Emily is completely charmed by the small playhouse she finds in the woods near her new house. There are amazing murals of the woods—including the playhouse—painted on the walls. On a return trip, Emily is armed with information from a neighbor: the playhouse belonged to the little girl who once lived in Emily’s house. She died in a fire years before, not long after her painter mother left the family. Then Emily notices elements of the painting changing. When a young girl appears and invites her to step into the painted woods, Emily does, only to discover the girl is lonely—and angry—and doesn’t want Emily to leave. Emily manages to escape, only to discover her little brother, whom she’d left on his own in the woods, has fallen into the ghost girl’s trap. Marion Dane Bauer’s ghost story has just enough tingle to keep young readers on the edge of their seats. As Emily works out a way to free her little brother, she is also able to help the ghost of a girl who is still looking for her mother find peace. (Ages 7–10)