Open Preview See a Problem?We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton. Thanks for telling us about the problem.
Friend ReviewsTo see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Community Reviews· 3,355 ratings · 427 reviews Start your review of The House of Dies Drear (Dies Drear Chronicles, #1)
Damn all the whiny readers who keep comparing this novel to Scooby-Doo, which came out in 1969, while Virginia Hamilton published House of Dies Drear in 1968. That's right, Virginia Hamilton created that plot template and used it once. Get your pop culture history straight before you gripe, and give V. Hamilton some respect. She was an African-American YA lit
author before YA lit even existed as its own category. In House of Dies Drear, Virginia Hamilton ⭐ Single-handedly invented the Underground That's right, Virginia Hamilton created that plot template and used it once. Get your pop
culture history straight before you gripe, and give V. Hamilton some respect. She was an African-American YA lit author before YA lit even existed as its own category. In House of Dies Drear, Virginia Hamilton ⭐ Single-handedly invented the Underground Railroad gothic genre Perhaps those whiny readers should have learned about this book in school. No, it's not a perfect book, but Hamilton was a pioneer. Dammit.
Published in 1968, the year the author turned 32, The House of Dies Drear is set mainly in a small fictional community in southern Ohio, the area where Hamilton herself grew up, and where her ancestors had settled in the 1850s after escaping from slavery via the Underground Railroad. (Ohio was a key state in the latter operation, some 40,000 escaping slaves passing through or settling there just in
the years 1810-1850.) That legacy bulks large in this novel; the titular house was a station on th Published in 1968, the year the author turned 32, The House of Dies Drear is set mainly in a small fictional community in southern Ohio, the area where Hamilton herself grew up, and where her ancestors had settled in the 1850s after escaping from slavery via the Underground Railroad. (Ohio was a key state in the latter operation, some 40,000
escaping slaves passing through or settling there just in the years 1810-1850.) That legacy bulks large in this novel; the titular house was a station on the "railroad," and its owner and builder, abolitionist Dies Drear, was murdered there (probably at the instigation of slave owners) soon after three escaped slaves who'd been at the house were caught, and two of them killed. Said to be haunted, the house now belongs to a historical foundation that leases it to tenants --but none of those have
ever stayed in it long. The newest tenants are the Small family, of which 13-year-old protagonist Thomas (the book opens on his birthday) is the oldest son; his father, an historian, is going to be teaching in the local college. But from the beginning, an aura of mystery and secrets envelops the house and its long-time caretaker, old Mr. "Pluto" (nicknamed for the lord of the underworld in classical mythology). At 246 pages, this is a pretty quick read, with a brisk narrative pace; the plot
spans just four days, and Hamilton packs quite a bit into them. (It's set in the spring, around Easter, since the public schools are "still having Easter vacation.") A strongly Gothic vibe is effectively conjured from the very first sight of the ill-regarded house, honeycombed by secret entrances and underground tunnels. (The title itself deliberately evokes mental associations with death and dreariness.) Hamilton's prose style and plotting is literate without being stilted or opaque, suitable
for older kids (and free of bad language), but not so simplistic and dumbed-down that adults can't also appreciate it. (In one respect, her writing here resembles that of Henry James in the stress in places on intuited impressions and unspoken nuances in conversations, etc.) Thomas is a barely-fledged teen, but he's an intelligent one who's spent more time around adults or alone in the woods than with other kids his age (I could relate to him very well!), and most of the other important
characters are adults. (We occasionally get glimpses into their perceptions, though we're mostly in Thomas' head.) All in all, this a masterfully-told tale that held my interest throughout. A word might be in order about the 1984 movie adaptation (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264696/ ), which I watched on TV back in the 90s, and which initially put the book on my radar. The film basically resembles
the book in essential plotting and characterizations, though it's been so long since I watched it that I can't do a detailed comparison/contrast. However, I can say that there are certain significant differences. The Darrows are introduced much earlier and more directly in the movie. While in the book, the child Pesty is clearly much younger than Thomas and he has two very small brothers, a set of twins (who don't do much, because they're still young enough to nurse out of bottles), in the movie
the twins don't appear at all, and Pesty is Thomas' age and plays a larger role. (IMO, that's actually a plus for the movie, but that's just me!) Mrs. Small also plays a more prominent part in the movie than in the book. Virginia Hamilton had already written one novel, also marketed for younger readers (as were all of her works), to considerable acclaim before this one. She would go on to write 41 books altogether, winning the coveted Newbery Award in 1975. (That wasn't for this book, but
this one did garner the mystery genre's prestigious Edgar Award.) Sadly, she passed away from breast cancer in 2002.
