Need a good read?

Behind The Attic Wall follows a twelve year old girl, Maggie, who is a bit of a “troubled child”. Maggie’s parents died of unknown causes when she was younger sending her from orphanage to orphanage and boarding school to boarding school. She is described as “impossible to handle” or any other excuse they could use to throw her out. After her most recent “incident” at a boarding school two of Maggie’s great aunts are found and she is sent to move in with them. Maggie soons comes to realize that her aunts are not the most kind hearted individuals and just assumes, as always, that she is the problem. But one afternoon Maggie hears whispering through the walls and ceiling. She soon makes her way into the attic where she stumbles upon a new way of life.

Sylvia Cassedy was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1930. Before becoming an author she was a creative writing teacher and slowly moved into publishing picture books in 1966. She is best known for her novels Behind the Attic Wall (1983) and Lucie Babbidge's House (1989). She is a New York Times Bestseller and a critics’ favorite. Her career was cut short by her untimely death in 1989.

Personally this is one of my top 10 favorite books and every so often I go back and read it again, which is what prompted this review. I feel like this is one of those books that doesn’t have an age limit, anyone of any age can get something out of this novel. Behind The Attic Walls is the book that made me fall in love with reading, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Some might find the novels themes or ideas slightly weird as it does consist of Maggie talking to dolls, which somehow possess the ability to talk to her, and only her, but this plays an extremely important role in the story and the development of Maggie’s character.

If you don’t like fiction novels or novels on the more unrealistic side of fiction you probably won’t enjoy this book, but if you are looking for a nice easy read that is also impactful; this is the book for you.