The Old Willis Place

Infobox short story |
name = The Old Willis Place
title_orig = The Old Willis Place : A Ghost Story
author = Mary Downing Hahn
language = English
genre = Horror/Ghost Story
publisher = Clarion Books
media_type = Paperback, Hardcover
pub_date = 09/20/2004

The Old Willis House: A Ghost Story is a well-known children's novel written by Mary Downing Hahn; according to WorldCat, it is found it over 1400 libraries.

The story is about two children, Diana and Georgie, who are both ghosts, and must live by "The Rules Miss Lilian gave them."

The story begins with Diana and Georgie watching the new caretaker for Oak Hill Manor, which is rumored to be haunted. They nickname the new caretaker heron man because of his pale complexion and his long, skinny figure. Heron man also has a daughter, Lissa, whom Diana would love to make friends with, although it would mean breaking "The Rules." They see Lissa has a bike and take it out for a ride at midnight. Georgie crashes it, so they throw it into the creek to hide it from Lissa. The next day, Lissa and her dad start to look for it and they cant find it anywhere. So they start to get in touch with the police about Lissa's stolen bike. Lissa also keeps her first diary of her life and talks about the move in and how the past two days have gone. In this chapter they reveal heron the man's real name is Mr. Morrison. The police say the bike was probably stolen by some teenagers who live across the highway in houses. Later, Diana finally reveals to Lissa that she is there. The two grow to a strong friendship, and Lissa promises to not break any of Diana's rules. They see each other daily, although Georgie hates Diana for breaking the rules. The rules break once again, as Lissa goes into the haunted the old Willis place. Once she opens the parlor door, Lissa discovers Miss Lillian's ghost in the parlor.at night she roams and want them. Diana reveals that she and Georgie are ghosts, because Miss Lilian locked them in the in the cellar and they died of course. (Miss Lilian had a stroke and was in the hospital for months.)Diana makes Lissa tell the police to come and take the bodies, they lay rest at mount Holly, alone, at peace with their parents. The next night, they were caught and talked to Miss Lillian she said sorry and the kids saw there mom and dad and left Oak Hill Manor. Then, Lissa and her father, Mr. Morrison, would move away and get to live a normal life and the girls never forgot each other.

The characters are Diana,Georgie,Lissa,Lissas dad,and Miss Lillian. Diana is one of the real main characters in the book she is one of the people who Miss Lillain traped in the cellar and threw out the book she tries to make friend with Lissa.Georgie is the younger main character and Diana's brother threw most of the book he hates Lissa calling her a trader and so on but more in the book he starts to lighten up to her.Lissa is the girl that moved to the forest with her dad, at first sight of Diana she thought she was a monster but after Diana took her diary and meet her she became friends with her.Lissas dad isnt really a main character he gets menchend a few time but not really in it.Miss Lillian was the owner of the Willas place she was discribed as a mean and very selfess person and she traped Georgie and Diana in the cellar but at the end she was forgiven and went with Diana,Georgie,and there parents.

Hahn, M. D. (2004). The old Willis place: a ghost story. New York: Clarion Books.