I know this book is a classic, but it drove me nuts that the first 3/4 of the book was so creepy and atmospheric...and then it turned into Scooby Doo, complete with rubber masks and meddlin' kids. Ugh. I know this book is a classic, but it drove me nuts that the first 3/4 of the book was so creepy and atmospheric...and then it turned into Scooby Doo, complete with rubber masks and meddlin' kids. Ugh. ...more
Last month I read Hamilton's award-winning children's novel M. C. Higgins, the Great, and I was so intrigued by it that I'm reading through more Hamilton—next, Zeely. This one is a thriller with lots of history, lots of twists. Loved it. I'm surprised Hamilton isn't better known today. Last month I read Hamilton's award-winning children's novel M. C. Higgins, the Great, and I was so intrigued by it that I'm reading through more Hamilton—next, Zeely. This one is a thriller with lots of history, lots of twists. Loved it. I'm surprised Hamilton isn't better known today. ...more
Feb 14, 2008 Jessica rated it it was ok I expected more from this book than I got. I think that I had vaguely heard a lot about it, and thus expected it to be some sort of amazingly-written work of art. Instead I just found dull, overly-descriptive, under-developed and predictable literature. The plot is interesting in that it combines history with a mystery, so perhaps that is the source of its acclaim. I, though, was not drawn in enough by it to enjoy nor to recommend The House of Dies Drear.
May 23, 2017 Krissy rated it really liked it This was a suspenseful mystery - a history mystery! I liked it. But it was a bit too long. (Caleb age 10)
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 Winche 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 (view spoiler)[an actor helps them dress as ghosts to scare the people who are scaring them, and the book ends. (hide spoiler)] 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.
The NY Times Review blurb on this book says "A spellbinding mystery with edge-of-the-seat suspense." No, it isn't that. Not that it's a bad book, but not spellbinding at all, and not really
suspenseful, let alone edge-of-seat. What I liked: The descriptions of the mountains of North Carolina were beautiful and spot-on. The descriptions of Ohio were lovely too, though didn't jive with my own Ohio experiences, though since the author was from Ohio, I'll just assume there are places like that I neve What I liked: The descriptions of the mountains of North Carolina were beautiful and spot-on. The descriptions of Ohio were lovely too, though didn't jive with my own Ohio experiences, though since the author was from Ohio, I'll just assume there are places like that I never saw. She created a feeling of being there. I also liked the look into a culture that's outside my experience (black rural America
circa 1968). The writing was good and made the read fast. I like the protagonist in the first 2 chapters of the novel--a young teenager, sad to leave his old home in NC, but curious about where they're going and open to adventure. He seems intelligent and curious about the world and the history of their new house. What I didn't like: The protagonist turns into a boy scared of everything. His mind seems to close, he makes unfounded assumptions about people he hasn't met or barely met. He
believes the worst of everyone right away. He seems to be a totally different person than the way he acted in the early chapters. And he doesn't grow beyond that or really contribute much to the outcome of the plot. The first half of the book seemed very disjointed, the pacing uneven, characters only seeming half drawn. In the second chapter, the author felt she had to tell us the entire history of the Underground Railroad where the house was concerned, but only bits of it were important
to the plot later. The second half of the book was much better as far as pacing and plot goes, but a lot of questions were left unanswered from the beginning. (I can't say what those questions were without spoilers and I don't want to go there.) I'm giving it 3 stars because of the things I liked, but I think this was a book much in need of editing. It's a shame because it had potential. I can only guess that they hurried it to press since it came out in the middle of the Civil Rights
movement.
