"For twin sisters Scarlet and Ivy, boarding school has been a horrid mix of murderous headmasters, painful punishments, and vicious classmates. But it's a new year, and things are looking up. The kindly Mrs. Knight is in charge, their classmates have been civil, and the weather is even brightening up. Unfortunately, when their beloved ballet teacher, Miss Finch, suddenly disappears and strange Madame Zelda takes her place, freakish things start happening....

"At the bidding of their cold-hearted stepmother, twin sisters Scarlet and Ivy are sentenced to board for a year at Rookwood School. The headmaster is cruel, the hallways are drafty, and there seems to be a thief afoot. When the finger of suspicion is pointed at Scarlet, she'll do whatever it takes to clear her name?including some late-night detective work. But in the darkness of Rookwood, mysteries of the past come to light. The walls are talking...