SuitabookThe Haunting
Margaret Mahy
- Reading
- Consider reading alongside the child, pausing after especially tense scenes to ask what Barney knows, what remains uncertain and which explanations seem possible. Revisit the family revelations after finishing.
- Themes
- Fear and uncertainty: Barney is pursued by footsteps and a commanding voice, while the reality and meaning of the haunting are investigated. Fear is presented vividly and seriously, but supernatural and psychological interpretations coexist rather than settling simply into one explanation.
- Family secrets and difference: The children uncover a hidden relative, past rejection and unusual abilities within their family. The family is portrayed with humour and close observation, but secrecy, rejection and unease complicate belonging and self-understanding.
- Sibling support and interpretation: Barney’s sisters help him investigate the haunting, while other family members offer different ways of explaining it. The story uses the family’s differing perspectives to explore how frightening experiences may be interpreted and shared.
- Worth knowing
- The haunting is described as frightening and psychologically unsettling: footsteps approach, a voice gives orders, and Barney feels physically controlled. A family death, secrecy and rejection also form part of the story, though their relationship to the haunting is not established.