The Empty Lot Next Door: More Than a Ghost Story

Whether or not you believe in ghosts, the true-life experience of Arthur Mills deserves consideration. Find out who Candle Face was, her taunting behavior, and how she turned a boy’s childhood into a living nightmare in The Empty Lot Next Door.

In an Austin neighborhood, Ray (Arthur’s childhood name) and his family excitedly moved into a small house in the midst of a big, green lawn. Beside their house is a strange, vacant lot where a house once stood, and a huge hole in the back lies mysteriously. As a young boy with many new friends, Ray considers the empty lot an exciting playground. But the tale behind the lot keeps the boy intrigued and frightened as he learns that the house that was once there was burned down years ago, leaving a girl dead amid the fire. As the neighborhood kids say, the little girl will haunt anyone who dares to jump into the hole. Determined to validate the authenticity of this tale, Ray daringly and mistakenly challenges the ghost, a challenge that he will forever regret. Soon, he becomes haunted by the little girl, whom he named Candle Face, due to her charred face and body. The apparition began visiting his dreams and leaving handprints and other signs around the house, even when Ray was awake.

The Empty Lot Next Door is more than a ghost story. It’s also a story of the desperation, pain, and helplessness experienced by children whose parents work long hours away from home, necessarily leaving them to fend for themselves against real and imagined evils. It’s about sibling abuse and the scars that such abuse leaves on the victims and the abusers. The Empty Lot Next Door is also a story of an intense struggle of a child to make sense of the world without communicating his fears and thoughts to the adults in his life since he doesn’t want to add to the family’s problems.

Critics agree that The Empty Lot Next Door is a ghost story at its finest, perhaps all the more so because it’s a true story. Professional book critic Lisa McCurley says, ＂After the first night of sleeping with the light on, I ended up taking off two afternoons from work to finish it which is all it took because I couldn’t put this book down.＂ Kirkus Reviews agrees, ＂In a coming-of-age story that’s well paced and layered with emotion, Mills creates moments of true suspense through guileless prose as he unearths a family tragedy.＂ Anyone who enjoys being scared or wants to investigate whether ghosts are real will add The Empty Lot Next Door to the must-read list.

When Arthur Mills wrote The Empty Lot Next Door, some neighbors and family quit speaking to him; they didn’t want to acknowledge the local element of his true-life story of ghosts, suicide, and bullying, but that didn’t stop his new book from winning awards.

Reader Choice Awards (First Edition)

• Kids Award for Best Teen / Young Adult Book of the Year

• Teen (12-16) - First Place

• Regional South - First Place

• Parenting, Family, and Relationships - Honorable Mention

The Empty Lot Next Door immerses readers in an intriguing mystery laden with supernatural elements that provoke thought and challenge perceptions. The coming-of-age story offers a unique lens into the multifaceted nature of growth, while the exploration of trauma fosters deeper emotional comprehension. With its engaging writing style, the story captures attention and encourages reflective thinking. Moreover, the weight of it being a true story amplifies its impact, enhancing both personal and intellectual growth.