Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Took
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
A witch called Old Auntie is lurking near Dan's family's new home. He doesn't believe in her at first, but is forced to accept that she is real and take action when his little sister, Erica, is "took" to become Auntie's slave for the next fifty years.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
Bookpearl
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

This is a favorite amongst my scholars and as you see the book is a little seasoned which lets me know it‘s been loved on quite a bit.

blurb
Patchshank
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

Thank you @Tattooedteacher ❤️
Everything is great. The pen and pencils are super neat. I'm looking forward to reading Took. I love a ghost story.

@wanderinglynn #HauntedHollowSwap

wanderinglynn Great box! 🎃🧡 3y
48 likes1 comment
review
Allylu
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

Another NotSoScary book! It was a little scary, just enough. A nasty witch took a little girl for 50 years then traded her in for another little girl. She hadn‘t counted on the little girl‘s brother being so brave and true. Really good story, excellent audiobook. #117 #20in4 #2 #FallIntoReading #NotSoScaryAthon

Andrew65 Sounds good. 3y
Allylu @Andrew65 So happy to hear from you! How are you two feeling? 3y
EadieB She‘s a YA writer. I read this one by her: 3y
See All 7 Comments
Andrew65 @Allylu Think we have now turned the corner, but get exhausted at the drop of a hat, and some days like today go backwards. But hopefully each day getting a little stronger. Thanks for asking. 😍 3y
Allylu @Andrew65 Good. Good. Even though we have never met and probably never will, it still feels like we‘re friends. 3y
Allylu @EadieB Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out. She must have a thing for dolls. LOL 3y
EadieB @Allylu I think she does have a thing for dolls! 3y
19 likes7 comments
review
shadowsdogs
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this. A little slow to start but once it got past that initial slump I couldn‘t put it down.

review
Foragingfantasy
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
Pickpick

My 12 year old son is tearing these books up!! I‘ve never seen him so excited to read. He‘s read 3 of her books in the last 2 weeks!! I‘m beyond thrilled.

blurb
TheQuietQuill
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

Oooo I‘m really enjoying this ghost story by Mary Downing Hahn! Even though it‘s geared towards YA, it‘s still really eerie. Certainly is a fast read since I started it today and am almost done with it already. Can‘t wait to see what the ending holds 😬😬😱😱

Literary_Siren I love Mary Downing Hahn! 5y
TheQuietQuill This was the first book I ever read from her and wow! Amazing! @Literary_Siren 5y
46 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
KristenDuck
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

This was such a fun quick read!

Old Auntie is your typical witch from children‘s scary stories. Every fifty years, she takes a girl and keeps her until the time comes for the next one. This time, it‘s Daniel‘s younger sister, Erica, and he is determined to get her back.

I loved the flow of the writing, the setting, and the creepiness for a young read. Definitely recommend for any age that just wants to enjoy a story!

Bookpearl My students loved Took! 5y
KristenDuck @Bookpearl lol I‘m 34 and I loved it!! 5y
Bookpearl This was my exact thought when I was reading it with them and I‘m 48. 😩😂 5y
allureofbeauty I really enjoyed this one back when I read it. 5y
82 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
KristenDuck
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

Just started reading Took this weekend. Might be a “tad” below my reading level, but I love a good ghost story! Already about halfway finished!

ljuliel Beautiful scenery ! 5y
KristenDuck @ljuliel thanks! It‘s from my camping trip last summer at Hickory Run State Park. Just thought it fit the mood for the story. 5y
ljuliel I grew up camping a lot, then we camped for several years as adults. We haven‘t gone for a long time now . We don‘t have our camper any longer , but I‘d like to go and do one of the rent-a-camp things sometime. I miss being out , sitting around a fire and enjoying the outdoors. 5y
Bec_lectic I remember reading MARY Downing Hahn as a kid! I may have to check this out 5y
74 likes4 comments
review
BookDragonNotWorm
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

Good story, creepy atmosphere, but a touch too MG for me. A quick read if you're trying to squeeze another spooky tale in before Halloween.

allureofbeauty This was a good one. 5y
33 likes1 comment
blurb
MommyOfTwo
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

Kids had a great time picking out books at the BOGO book fair at school.

