The Haunted Cove

by Elizabeth Baldwin Hazelton

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0036QYZ7Y
• Release Date: January 1972
• Publisher: American Heritage Press
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful book!

I read this book when I was in elementry school and loved it! Ended up losing it in one of my many moves but the story and the chilling cover has forever haunted me. Its the story of a brother and sister who while visiting a coastal town become friends with a young girl who practicing to become a witch. They all get caught up in a creepy mystery involving a haunted cove and witch who stands out on the cliff and plays the flute. Who is the witch? Why is she there? What secrets are hidden and who else haunts the cove? A fantastic book for not only young kids but older folks as well. Couldn't put it down the first time I read it now I intend to track down a copy to read to my son.

Wonderful for all ages!

I can't remember how old I was when I recieved this book, but I have always loved it. Years and years later, I'm still reading it. A brother and sister on vacation meet a very gypsy-like girl, hear of a curse, a witch, and then strange happenings abound! Magic and reality are seamless in this story. I can't say much more than has already been said, but it is a WONDERFUL book and a must-read for every child (and adult!) interested in magic, curses, witches, mystery, or just plain haunted fun.

The Haunted Cove - my favorite book of all time

The Haunted Cove was given to me as a child and made a lasting impression. Recently, I read the book yet again and it still has the same chilling effect to this day that it did over a quarter of a century ago.Although the last part of the book seems to reveal the "truth" of the story, to me it always seemed that the supernatural aspects were real. Twelve-year-old Kevin and his sister, ten-year-old Christie stumbled into a world where magic is real and very dangerous. There was never any doubt in my mind that both Mora and Theodora were witches possessing the arcane powers that go along with it. And most definately the ghosts of the slain sailors walked the beach at night wailing in the darkness of the haunted cove.The story and the illustrations evoke a feeling for a time long gone. The book was written in 1971 and evokes that time era well. The characters, the cove, the woods, the headlands, the fog, all these elements are very distinctive and are brought to life by the author in a unique and memorable way.Mora, the thirteen-year-old girl who befriends Kevin and Christie, always seemed very mysterious to me. Her delving into the world of witchcraft plus her unusual appearance (pale gray eyes, gypsy styled multi-colored skirt, olive skin, and dark hair) always intrigued me. The implication that her older sister (mentioned but not actually present in the story) was also a witch added to her mystique.The Haunted Cove is my favorite book of all time. As a child, I even started writing my own sequel called Return to the Haunted Cove that took place when Kevin and Christie came back the following summer. The chills this book evoked were monumental. Certain scenes and lines still scare me to this day. Highly recommended. And very scary.

They just don't make books like this anymore!

Someone gave me this book as a birthday present at age 8 (1978). It made a huge impression on me and has become one of my favorite children's books of all time. 12 year old Kevin and his 10 year old sister Christy, along with their mother, go to a seaside cottage in Oregon to spend a summer holiday. On their first afternoon there, they meet a girl named Mora, who tells them the cove next to theirs is haunted, and that a mysterious witch (who lives in a mansion in the cove next door) goes out on a rock in the middle of the sea to play her flute each night at sunset. Mora further impresses them when she tells them she, herself, has been studying witchcraft. The book follows their adventures in observing the witch, trying to find out how and why she goes out onto the rock, and why the cove is haunted. This book had such great fuel for my imagination as a kid. The supernatural elements are there, but not overpowering, and the ending has a rather earthly conclusion, although we are left with the feeling that Mora does, indeed, have some magical powers. My only criticism is that Christy and Kevin seem to talk and act much older than their years, but this did not really strike me as odd the first time I read it. I just don't think they make very many children's books like this anymore, which don't dumb down dialogue for children. This is a wonderful author, and I still own my hard back copy after 24 years.