The House of Dies Drear

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A huge, old house with secret tunnels, a cantankerous caretaker, and buried treasure is a dream-come-true for 13-year-old Thomas. The fact that it's reputedly haunted only adds to its appeal! As soon as his family moves in, Thomas senses something strange about the Civil War era house, which used to be a critical stop on the Underground Railroad. With the help of his father, he learns about the abolitionists and escaping slaves who kept the Underground Railroad running. While on his own, he explores the hidden passageways in and under the house, piecing clues together in an increasingly dangerous quest for the truth about the past. Newbery medalist Virginia Hamilton creates a heart-pounding adventure with this absorbing classic for older readers. (Ages 9 to 12)

Book Description

The house held secrets, Thomas knew, even before he first saw it looming gray and massive on its ledge of rock. It had a century-old legend -- two fugitive slaves had been killed by bounty hunters after leaving its passageways, and Dies Drear himself, the abolitionist who had made the house into a station on the Underground Railroad, had been murdered there. The ghosts of the three were said to walk its rooms....

Customer Reviews:

Not quite grasping what all the fuss is about........2007-07-10

Virginia Hamilton, The House of Dies Drear (Aladdin, 1968)

I seem to have somehow forgotten to review this when I finished it, so I'm rectifying that error now. The short answer is, "I don't get what all the fuss is about." It's a decent book, but I certainly wouldn't lump it in with the rest of the deathless-literature-of-YA pile.

The story concerns the Smalls, a North Carolina family who move to Ohio for Mr. Small to take a teaching position at a small rural university. They're moving into the house of Dies Drear, an abolitionist who used his house as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The house, abandoned for years, is currently maintained by Mr. Pluto, who lives on the grounds in a cave. (Yes, in a cave.) The Smalls soon learn that the house itself is the subject of many local rumors, both that it's haunted and that vast treasure is buried somewhere beneath it. They also learn that a local family are intent on finding that treasure, and that in order to do that, they must force the Smalls to leave. Pluto and the Smalls have to come up with a way to scare the roustabouts off for good, but the Smalls aren't entirely convinced that Pluto has the Smalls' best interests in mind, either...

The foundation is pretty solid, but some of the details drag it down. There's a curious overwritten quality to the book that surfaces now and again, most often when a character's speech lapses from (presumably) modern-day dialect into something that resembles victorianism, if you turn your head and squint right. It kept me from being drawn into the book the way I should have.

Not bad, but not great, either. ***

Great but spooky book!.......2007-02-22

This is one of the best books i've ever read. This is about the small family who moves to the house of dies drear. Dies Drear was a safe house counductor on the underground railroad, 3 slaves were killed by a bounty hunter in the house and those slaves haunt the house. (and yo will find out there is a 4th slave). The 3rd slave got away. Mr. Pluto is the caretaker of the house. He knows all the tunnels and the treasure to the house. You think he is the devil, but it is a red herring. He is a great guy. His son Mayhew is the devil. The darrows live across the hill from the smalls' and mr. pluto, and they sneak into the smalls' house and make a big mess with food everywhere. They make it trying to look for he treasure in the house! READ THIS BOOK THIS INSTANT!!!!!!~~~~!!!!!!!~~~~!

WOW!.......2006-12-03

I love this book so much! It's so catchy every chapter. Whenever I want to put the book down (which is after each chapter), I figure that I can't because it ends so very...exciting. Even though I thought it would be a ghost-y, murderous story and ends up not what I wanted, I still loved it so much! It's a fantastic book!

An interesting and exciting book........2006-06-06

When I first picked up this book i thought it would be borring and confusing. It turned out to be quite the opposite. The story follows Thomas a young boy who has to move from his home in the south to Ohio because of his fathers new job. He is not moving to any ordinary house however but the house of Dies Drear, a former conductor on the underground railroad who let slaves hide in his house until they were able to out into freedom. Rumor has it that the house is haunted which really scares young Thomas into believing the house taker Pluto is devil. Many events that follow help Thomas think that Pluto is trying to scare them out of the house, but he couldn't have been more wrong. There are many twist and turns that will have you on the edge of the seat and nothing is what it seems. This was a very enjoyable book and will be a good read for people who love mystery, suspence, and adventure.

Mystery and History!!!!!!!.......2006-06-06

This a great book for grown people and for young adults.My friend Kristen gave me this book for my 9th birthday and I am 13 know It is so good I reed it every birth day that I have. The book has mystery, spunk, and pazzaz all in one. This book is my favorite one yet. If you like to learn about history bout not about how sad somethings were you realy despritley need to reed this book.

