The door by the staircase / [sound recording]

Title:

Author:

Marsh, Katherine author.

ISBN:

9781682628034

Personal Author:

Marsh, Katherine author.

Edition:

Unabridged.

Physical Description:

6 audio discs (approximately 435 min.) : CD audio, digital ; 4 3/4 in.

General Note:

Compact discs.

Abstract:

Mary is adopted by mysterious Madame Z and in her new life begins to uncover scary secrets. -- Twelve-year-old Mary Hayes can't stand her orphanage. But when an attempted escape doesn't go quite as well as she'd hoped, Mary fears she'll be stuck in the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies forever. The very next day, a mysterious woman named Madame Z appears at the orphanage requesting to adopt Mary. The matron's all too happy to get the girl off her hands. Soon, Mary is fed a hearty meal, dressed in a clean, new nightgown and shown to a soft bed with blankets piled high. She can hardly believe she isn't dreaming! But when Mary begins to explore the strange town nearby, she learns a terrifying secret about Madame Z's identity. If Mary is not careful, her new home might just turn into a nightmare.

Subject Term:

Baba Yaga (Legendary character) -- Juvenile fiction.

Witches -- Juvenile fiction.

Adoption -- Juvenile fiction.

Orphans -- Juvenile fiction.

Added Author:

Merlington, Laural,

Available:*

Format	Library	Call Number	Status
Audio book	Searching... Main Library	J Mar	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Twelve-year-old Mary Hayes can't stand her orphanage. But when an attempted escape doesn't go quite as well as she'd hoped, Mary fears she'll be stuck in the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies forever. The very next day, a mysterious woman named Madame Z appears at the orphanage requesting to adopt Mary. The matron's all too happy to get the girl off her hands. Soon, Mary is fed a hearty meal, dressed in a clean, new nightgown and shown to a soft bed with blankets piled high. She can hardly believe she isn't dreaming But when Mary begins to explore the strange town nearby, she learns a terrifying secret about Madame Z's identity. If Mary is not careful, her new home might just turn into a nightmare.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Mary Hayes is orphaned when her mother and brother perish in a tragic fire, one that she escaped because she was outside reading her book of fairy tales. Life in the Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies is so grim that she risks escape by chimney, only to be thwarted by an extraordinary whirlwind. The very next day eccentric Madame Zolotaya appears, adopts Mary, and takes her to a remote house near the strange town of Iris, which is populated by practitioners of the occult. Madame Z is kind to Mary, feeds her well, and gets her new clothes, yet she protests that she is "no one's mother." When it is revealed that her guardian is none other than Baby Yaga, the fearsome witch who eats children, Mary and her friend Jacob, a magician's assistant, work together to protect themselves from the witch's power. Laural Merlington brings much expression and varied voices to this exciting, magical tale, and only Madame Z's "Russian" accent seems a bit forced. Mary is a strong, kind, and clever character, and the common wish for a home, friends, and family unite the diverse and amazing characters. VERDICT Although there is some foreshadowing, the suspense stays strong throughout and draws to a satisfying conclusion; boys and girls, lovers of Harry Potter, and fans of dark fairy tales will appreciate this adventure. ["For those willing to tackle a rich and layered text, there's much here to enjoy": SLJ 12/15 starred review of the Hyperion book.]-MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

In Edgar Award-winning Marsh's new fantasy for children, 12-year-old orphan Mary Hayes is ecstatic when elderly and eccentric Madame Z whisks her from the horrific Buffalo Asylum for Young Ladies and immediately treats her to delicious food and a soft bed in a her wonderful home, which is within walking distance of the village of Iris, a destination for faux masters of the dark arts (illusionists, fortune tellers, and others of that ilk). The mood changes rapidly when Mary is told that her patroness is really Baba Yaga, a witch straight out of Russian folklore who feeds children and then feeds on them. Reader Merlington has a warm storyteller's delivery for much of this ultracharming yarn, but it can quickly switch to a cackling but kind, Russian-accented voice when Madame Z is talking to Mary. When the real black magic begins, Merlington uses a cold, nasal, cruel voice for the monstrous villain who threatens to destroy Mary and the enchanted home that she had longed for her whole life. Ages 9-12. A Disney-Hyperion hardcover. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.