{Synopsis} – Olivia is curious about the people moving into 16 Olcott Place. The last family there moved out in the dead of night, and the new family, the Donahues, has no idea why. Olivia becomes fast friends with Janie Donahue . . . so she’s there at the house when the first of the letters arrives:
–I am the Sentry of Glennon Heights. Long ago I claimed 16 Olcott Place as levy for my guardianship. The walls will not tolerate your trespass. The ceilings will bleed and the windows will shatter. If you do not cease your intrusion, the rooms will soon smell of corpses.–
Who is the Sentry? And why does the Sentry want the Donahues out of the house badly enough to kill? As Olivia and Janie explore the house, they find a number of sinister secrets . . . and as they explore their town, they find a hidden history that the Sentry wants to remain hidden forever.
You can lock the doors. You can close the windows. But you can’t keep the Sentry out. . . .
{My thoughts} – Based on the title of the book I knew it was going to be creepy, but it wasn’t too creepy. I really enjoyed reading about the friendship and bond that Olivia had made with the Donahue children. It goes to show that you can make unusual friendships in some of the most unusual ways.
The Donahue family buy their house after it’s been on the market for a couple of months. It was in their price range and their entire family needed a new start. The previous owners decided to sell in the middle of the night and that was pretty much how things happened. It seemed like over night there were new neighbors.
Since Olivia and Janie became fast friends, Olivia was at the house when the first creepy letter showed up in the mail slot. It scared everyone in the house because of the things it said, but no one took it real serious. Things changed after the second letter turned up. Everyone seemed to be on edge and not sure how to respond or react to the entire situation.
Olivia, Janie and the other Donahue children start piecing together the puzzle of what happened in the past. They start piecing together what is happening now and they start to understand somethings are beyond their control.
This book has just the right amount of creepy in it that it isn’t frightening. It is a light soft read mostly about friendship and sticking together when things go in odd directions. It’s about family and understanding that even when your an outsider, you can still become a member of the family if your around long enough and take part in the family discussions that take place.
I really think that children that are a fan of light horror and mystery will really enjoy reading this book.
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
