Old secrets abound... On Casey's 8th birthday, her mother, Mary Helen, finds out why her 150-year-old dream house, Shackledown, was such a bargain. She knew it had been through many owners, but no one had mentioned that it was haunted, every late December, by the ghost of 15-year-old Maxine. Not only does Maxine take over the third story bedroom, the one in which she was born; she also attracts flocks of birds and decorates everything in black. Can the Brightons, with the help of ghost hunters, a knowledgeable history teacher, Maxine's living relatives, and Casey's best friend, SaraBeth, help Maxine find peace? Mary Helen hopes so, not only because Maxine is becoming increasingly more aggressive, but because she, as a mother, feels sorry for the lonely and unhappy ghost girl.The story of Shackledown is told in rotating chapters by Mary Helen, and Delilah, the woman who raised Maxine. The style is southern gothic mixed with humor, and includes more than a smattering of magic.
