57 pages • 1 hour read
Mary Downing HahnA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
In Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, 13-year-old Ali discovers a torn photograph and becomes curious about the mysterious girl in it. She accompanies her aunt and cousin to their family's lake cottage, where she meets Sissy, a strange girl who befriends her cousin Emma. As eerie events unfold, Ali uncovers a haunting family secret related to the ghost of a girl named Teresa. Themes include reconciliation, loneliness, and family secrets, with incidents of drowning.
Mary Downing Hahn's Deep and Dark and Dangerous delivers an engaging ghost story that grips readers with its suspenseful plot and atmospheric setting. The characters, although well-developed, can sometimes feel predictable. While the climax may be foreseeable for avid mystery readers, the book still provides a chilling and satisfying tale for middle-grade audiences.
Readers who enjoy suspenseful, ghostly tales aimed at an audience aged 8-12, with a penchant for eerie mysteries akin to those in Mary Downing Hahn's Wait Till Helen Comes or R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series, will find Deep and Dark and Dangerous captivating. Its atmospheric storytelling appeals to those who enjoy unraveling spooky secrets.
Lexile Level
650LHorror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Children's Literature
Emotions/Behavior: Guilt
Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Relationships
Religion / Spirituality