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Summary: Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita do not wish to participate in the school talent show, and cannot figure out what to do. Their uncle inspires them to visit a magician's museum run by Robert Hardwick. There, Rose Rita finds an old scroll entitled "Madame Frisson: Her Testament from Beyond the Grave." She opens the scroll and some powder drops out. When she cuts her finger on the paper, her blood drips into the powder, and a spider emerges. After fleeing quickly, Rose Rita unexpectedly decides to keep the book.
When she returns to school, Rose Rita is very uptight and snaps at everyone, including her friends. She becomes fearful. For some reason, she wants to learn more about Belle Frisson. Rose Rita acts more and more strangely. She hears voices saying "Hatred is good." She attempts to read Madame Frisson's "Testament."
One night Uncle Jonathan sees an enormous, ghostly spider crawling into Rose Rita's room. This clues him in that Rose Rita is in big trouble. Lewis accompanies Mr. Hardwick and Rose Rita to Belle Frisson's grave. Rose Rita is obsessed. She heads to Belle Frisson's tomb where she gets trapped. All seems to be lost! It appears that Rose Rita will die and Belle Frisson will live again with horrible powers. Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmermann and Lewis, however, will not give up so easily. Armed with a few tools and amulets, the trio set off. When they arrive inside the tomb, they fear they are too late. But Lewis suddenly pushes one of the amulets onto Belle Frisson, who has half returned to life, thereby saving Rose Rita.
School Library Journal: "The plot is fast-paced and the story line is captivating."
Booklist: "If Rose Rita's slow ensnarement doesn't put readers on the edge of their seats, the climatic underground encounter certainly will."
Amazon.com: * * * *
Behind the Books: A Closer Look at John Bellairs: * * *