Cheshirecat913 Fun times. We have our BOGO sale in two weeks, can't wait. 6y
28 likes1 comment
blurb
Bookpearl
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

I don‘t usually do scary/spooky books but the kiddos talked me into this one. I already know who I‘m pointing the finger at should have nightmares while reading this. #bookraiders #bookclub #kidsreadtoo #imscared #took

Cinfhen Adorable and heartwarming 🍎❤️ 6y
8 likes1 comment
blurb
Eggs
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

#ghosts #riotgrams @bookriot Mary Downing Hahn is the dark mistress of ghost stories 💀

79 likes2 stack adds
review
Jazruiz.2014
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

Written for teens, I took this off my daughter‘s book shelf. I didn‘t have high expectations for the book, and after the second chapter, I thought I knew the direction the book was going. Boy was I wrong! Well written, it tells of a family moving to a new town and a 50yr legend about their home. The woods are dark and scary with an ominous presence. Children are warned not to go out into the woods alone. What will happen if they do?

review
Dietz123
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
Panpan

I read this to some 4-6th grade girls. They seemed to enjoy it. The ghost story aspects were great. I didn‘t enjoy the way the parents were portrayed. I wasn‘t sure the author intended them to sound like inept adults. Stick with the witch, kid, mom and dad are losers.

blurb
Eggs
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

A chilly Saturday afternoon, a creepy ghost tale and a hot drink ☕️

67 likes1 stack add
review
MrsGagnonreads2024
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

Amazing. Less a ghost story and more like a fairy tale, the scariest kind, with a villain I'd never wish to meet in a dark wood.

LA_Mead Just the cover kind of freaks me out... 6y
MrsGagnonreads2024 @LA_Mead yes it‘s creepy but the book was a very fun read 6y
35 likes5 stack adds2 comments
blurb
MrsGagnonreads2024
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

About to start this tonight while I watch my nephew.

blurb
Literary_Siren
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

This is a rare sight for me to see. She‘s not much of a reader but she‘s getting better. I hope to see this more in the future and I think Mary Downing Hahn is going to help with that. Allison says that she loves this book so much that she‘s going to start it again after she finishes it.

ravenlee I just finished this one, and it is a nice creepy story for MG readers. Maybe she‘d enjoy it! 6y
Melissa_J My 12YO daughter wasn‘t a big fan of reading until this school year. She had to read The Outsiders and loved it! She‘s since joined a school book club 😊 6y
MrsGagnonreads2024 I am reading that book right now for the horror book club 6y
See All 9 Comments
RedbagReadbooks Wait til Helen Comes was always one of my favorites 🐲 6y
Literary_Siren @ravenlee thanks! I will pick it up for her! 😊 6y
Literary_Siren @Melissa_J I hope she finds her love of reading this year! She‘s twelve as well! 6y
Literary_Siren @Endowarrior21 I‘m going to read it after she‘s done. 😊 6y
Literary_Siren @Aluciddreamer I have yet to read that one. It‘s on my list though! 6y
146 likes4 stack adds9 comments
blurb
Chelsibno
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

#spell #blackcatchallenge @Clwojick
Nothing is the same for Daniel & Erica when they are forced to move to an old house in the woods. But things get stranger as Erica begins to act oddly, becoming more withdrawn & holding conversations with her doll. Could the old legends about a witch named Old Auntie who puts a spell on & abducts young girls every few decades be true? This is definitely a spellbinding middle grade novel for October!

blurb
Jazruiz.2014
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

First day at work. 👩🏽‍⚕️ Reading on my lunch break. 📖☺️

9 likes1 stack add
review
IamIamIam
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

An excellent middle grade ghost story about an old conjure woman who abducts little girls in the woods of West Virginia. She keeps them for 50 years, with the help of Bloody Bones, who is a gigantic skeleton made up of various animals' bones. Daniel has to find a way to defeat her to get his little sister Erica back! #kidlitAtoZ
@DGRachel, check this one out!

31 likes3 stack adds
blurb
IamIamIam
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

My current reading spot certainly doesn't suck!!!
#museumvolunteer #tourguide #GoldCoast

RadicalReader @IamIamIam gorgeous view 7y
Crazeedi So very beautiful ❤️ 7y
IamIamIam @RadicalReader @Crazeedi Thanks! I get this view once a week until the end of September and this is only a tiny sampling of the house & grounds! ❤🌞🥀🌹 7y
See All 7 Comments
Crazeedi How fortunate you are 7y
Cpg Wow! Where is this? Gorgeous! 6y
IamIamIam @Cpg I live on Long Island in NY & this is behind the main house, Coe Hall, at the Planting Fields arboretum! 💜 6y
Cpg Awesome! What a treat! A dream! 6y
46 likes7 comments
blurb
IamIamIam
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

Sadly, only the introduction is in this absolutely GORGEOUS font!!!! You know you need to get out more when you're excited about printed fonts in middle grade books....
#missedmycalling

