiction of intergenerational
tension. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Beyond the Cellar Door
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Beyond the Cellar Door
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