A healpfull friend
Nila J.

The Runaway Quilt : An Elm Creek Quilts Novel

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The Runaway Quilt
Awesome
Runaway Quilt
I love this book
The Runaway Quilt

The Runaway Quilt : An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Jennifer Chiaverini
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743222261

Book Description

The fourth book in the popular Elm Creek Quilts series explores a question that has long captured the imagination of quilters and historians alike: Did stationmasters of the Underground Railroad use quilts to signal to fugitive slaves?

In her first novel, The Quilter's Apprentice, Jennifer Chiaverini wove quilting lore with tales from the World War II home front. Now, following Round Robin and The Cross-Country Quilters, Chiaverini revisits the legends of Elm Creek Manor, as Sylvia Compson discovers evidence of her ancestors' courageous involvement in the Underground Railroad.

Alerted to the possibility that her family had ties to the slaveholding South, Sylvia scours her attic and finds three quilts and a memoir written by Gerda, the spinster sister of clan patriarch Hans Bergstrom. The memoir describes the founding of Elm Creek Manor and how, using quilts as markers, Hans, his wife, Anneke, and Gerda came to beckon fugitive slaves to safety within its walls. When a runaway named Joanna arrives from a South Carolina plantation pregnant with her master's child, the Bergstroms shelter her through a long, dangerous winter -- imagining neither the impact of her presence nor the betrayal that awaits them.

The memoir raises new questions for every one it answers, leading Sylvia ever deeper into the tangle of the Bergstrom legacy. Aided by the Elm Creek Quilters, as well as by descendants of others named in Gerda's tale, Sylvia dares to face the demons of her family's past and at the same time reaffirm her own moral center. A spellbinding fugue on the mysteries of heritage, The Runaway Quilt unfolds with all the drama and suspense of a classic in the making.

Customer Reviews:

The Runaway Quilt.......2007-09-22

The Runaway Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novelis well written with characters you care about. In addition, it provides a history lesson about the underground railroad that is anything but boring.

Awesome.......2007-07-26

I thought this book was the best one so far in the series. If you have never read any of the Elm Creek Quilt books, then be sure to start at the beginning with The Quilter's Apprentice.

Runaway Quilt.......2007-06-08

Great book.....a must read for those who are into quilts and good stories!!

I love this book.......2007-01-15

I have read the three first books in this series. I loved them and was eager to read this one too. This book has answered some questions I had about Anneke and Gerda. The history about the Underground Railroad was interesting and it was facinating to see how it impacted the family.

The Runaway Quilt.......2006-07-18

Jennifer Chiaverini is amazing. This book was yet another that I couldn't put down. Who knew that an author could be so talented as to write novels based on quilting that would be so riveting? Jennifer Chiaverini is now one of my favorite authors because she mixes two of my favorite things (reading and quilting) so well!

Average customer rating:

Easy to understand, Children friendly book

The Underground Railroad

Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0395979153

Book Description

Within the pages of this book are documented, in prose and elegantly articulate photographs, examples of stations on the Railroad, along with images of the routes, lives, and hardships of both the passengers and conductors.

Customer Reviews:

Easy to understand, Children friendly book.......1998-10-29

Way to go! Helped me type a report with such ease. This book was practicly my olny resource.

The Mystery on the Underground Railroad (Real Kids, Real Places)

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The Mystery on the Underground Railroad (Real Kids, Real Places)
Carole Marsh
Manufacturer: Gallopade International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0635021099

Product Description

When four real kids visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Philadelphia, they learn the history, geography, and secrets of the Underground Railroad as they race to find stolen quilts before the grand opening!

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Soon Be Free
Lois Ruby
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0689835795

Book Description

"Why do weird things always happen to me?"

Dana thought she had solved all the historical mysteries in her parents' house in Lawrence, Kansas. But now that her parents have turned the house into a bed-and-breakfast, Dana isn't so sure. Their first guests, the Burks, are a suspicious couple who snoop where they shouldn't, searching for a secret document linked to the Weavers, a Quaker family who lived in the house almost 150 years ago when the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

As Dana combs the house for the hidden document, the story unfolds of thirteen-year-old James Baylor Weaver and his journey in 1857 to bring four slaves to freedom. James's travels will not only change his life but will bring about a horrible choice -- one that holds the key to the mystery Dana must solve before the Burks. Will she find the document in time?

