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jcschildbach's review against another edition
3.0
I had never heard of this book until Brandon Wolf mentioned it in his memoir "A Place for Us" as something they were required to read in English class. I was under the impression it was a work of historical fiction involving the Underground railroad and a haunted house. It's kind of like that. It is a pretty strange read structure-wise, and very much of its time. Roughly a quarter of the book is spent on the family's drive from North Carolina to their new home in Ohio. From there, it's all of three days and nights to the story's resolution. I can't say as I really wanted there to be more of the book, but it seems more could have been done to build and resolve the 'mystery' here, and to ratchet up the haunting/spookiness angle. In the end, I liked it more than I was expecting after that long drive in the beginning, but it definitely could have benefited from things not being quite so handily resolved so quickly.
fernfuentes's review against another edition
2.0
Sometimes it’s completely lost on me what makes a book a classic. This story was horribly written. Hamilton babbles on incessantly throughout this entire story, that pretends to be a history/mystery for all of 10 minutes. There’s literally no character growth, but how could there be? The story takes place over two days, yet manages to drag on for 300 pages of rambling. I’ll give it 5 points for smelling like an old book because I love that smell. Otherwise it sucked.
disconightwing's review against another edition
3.0
Well, this book made me feel old. Not because it’s below my age level (even though it is), it’s just dated. Another review said this was like a Scooby mystery and I wholeheartedly agree, but I’m not sure a Scooby mystery is something that would survive in today’s world. I mean, a bunch of hippies and their talking dog, traveling the country in their psychedelic van. That kind of crap was awesome when I was a kid, but now they’d fly. With their cell phones. Or they’d… oh god. They’d be the Winchesters.
Anyway, so if I were ten or so and not a horror fanatic, this book might scare me, but I doubt it. In it, a boy and his family (dad, mom, younger twin brothers) move from North Carolina to Ohio, to a house once owned by a famous abolitionist. One of the twins was named either Butch, Boomer, or Buster, which was honestly the most unfortunate part for me. There are some “ghostly happenings,” which I’m not sure would fool even a ten year old, and then
The ghostly happenings are kind of flat. Really, it’s more that the father, a historian, enjoys being a troll than anything scary actually happening. The dad leaves a report suggesting the house is haunted out, and the boy reads it, and the dad gets mad at him for reading it and demands he never speak of it, ever. The boy goes exploring, falls in a tunnel he didn’t know was there, and follows it back to the kitchen wall, where his father proceeds to tell him he thought it’d be fun if the boy discovered the tunnels for himself. (Kid could have gotten hurt, seriously.) This actually happens twice. The caretaker of the property goes by Mr. Pluto, so the dad says Pluto is another name for Hades, and lets the boy go on believing this guy is really the devil. The ghostly happenings that weren’t caused by trolldad were the result of someone actually breaking into their house, which is horrifyingly not addressed.
As an aside, I’ve read a few “classic” children’s ghost stories lately and while believe me, I am in no way saying that kids around my age were neglected or abused (I know, I get it, different time, etc. etc.), parental negligence seems to be a BIG part of the ghost stories. Not “oh, I’m just going to let my kid go exploring” kind of negligence… that’s fine (or at least, it was in times past). That’s totally okay, assuming they’re not talking to the clown that lives in the storm drain. I’m talking about “I’m going to let my kid fall into a tunnel and potentially break his leg because it might be fun for him to discover on his own” like we see here or “I’m going to actively destroy every friendship my ward ever fosters, after I move him across the country without telling anyone” like we see in Blackbriar. I used to love Mary Downing Hahn as a kid, and this has me wondering if there are any hidden undertones that went right over my head.
Anyway, so if I were ten or so and not a horror fanatic, this book might scare me, but I doubt it. In it, a boy and his family (dad, mom, younger twin brothers) move from North Carolina to Ohio, to a house once owned by a famous abolitionist. One of the twins was named either Butch, Boomer, or Buster, which was honestly the most unfortunate part for me. There are some “ghostly happenings,” which I’m not sure would fool even a ten year old, and then
Spoiler
an actor helps them dress as ghosts to scare the people who are scaring them, and the book ends.The ghostly happenings are kind of flat. Really, it’s more that the father, a historian, enjoys being a troll than anything scary actually happening. The dad leaves a report suggesting the house is haunted out, and the boy reads it, and the dad gets mad at him for reading it and demands he never speak of it, ever. The boy goes exploring, falls in a tunnel he didn’t know was there, and follows it back to the kitchen wall, where his father proceeds to tell him he thought it’d be fun if the boy discovered the tunnels for himself. (Kid could have gotten hurt, seriously.) This actually happens twice. The caretaker of the property goes by Mr. Pluto, so the dad says Pluto is another name for Hades, and lets the boy go on believing this guy is really the devil. The ghostly happenings that weren’t caused by trolldad were the result of someone actually breaking into their house, which is horrifyingly not addressed.
As an aside, I’ve read a few “classic” children’s ghost stories lately and while believe me, I am in no way saying that kids around my age were neglected or abused (I know, I get it, different time, etc. etc.), parental negligence seems to be a BIG part of the ghost stories. Not “oh, I’m just going to let my kid go exploring” kind of negligence… that’s fine (or at least, it was in times past). That’s totally okay, assuming they’re not talking to the clown that lives in the storm drain. I’m talking about “I’m going to let my kid fall into a tunnel and potentially break his leg because it might be fun for him to discover on his own” like we see here or “I’m going to actively destroy every friendship my ward ever fosters, after I move him across the country without telling anyone” like we see in Blackbriar. I used to love Mary Downing Hahn as a kid, and this has me wondering if there are any hidden undertones that went right over my head.
erica_lynn_huberty's review against another edition
3.0
A fascinating, peculiar time capsule, "The House of Dies Drear" is a Gothic ghost story woven into the history of the American Underground Railroad. The flavor feels true and specific, the characters and house unnerving. Like a child's glimmer into the adult's "Beloved" (Morrison). At times truly creepy, but coming down to earth in a kid-friendly way that (sadly) only kids of my generation seemed to get in a Y.A. novel.
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
circleofreadersdruid's review against another edition
4.0
I struggled a lot with this book. I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it: Thomas wore on my last nerve and it dragged a bit in the middle. I ended up making it through due to the excellent narration by Lynne Thigpen and the great set up by Virginia Hamilton. I just *had* to know what happened. I could have done without the way all the males in the book talked down to Mrs. Small and overprotected her, but I adored Mr. Pluto and Pesty.
sherming's review against another edition
4.0
Part mystery, part ghost story. This story follows the arrival of young teen Thomas Small and his family as they relocate from Carolina to the seemingly haunted house of abolitionist Dies Drear. The house once served as part of the underground railway, and secret passages, tails of murder and ghosts, and general creepy occurences make the first days at the new home frightening and exciting. Being familiar with the setting for the work (probably Yellow Springs and Antioch college or maybe Wilberforce) adds to the mental picture behind the story. I can see how newer works like the Da Vinci Code or the movie National Treasure might have been influenced by this work.