Feb 08, 2013 Karen rated it it was ok I read this book because my 6th grader is currently reading it in school. It was interesting, the imagery was fabulous. Overall, however, I found it to be hard to follow and a bit unbelievable. The language used in conversations was stilted and forced, and often very difficult to follow. Many times characters would say something, and I had no idea what it meant or why they said it. The main character in the book, an adolescnent boy, seemed mature way beyond his years. That being said, I am fairl I read this book because my 6th grader is currently reading it in school. It was interesting, the imagery was fabulous. Overall, however, I found it to be hard to follow and a bit unbelievable. The language used in conversations was stilted and forced, and often very difficult to follow. Many times characters would say something, and I had no idea what it meant or why they said it. The main character in the book, an adolescnent boy, seemed mature way beyond his years. That being said, I am fairly certain that my son will be equally confused by the book, the plot, the author's motivation and point of view. However, I am positive he will enjoy the suspense and the "mystery" surrounding the historic home in the novel. ...more
Jan 08, 2012 Lynette rated it it was amazing I LOVED this book when I was a kid. It got me interested in the
underground railroad - a passion I still hold to this day - and secret passages! As an adult, those things are still amazing, but the actual book is ... confusing. Thomas sees a mystery in everything, everyone is suspicious - but why? There is no rhyme or reason to any of it. The actual plot doesn't seem to kick in until 3/4 of the way through. The POV changes a few times, but inconsistently. The end also got pretty silly. Still, I thi As an adult, those things are still amazing, but the actual book is ... confusing. Thomas sees a mystery in everything, everyone is suspicious - but why? There is no rhyme or reason to any of it. The actual plot doesn't seem to kick in until 3/4 of the way through. The POV changes a few times, but
inconsistently. The end also got pretty silly. Still, I think this is a great kids' book.
Oct 10, 2017 Phoebe rated it did not like it I did not like it at all(I apologize if this is anyone’s favorite book). It was very over the top and I found the plot hard to follow. This book did not grasp my interest. Now I know you might be thinking why did you read it then? Well, I had to read it for school and I had hoped that would improve. I was sadly disappointed.
Aug 15, 2020 Amelie rated it did not like it Horrible! The worst book I have ever read! The concept could have
been so good but it was poorly written. It was SO hard to follow the plot. It was incredibly boring!
I nearly forgot I read this one back in the day. Shout out to the Zora canon for reminding me!
The House of Dies Drear Thomas and his family just moved into this new house. Thomas' first impression of the house was what he expected. He knew something was up with the house. The only problem was he had to find out the hard way. Dies Drear and 2 other slaves had been murdered there, and there ghosts were said to have haunted the house. Thomas then had done some snooping
around, to find out the secrets of the house. I like this book a lot. It Thomas and his family just moved into this new house. Thomas' first impression of the house was what he expected. He knew something was up with the house. The only problem was he had to find out the hard way. Dies Drear and 2 other slaves had been murdered there, and there
ghosts were said to have haunted the house. Thomas then had done some snooping around, to find out the secrets of the house. I like this book a lot. It was really suspenseful. That is 1 thing that made me actually like this book. It had me wanting to find out more. That made me read more, and thats something i really look for in a book, which made me like it a lot. This book was pretty suspenseful. It was able to make me keep reading more, because once u find something out like most
mysteries, you want to find out the whole truth behind it. Parts of it were also shocking and kept the reader interested and entertained. The New York Times calls it " A spellbinding mystery with edge-of-the-seat suspense." Snaps to them. I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to read and be sucked in by the suspense of the book and your own questions.
Feb 23, 2013 Ann rated it it was amazing This book wins some kind of prize for creepiest title. I love saying it, though it sticks on my tongue. Winner of the coveted Edgar Award, this book is a juvenile historical that is structured like a mystery. "Thomas Small, a 13-year-old African American boy, moves with his family into a house that was once part of the Underground Railroad that is in Ohio. His father, Mr. Small, tells
Thomas that the caretaker of the house is Mr. Pluto. People think he is the devil because Mr. Pluto rides an old b Winner of the coveted Edgar Award, this book is a juvenile historical that is structured like a mystery. "Thomas Small, a 13-year-old African American boy, moves with his family into a house that was once part of the
Underground Railroad that is in Ohio. His father, Mr. Small, tells Thomas that the caretaker of the house is Mr. Pluto. People think he is the devil because Mr. Pluto rides an old buggy driven by two horses and because Pluto is the roman name for Hades the god of the underworld. Once they move into the house, strange and scary things begin to happen. They meet a malicious family next to them, the Darrows. In the end, they learn that the Darrows are doing all they can to scare away the Smalls and
get the treasure located in the underground railroad tunnel." Thrilling and educational, I don't know why this title doesn't come up more.