Average customer rating:

Great read aloud for teachers!
Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Sagebrush))
Sharon M. Draper
Manufacturer: Rebound by Sagebrush
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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Lost in the Tunnel of Time (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs)

The Space Mission Adventure (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs)

The Backyard Animal Show (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs)

Stars and Sparks on Stage (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs)

The Skirt

ASIN: 0613131924

Customer Reviews:

Great read aloud for teachers!.......1998-07-13

I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Ms. Draper, shortly before she was voted Teacher of the Year, and she shared her motivation for writing Ziggy: she wanted something for her African-American son to read that he'd enjoy. Well, he got it in this book. And, my second grade, white, boys and girls LOVE this book. It is a fast-moving mystery about Jamaican Ziggy and his crew of pals, their secret clubhouse, and some bones... The students get a kick out of the "Hey, mons" too! Well worth the 5 bucks. Buy it now!

The House of Dies Drear: And Related Readings (Literature connections) (Literature connections)

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The House of Dies Drear

The House of Dies Drear: And Related Readings (Literature connections) (Literature connections)
Virginia Hamilton
Manufacturer: McDougal Littell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

The House of Dies Drear.......2006-04-04

Contents:

The House of Dies Drear a novel by Virginia Hamilton
Haunted House a poem by Valerie Worth
The House on the Island a short story by Walter B. Gibson
from Get on Board: The Story of the Underground Railroad nonfiction by James Haskins
When the Rattlesnake Sounds a play by Alice Childress
Runagate Runagate a poem by Robert Hayden
The Secret Room a personal essay by William M. Dorr
Bound for Freedom an article by Laura P McCarty

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A terrific whodunnit, with a marvelous cast of characters
A Wonderful Story
Historical Fiction At Its Best
Wonderful taste of history/mystery
Wonderful Mystery, Wonderful History

North Star Conspiracy
Miriam Grace Monfredo
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0312093551

Customer Reviews:

A terrific whodunnit, with a marvelous cast of characters.......2001-12-31

Miriam Grace Monfredo is one of the best historical mystery writers today, and her skills are well displayed in this book, the second in the Glynis Tryon series set in the upstate New York town of Seneca Falls in the middle of the 19th century. Glynis is the town librarian, with a strong belief in women's suffrage (along with her friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton). Until this story unfolds, however, she has been less supportive of the abolitionist cause which was strongly supported around Seneca Falls through participation in the Underground Railroad. Through the events linked to this murder mystery, however, Glynis is forced to rethink her position and ends up travelling as far as Richmond to fight against the Fugitive Slave Act.

One of the best things about Monfredo's stories is that she shares with you an entire town, in all its complexity and liveliness. Every character in the book is lovingly and lavishly drawn, and several plots unfold simultaneously which gives the stories a feeling of authenticity that is hard to beat.

You will want to rush out and buy the next story (Blackwater Spirits) immediately, to see how Glynis's friendship with the new Seneca/French constable, Jacques, turns out!

A Wonderful Story.......2001-04-16

This is the second Glynis Tryon Mystery, and it is even better than the first one, "Seneca Falls Inheritance." It is now 1854, six years after "Inheritance," and the abolitionist debate is going strong. The Republican Party has just been founded in Ripon, Wisconsin.

Glynis strongly believes in obeying the law of the land, but she is unable to obey the Fugitive Slave Act by turning in Kiri, a lovely young girl who has escaped from a plantation in Virginia, and who is the beloved of Glynis' landlady's son, Niles. Glynis helps get Kiri to the home of Frederick Douglass, where she is hidden awaiting the opportunity to escape to Canada, where Niles plans to join her. When Niles is captured and taken to Virginia for trial, Glynis and Jeremiah Merrycoyf go to Virginia to try to save him. There ensues a fine courtroom drama, with Glynis turning up a key piece of evidence. Glynis and Merrycoyf return to Seneca Falls, and the villian, Thomas Farley, is unmasked.

This is but a small sample of the plot twists of this delightful book. It is a great read, and you will learn a bit of American history in the bargain.

Historical Fiction At Its Best.......2000-05-17

I loved this book. Though it is the second in the series, it was the first one for me, and I intend to read the rest of the series now. It rates a close second to City Of Light in the realm of historical fiction based in my part of NY State. I like that it includes real characters along with the most important issues of the time, and murder, mystery, romance and good fictional character development.