MayJasper Yes but it is gorgeous 😀 7y
26 likes1 comment
blurb
IamIamIam
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

I bought this book at the 2nd book fair I helped with 3 years ago because of the creepy baby doll hand on the cover! Haunted houses, a witch and a creepy doll that has conversations with a little girl? I'm in!!
#kidlitAtoZ #raisingreaders #middlegrade

IamIamIam @Sarah83 No Disney mug today because my Brave mug doesn't photograph so well. This does have classic film lines all over it, though! 7y
Sarah83 Looks great 😍 7y
24 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Sweettartlaura
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

#24in48
This is YA, but still sufficiently creepy to get me to read it in 2 hours.
I love that my niece gave it to me ‘cos she thought I‘d like it. She was right!

blurb
Sweettartlaura
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

Two books down - time for some breakfast & audiobook 🎧
#24in48
@24in48

RealLifeReading Nicely done! 7y
46 likes1 comment
review
youngreadrshelf
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

Daniel, Erica, and their parents move from an upscale CT life to a pretty rural town in VA. There are scary stories about the house and the woods around it. There's a malevolent feeling. Plus Erica has been talking to her doll, a lot. One day he sees his sister head into the woods which doesn't make sense because she is frightened of them. He follows her. Then one time she gets "took." Daniel just knows he has to get her back.
Good for 6th and up.

43 likes2 stack adds
blurb
youngreadrshelf
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

Got this one from #scholastic for my classroom library. Let's see how scary it is.

Peddler410 I found it creepy, not scary. 7y
Sace The cover is creepy for sure! 7y
youngreadrshelf @RestlessFickleBookSlut I know. I keep looking at. I can't help it. Maybe that's why the kids put it to the back of the new book bin. 😜 7y
48 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
leeseleeseleese
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
2 likes1 stack add
blurb
Chelsibno
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Megabooks 👍🏻👍🏻 7y
31 likes1 comment
review
Chelsibno
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

I've been a fan of Mary Downing Hahn since I was a kid. After all these years, I'm glad to say that she still writes the most hair-raising mystery and ghost stories for children. Inspired by old conjure woman folktales, Took tells the story of a family moving into a new house, unaware of the ghastly history of the area. I enjoyed the character development and Hahn's hauntingly descriptive writing. I can see why it is nominated for WAW book award.

30 likes1 stack add
review
Casi
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

I was SHOCKED by how engrossed I got in this book. I picked it up on a complete whim, didn't even read the back, and boy and I glad I did. It reads just like an old ghost story, reminding me a lot of things like Are You Afraid of the Dark and Watcher in the Woods. So glad I found it and definitely recommend it.

misswendyd Huh. I'll have to dust this one off. 7y
10 likes1 comment
blurb
Casi
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

I will say that I DO like the font shift when the old woman narrates. And the fact that her chapters have actual titles. It's establishing a mood something like Watcher in the Woods (film not book) and that's a nice touch.

blurb
Casi
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

PET. PEEVE.

I hate when writers start a new paragraph, particularly of a new chapter or the FIRST chapter, with It was. Novice mistake. Not a strong start little book.

Gryffindorian Agreed!! 8y
Meg.Harrison84 Isn't the cardinal rule show, not tell? 8y
6 likes2 comments
blurb
Daisey
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image

The books that my wonderful students and their families donated to our class library from the book fair this week!!

#TeachersofLitsy #MsDsLibrary

Texreader Awesome! I love donating book fair books to our teachers!! So happy to see it is appreciated! 8y
Daisey @Texreader It makes for a really fun week as students bring me books the whole time the book fair is going on. It really makes me feel appreciated as well that they want to donate books! 8y
42 likes2 comments
blurb
RoyalBooksy
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
This post contains spoilers
show me
post image

I love this book so much! I got it at the book fair 4 days ago and I'm almost done.

Daniel and his sister,Erica,didn't want to move to rural West Virginia. Their new home is a rundown old farm surrounded by woods ,miles from town. The local kids treat Daniel and Erica as snobby outsiders and frighten them with strange stories about their house and a witch called Old Auntie. One day Erica vanishes,and Daniel knows that she has been "took"

review
hufflepuff_librarian
Took: A Ghost Story | Mary Downing Hahn
post image
Pickpick

This was a HUGELY popular book at my book fair last week, mostly bc the book trailer Scholastic sent us was terrifying! 😂 It did not disappoint though, and if you are a fan of Mary Downing Hahn then you will probably love it too!

Bette This cover always freaks me out when I see it at the library. 😬😳😂 8y
10 likes2 stack adds1 comment