Jan 04, 2017 Rich rated it it was ok I know this is a classic and I'm embarrassed that this is the first time I've read it, even after having been an elementary librarian for seven years. I'm sorry, but I just didn't get it. There were good sequences and good scenes. Overall it was confusing and jumpy. Not recommended unless you are wanting to check off the classics on your list. I know this is a classic and I'm embarrassed that this is the first time I've read it, even after having been an elementary librarian for seven years. I'm sorry, but I just didn't get it. There were good sequences and good scenes. Overall it was confusing and jumpy. Not recommended unless you are wanting to check off the classics on your list. ...more
Took me over 1/2 through the finally understand what the author was getting too.
May 25, 2018 Diane rated it it was ok Good that the story concerns an important part of history that is often overlooked. However, I found the writing not cohesive in many parts. I know it was written for kids, but I still did not like the writing style. The ending was a let down after the mysterious build up.
Feb 18, 2021 Ayre rated it it was ok This book is not for me and I'm not sure if thats due to the expected readers age (this is middle grade) or I just don't like the book. From my understanding this is supposed to be a haunted house story but there is no haunting, like at all. The way the characters behave in literally all situations is so outside of my norm that I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to ever get into the
story. Not saying that this is outside of everyones normal, just mine. The main young boy character was so all From my understanding this is supposed to be a haunted house story but there is no haunting, like at all. The way the characters behave in literally all situations is so outside of my norm that I
couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to ever get into the story. Not saying that this is outside of everyones normal, just mine. The main young boy character was so all over the place with his behavior and how his parents treated him, as far as responsibilities, that I couldn't tell if he was 6 or 16. There were also large boring sections of the book that did nothing for the plot of the book, with the characters like walking around town. The plot (plot conclusion?) was far too juvenile for my
taste. The coolest part of this story is that it could potentially get children more interesting in learning about black history or the underground railroad. It is also cool seeing books about black characters from the 1960s even if I didn't personally enjoy this book.
This book has been on my list for a very long time. I didn’t particularly enjoy the first part of the book,
but I still wanted to finish it. It’s a mystery! You have to finish it! I’m not just glad I finished it, but I’m glad I read it. I liked the ending a great deal. My dissatisfaction with the beginning of the book is not with the story line but, I suspect, with the fact that the book is older (and yet not historical fiction). I have no issue with mothers who stay-at-home to care for children My dissatisfaction with the beginning of the book is not with the story line but, I suspect, with the fact that the book is older (and yet not historical fiction). I have no issue with mothers who stay-at-home to care for children and provide homes for their families. But I do get
irritated when the mother is treated condescendingly (albeit with affection) by her son and husband as less brave and less capable than they are. Yes, that likely is a product of the time in which the book was written, but I still find it annoying. I really liked the ending, though, and where it left the characters. (But not enough to assign it to a class.)
Feb 10, 2022 Kathryn rated it it was ok I listened to this because it was referenced in Yours Truly and while I remembered reading it years ago, I remembered no plot details. I had trouble getting invested in the story and really wasn't until the last hour or so of the book. It was atmospheric, creepy even, and gave you a crawling feeling but I didn't connect with the characters or understand why things were happening until the end. And as soon as I was interested in what happened next, the book was over. I listened to this because it was referenced in Yours Truly and while I remembered reading it years ago, I remembered no plot details. I had trouble getting invested in the story and really wasn't until the last hour or so of the book. It was atmospheric, creepy even, and gave you a crawling feeling but I didn't connect with the characters or understand why things were happening until the end. And as soon as I was interested in what happened next, the book was over. ...more
Feb 28, 2022 Eden D. rated it it was amazing This was a pretty good book. It revolves around Thomas Small and his adventure with his new home. He and his family move into an old underground railroad house. But unbeknownst to them, the house is haunted, among other spirits, by its old owner, Dies Drear. This book dove deep into the lives of people who went through and experienced the underground railroad, and it was a very interesting take on it. This book was a little bit slow, but otherwise, it was a fun read. I recommend this book to any This was a pretty good book. It revolves around Thomas Small and his adventure with his new home. He and his family move into an old underground railroad house. But unbeknownst to them, the house is haunted, among other spirits, by its old owner, Dies Drear. This book dove deep into the lives of people who went through and experienced the underground railroad, and it was a very interesting take on it. This book was a little bit slow, but otherwise, it was a fun read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure historical fiction books. ...more
Sep 15, 2018 Susan rated it liked it A young African-American boy and his family move to a mysterious historic mansion on the outskirts of a small college town in Ohio. Thomas is determined to find the truth behind the stories about the house’s
history as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Will he succeed?
