I know your position in the family has been different from that of most girls with just the two of you, your mother has treated you as an equal rather than as a child.

“Kit, that’s enough.” There was an edge to Dan’s voice. The Plot: High school freshman Kathryn (Kit) Gordy is unenthusiastic about attending the prestigious Blackwood School for Girls after her BFF fails to gain admission but her widowed mother has recently remarried and now she and her new husband, Dan, are off on an extensive European honeymoon, so Kit is stuck with it.ĭriving through the remote Blackwood Village in upstate New York, Kit begs one last time for them to reconsider, and we get an economical summary of everything that has been going on up to this point: Plus this one goes full-on gothic in the setting and also includes spiritual possession. Why does the exclusive boarding school Blackwood have only four students?īack to school! Time to start the year with a good attitude cautionary tale wacky scheme inspirational message epic wish-fulfillment fantasy slightly anachronistic feminist career romance Eh, whatever, let’s just do another Lois Duncan…Īll of the Lois Duncan trademarks are in fine form here: teenage girls asserting their independence and status as new almost-adults, psychic powers that are treated like no big deal, nefarious authority figures, and of course the terror inherent in NOT GETTING ANY ADULTS TO BELIEVE YOU THAT SOMETHING IS UP WHEN SOMETHING TOTALLY IS.

Down a dark hall by lois duncan