Bibliographical information:

Clapp, Patricia. Jane-Emily. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1969.

Clapp, Patricia. Jane-Emily. New York: Dell, 1972.

Clapp, Patricia. Jane-Emily: And Witches' Children. New York: Harper Paperbacks, 2007.

Brief summary:

In the summer of 1912, eighteen-year-old Louisa Amory accompanies her orphaned niece Jane on a vist to Jane's grandmother. Though Louisa expects the visit to be dull, she finds excitement in both the romantic attentions of a charming young physician and the frightening sense that Jane's other aunt Emily, who died at age twelve, is malevolently present.

Comments:

 I remember finding this book both gripping and terrifying when I read it as a child. I borrowed it from a friend, and didn't want to give it back.

Grade/Age level:

This is a tricky question. The current edition is described as a "young adult" book. Harper Collins, who is reissuing the book this summer, recommends it for "18 and up," which seems a bit cautious to me. Nine- and ten-year-olds will identify with Jane, but the romance between Louisa and Adam seems more likely to appeal to older readers. I think that I read the book in fourth or fifth grade, but nine- and ten-year-olds who still find kissing "gross" may be put off by the romantic plot, which includes a fair amount of kissing. If you've read the book, please share your thoughts on grade or age level.

Cautions:

This book is quite scary. Emily causes her own death, and other characters believe that Emily's ghost may have caused the deaths of her father, brother, and sister-in-law. Her presence is centered in a garden reflecting ball. If you have one in your garden, I'd think twice before offering this book to an imaginative child.

--Lisa Gordis

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