At the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans, eleven-year-old Maud is adopted by three spinster sisters moonlighting as mediums who take her home and reveal to her the role she will play in their seances. - (Baker & Taylor)
When Maud is chosen by the seemingly sweet Miss Hyacinth and her sister, she, excited to leave the orphanage, finds her new home a place of corruption and cruelty when she is forced to help stage elaborate seances to swindle wealthy patrons out of their money. - (Baker & Taylor)
"People throw the word 'classic' about a lot, but A Drowned Maiden's Hair genuinely deserves to become one." ' Wall Street Journal
Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence, so when the charming Miss Hyacinth and her sister choose Maud to take home with them, the girl is as baffled as anyone. It seems the sisters need Maud to help stage elaborate séances for bereaved, wealthy patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing her role as a "secret child," she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience ' until a shocking betrayal makes clear just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with tantalizing details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this lively historical novel features a winning heroine whom readers will not soon forget. - (Random House, Inc.)
"People throw the word 'classic' about a lot, but A Drowned Maiden's Hair genuinely deserves to become one." — Wall Street Journal
Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence, so when the charming Miss Hyacinth and her sister choose Maud to take home with them, the girl is as baffled as anyone. It seems the sisters need Maud to help stage elaborate séances for bereaved, wealthy patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing her role as a "secret child," she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience – until a shocking betrayal makes clear just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with tantalizing details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this lively historical novel features a winning heroine whom readers will not soon forget. - (Random House, Inc.)
Laura Amy Schlitz is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, the Newbery Honor Book and New York Times bestseller Splendors and Glooms, and several other books for young readers. A teacher as well as a writer, Laura Amy Schlitz lives in Maryland. - (Random House, Inc.)
It was not until the Misses Hawthorne boarded the train that Maud was able to open her book. She had ridden in a train once before, when she left St. Anne's Children's Home for the Barbary Asylum, and she was glad of it, because it allowed her to assume the nonchalance of a world traveler. She sat down primly, back straight.
"You mustn't read in the train," said Judith Hawthorne. "You'll be sick."
Maud was sure she would not be sick. She opened her mouth to argue and then remembered that she had made up her mind to be perfectly good. She shut her book, folded her hands on top of it, and answered, "No, ma'am."
"Miss Hyacinth has something to say to you," continued Judith, and Maud, getting the hang of it, piped up, "Yes, ma'am."
The two sisters looked at each other. After a moment, Hyacinth gave a little laugh. "Maudy, do you remember what you said earlier today - about how you would do whatever we asked of you?"
Maud had once slapped a little girl who tried to nickname her Maudy. She replied, "Yes, ma'am. I remember. I meant it, too," she added generously.
"Good." Hyacinth hesitated for a moment. "Do you like secrets, Maud?"
Maud thought about it. "I like to know secrets," she said at last, "but I don't like secrets that aren't mine."
Apparently this was not the answer Hyacinth had expected. She changed the subject. "Do you remember what I told you in the bookstore? That you wouldn't be going to school right away?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Are you sorry for that? Do you mind very much?"
"No, ma'am."
"That's good." Hyacinth lowered her voice mysteriously. "You see, Maud, Judith and I have a secret. If you were to go to school, that secret might come out. In a little while, once we are sure of you, we will tell you everything, but first we have to make sure we can trust you. Later on, we'll ask you to help us with our work."
Maud wrinkled her nose at that word work. Then she rallied. After all, even if she had to empty chamber pots, or peel potatoes, there would be fewer chamber pots and fewer potatoes than were required for sixty-three little girls. "I'll help you," she promised. "At the Asylum . . . well, sometimes I didn't do exactly what I was supposed to, but that was because Miss Kitteridge was so mean."
Hyacinth seemed to follow her thoughts. "I don't mean that kind of work. You won't have many chores to do, because we have a hired girl. Our work is different. It isn't hard, but it's secret. And - just at first - you, too, must be a secret. You're going to be our secret child."
Maud's forehead puckered with bewilderment.
"Our secret child," repeated Hyacinth. "Doesn't it sound nice? During the first few weeks of being our little girl, no one's going to know about you. You won't go to school. You won't lack for exercise, because we have a lovely garden, with a high wall round it - but when callers come to the house, you'll go upstairs, to the third floor and stay hidden. It will be like a game of hide-and-seek. Do you understand?"
Maud cast a sidelong glance at Judith, whose face was serious, almost grim. "I understand the part about hiding," she ventured. "I mean, I can stay hidden from other people, if you want me to. But I don't understand why."
