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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9781416914051
ISBN number: 1416914056
Label: Aladdin
Manufacturer: Aladdin
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: January 03, 2006
Publishing house: Aladdin
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 339242
Studio: Aladdin
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The house held secrets, Thomas knew, even before he very 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....
Amazon.com Review:
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)
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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When I was in 5th grade, my English teacher lent me this book after exacting from me a promise to finish writing out my vocabulary word definitions before reading it. I was a good student, but a lazy one, easily bored by things I found repetitive or unstimulating, and it must have been frustrating to listen to my excuses about why I had failed yet again to do my vocabulary lesson. I don't know if the book was a bribe or a gift, or what she expected to happen, but I took The House of Dies Drear home that night and literally could not put it down until I had finished. The subsequent morning I returned the completed book to my teacher -- without my vocabulary homework. Maybe it takes a certain kind of 10-year-old reader, but I loved this book so much that I have never forgotten it, even a quarter century later.
Rated by buyers -
Good book. My daughter really enjoyed reading it over the summer. Could be a really good required reading for classes.
Rated by buyers -
A mystery with twists and turns and ... you need to read it rather than this review. Two thumbs up! The House of Dies Drear
Rated by buyers 
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I'm suprised at some of the reviews and wonder if maybe my memory is simply failing me! I'm 33. I logged on to see about getting this book for my 8 yr. old because this was one of my favorite books as a child. My 5th grade teacher read it to us. She would read to us every day after lunch and this was one of the selections and I LOVED it. I remember it being interesting and exciting. Now I have to wonder if it was just the fact that I love books and this woman was my all time favorite teacher. Maybe the book isn't as good as I remember. I'm going to have to give it a read to see.
Rated by buyers 
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This book was flat-out terrible. A few of the problems:
The main character, Thomas is always talking to himself and always saying completely obvious things.
In the very first one hundred pages, the only thing that happens is them going to church.
It is supposely a mystery, but there is nothing mysterious about it.
The dialogue and the rest of the story is completely unnatural and doesn't get me into it.
I couldn't even figure out what the conflict or plot was. They move to a new house and then somebody covers there kitchen with flour...????
AND THE BIGGEST PROBLEM: I didn't even know that the family was African American, and suddenly the author is talking about racism and how people treat them differently. Here's a tip: If you're going to have racism as a theme, at least mention somewhere that the family is black.
I normally like historical fiction and mysteries, but this book had the worst of everything. There is no suspense or foreshadowing; I don't even know what the mystery is! And the book was based around an Underground Railroad house, which is an interesting and compelling topic, and the author somehow managed to make that into the most boring thing I have ever read about.
But, hey, if you want to read it, be my guest...
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