The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

Amy is frustrated with constantly having to care for her brain damaged sister. Her mother always thinks that Amy should be taking care of Louann but Amy just wants to be normal for a change. When the chance comes for Amy to stay with her aunt while she cleans out Amy's great grandparent's house, Amy jumps at it. But something spooky is going one with the dollhouse in the attic. The doll seems to be moving on their own reenacting a grisly scene that took place years ago.

My sister bought a bunch of our old childhood favorites at a library book sale a couple of months ago and I couldn't resist picking up The Dollhouse Murders. It used to creep me out big time when I was younger but I still have fond memories of it. While the language is outdated, specifically referring to Amy's sister as "retarded" the story still holds up. Amy's frustrated at always having to take care of her sister and her embarrassment over Louann's behavior is something I think most older siblings can relate to at one time or another. The story also touches on Amy's mother's expectations and her own frustrations. As an adult I can understand more of Amy's mother than I did as a child.

The dollhouse mystery is still spooky. Dolls that can move by themselves is a creepy concept and it have them act out a murder is freaky. It is interesting that in the end Amy needs the help of her sister to figure out what the dolls are trying to say. That was a nice little twist to the story.