"No, of course you don't," Hyacinth said tenderly. "All this must seem terribly mysterious to you - and so sudden." She put an arm around Maud's shoulders and drew her close. Her voice grew even softer, as if she were talking to a very little child. "Is it very hard, not knowing? Are you frightened? I can't bear to think that you should be afraid."
For a moment, Maud could not think what to do. One part of her wanted to bury her face in Hyacinth's violet-scented coat. Another part of her understood that she had it in her power to confer a favor. She gave herself a little shake. "No," she said stoutly. "No, ma'am, I'm not frightened."
Hyacinth squeezed her again. "You really are a darling girl," said Hyacinth Hawthorne. "Isn't she, Judith?"
Judith didn't answer. The elder Miss Hawthorne had turned to face the window. Her profile was hawklike, with its sharp eyes and Roman nose. Maud had a feeling that Judith didn't talk about "darlings" very much. A little daunted, she glanced back at Hyacinth.
Hyacinth was smiling faintly. Maud relaxed. It was Hyacinth who mattered, after all - and Hyacinth thought she was a darling girl.
_______
Booklist Reviews
Set in the early twentieth century, this first novel tells the classic foundling story with mounting melodrama and multiple twists and turns. Eleven-year-old Maud is always in trouble in the orphan asylum, so she's delighted when she's adopted by the three elderly Hawthorne sisters. Suddenly she has the luxury of new clothes, running water, and good food. But why do the sisters hide her away? As it turns out, they want her to play the role of a drowned child in mock seances to trick their rich, bereaved clients. But smart, brave Maud rebels, bonds with the sisters' deaf housekeeper, and, eventually, finds a loving family elsewhere. The narrative goes on too long, and the seance secret is revealed too early, but the details and the surprising turnarounds will keep readers hooked. They'll enjoy the situation of the brave young rebel who spies on the powerful adults she depends on. ((Reviewed December 15, 2006)) Copyright 2006 Booklist Reviews.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 4-8 Maud's life at an orphanage has been one of neglect and poverty. When the Hawthorne sisters appear out of nowhere and adopt the 11-year-old troublemaker, she vows to be obedient. Distracted by unfamiliar pleasures such as new clothes, ice cream, and indoor plumbing, she doesn't worry too much about the sisters' insistence that her presence in their home be kept hidden. Well cared for but bored, she finds a way to communicate with Muffet, a deaf serving woman, and the two develop a close relationship. Mysteries abound, and Maud soon discovers the family secretthe Hawthorne sisters make their living by conducting fraudulent sances and they need Maud to play the part of a girl's ghost to deceive a grieving mother. Wanting to earn her guardians' affections, Maud is drawn further and further into the scheme despite her growing qualms of conscience. Only after a betrayal and a tragedy does she finally find the loving home for which she longs. Filled with heavy atmosphere and suspense, this story re-creates life in early-20th-century New England and showcases the plight of orphans. Maud is a charismatic, three-dimensional character who is torn between doing the right thing and putting her own needs first. While much of the plot is predictable, particularly the ending, the book will find an audience with fans of gothic tales.Melissa Moore, Union University Library, Jackson, TN
[Page 170]. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews
Eleven-year-old Maud is an orphan and a troublemaker, and everyone is shocked when an elderly woman named Hyacinth adopts the headstrong girl. After arriving at her new home, Hyacinth and her two sisters explain that Maud must hide upstairs whenever visitors call. Eventually the sisters reveal the reason for their secrecy. Maud will help them fake séances. Maud learns a host of tricks to help the sisters with a lucrative scheme to fool Mrs. Lambert, a wealthy woman whose daughter drowned in the ocean. Convinced of her talent for trickery, the sisters take Maud to a beachside cottage where she must spend her days hiding in the attic until it is time to act the part of the dead girl in a séance. After getting her first glimpse of the ocean, Maud cannot resist sneaking out of the house when the sisters are away. Maud spends many evenings riding the carousel and playing in the sand, catching the attention of Mrs. Lambert and threatening the success of the scam. During the séance, things do not go as planned, and Maud stands to lose everything she only recently gained The playful narrative style stands in contrast to the otherworldly subject matter and lightens the tone of the novel. Set in the early 1900s, this quirky tale puts the reader inside Maud's head to share in her puzzlement, conflict, and discovery. The strong-willed Maud's actions are at times predictable, but the situations in which she finds herself are continually surprising.-Heidi Dolamore 4Q 4P M Copyright 2007 Voya Reviews.