Wonderful taste of history/mystery.......1999-06-19

This wonderful and touching mystery gives wonderful insight into life before the Civil War in various parts of the United States. The characters are extremely well drawn--the reader develops real concern and care for them--and seem very representative of the times. This would be a challenging time period to write about and Monfredo does it with compassion. An excellent series best read in order but don't let that stop you from reading any of them. I can't wait for the next one.

Wonderful Mystery, Wonderful History.......1999-01-30

Monfredo's compassionate touch and diligent research bring the painful conflict over the Fugitive Slave Laws and the struggle for women's rights alive -- while not skimping the more traditional tensions of love interests and the sleuth's search for the criminals. The story ranges from New York down to Richmond, faithful to the geography and politics of both, and never neglecting character development or the drama of human interaction in this tale of kidnapping, concubinage, and murder. Not only would I recommend this to any adult mystery fan, I'd commend it to mature high school students who are looking for insight in what it was like to live when it was a crime to be a slave or to help one in the "free" states of the North.

Average customer rating:

Great story

Mystery of the Secret Dolls
Vicki Berger Erwin
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0590444123

Customer Reviews:

Great story .......2005-10-28

This is my favorite book by Apple paperbacks. It is a great mystery and makes you want to go on your own adventure. I have read this book many times and it never gets boring. It is about a young girl who goes to visit her Great Aunts for vacation. She plans on writting a paper on her familys doll collection. But someone doesnt want the dolls to be important. I loved this story and you will to

Mystery at Kittiwake Bay (Aladdin Mystery)

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A Thrilling Mystery for All Ages
Mystery at Kittiwake Bay
Kittiwake Bay

Mystery at Kittiwake Bay (Aladdin Mystery)
Joyce A. Stengel
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice, Book 3)

ASIN: 0689845952

Book Description

A new beginning. An old mystery.

Cassie Hartt had never seen the ocean before and now it surrounds her. Her parents have split up, and she has moved with her mother and little brother to Kittiwake Bay, Maine. As Cassie struggles to adapt to life in the coastal town, she finds herself drawn to Waterview Manor, the mysterious mansion high up on a cliff. Though Waterview is now a retirement home, rumors of hidden treasure and passageways that were once part of the Underground Railroad swirl around the manor.

Eager to learn more about the manor's history, Cassie becomes a volunteer. Before long, valuable objects are reported missing and everyone is a suspect. Cassie teams up with a new friend to search for clues, but as they dig deeper their investigation takes a dangerous turn. Can Cassie find the thief of Kittiwake Bay -- before the thief finds her?

Customer Reviews:

A Thrilling Mystery for All Ages.......2004-12-29

This book was so good, it made me want to read a sequel! The setting is the beautiful Maine coast, perfect for the story. The characters are Cassie, Marc, Liz, Sam the dog, Danny, the mom, the retirement home residents, and of course, a couple of bad villians. This book is absolutely perfect for all ages, and there's just enough romance, and action. Marc is the older teenage "crush" that Cassie is always relying on for help, until the end! Ryan is the mysterious crush of Liz's, and I won't tell you if he's good or bad! You have to find out!I wont tell you what acctually happens, but it's definetely a must-read!

Mystery at Kittiwake Bay.......2003-12-18

The book Mystery at Kittiwake Bay takes place by an ocean, at the end of a cliff, in an old mansion. The characters names are Cassie; her little brother, Danny; her best friend, Marc; and John who was pretending to be a friend, but really wasn't. Other characters are Cassie's dog, Sam; Liz, one of Cassie's friends; and two troublemakers named Sailor and Jake. This book is a mystery realistic fiction.

Cassie is just adapting from moving away from Ohio to Maine. One event that was really funny was the part when Cassie's little brother Danny says, "I want a cat."
Cassie says, "You have Sam!"

I think you should read this book because it doesn't make you say, "What a boring book!" Instead you say, "Cool, terrific, enjoyable, mysterious book!" I would tell you if your looking for book aim for Mystery at Kittiwake Bay!

Kittiwake Bay.......2002-12-12

The protagonist is Meg. The conflict in the story is that Meg, her mom, and her brother, Danny, move to Kittiwake Bay and the place where Meg works there are people`s things missing. So it`s up to her and her friend, Marc, to find the stolen things and who stole them. The thing I liked best about this story is the setting because it is the best setting for this story.

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