Slow start....but around chapter
13/19
May 30, 2019 Amilia rated it did not like it "The ghosts of the three were said to walk its rooms..." SPOILER ALERT: there are no ghosts. Super disappointing. "The ghosts of the three were said to walk its rooms..." SPOILER ALERT: there are no ghosts. Super disappointing. ...more
Sep 14, 2021 Melinda rated it really liked it A young adult book about the Underground Railroad, throw in some suspense and mystery and you have a page turning story.
When I added The House of Dies Drear to my
to-read shelf I didn't realize this was a young adult book. I didn't realize this until I had to go into the juvenile section at the library in order to find it. As young adult books go, I liked this one. The story was intriguing, and it was a moderately sinister/suspenseful tale. I would have liked that aspect to have gone a bit further, to have been a little more "full on" (which I suspect it would have done if this book had been written today), but t As young adult books go, I liked this one. The story was intriguing, and it was a moderately sinister/suspenseful tale. I would have liked that aspect to have gone a bit further, to have been a little more "full on" (which I suspect it would have done if this book had been written today), but the mysteriousness was enough to keep me hooked. What interested me about this book is that it revealed little tidbits about African-American history in Ohio. I didn't know Ohio figured so much in African-American history, and this book opened a lot of doors for me. I recently learned that my 5th great grandfather was a freed African-American slave. Despite having been enslaved in Virginia, he ultimately settled in Ohio, and I've often wondered what would have driven him to settle in a state that was so far away from the place he knew. The House of Dies Drear taught me that the significance of Ohio to American slaves ran deeper than I perhaps knew or ever realized. While I enjoyed The House of Dies Drear as a story, I really appreciated it because it made me aware of my ignorance. This book showed me that in order to find answers about my 5th great grandfather, I need to find answers about Ohio and African-American history. In order to know why he left the places he knew as a slave, I have to understand the significance of the place he chose to go as a free man. ...more
Apr 09, 2020 Vel Veeter rated it it was amazing This is one of those books I think I maybe read as a
kid, but certainly would have loved had I read it. It’s a mystery, it involves history coming alive in various ways, it has secret passages, maybe ghosts, clues and symbols, and involves a kid getting to experience all these things at the center of everything. If you don’t know this one, a Black family moves to a large Victorian house in Ohio and learns that it was one of the waystations on the underground railroad. They’re immediately confront If you don’t know this one, a Black family moves to a large Victorian house in Ohio and learns that it was one of the waystations on the
underground railroad. They’re immediately confronted by neighbors, seemingly blue collar/rural workers giving off ominous or otherwise eerie warnings about the house. These scenes are interesting because they come straight out other manor house mysteries ala Agatha Christie, except read across race and class lines as all the principals in the scene are Black in the United States. As the book goes on, the family discovers the elaborate and curious history of the house, the series of
different mechanisms, secret passages, and other structural elements that allowed the owners of the house to hide the people escaping from slavery on their way North, and on their way back South to free more people. This book is super interesting, and obviously couldn’t be made today because of how it would either hurt white people’s feelings or be watered down to ignore the cruelties of slavery. Maybe they’d even do one of those race-bent numbers that Barnes and Noble likes. I’m kidding,
but this book does play into the excitement of history in some ways that I do find curious now.
Feb 06, 2008 Kirsten rated it really liked it This gothic mystery uses true-to-life details about the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement to give depth to an already creepy, fascinating story. 13-year-old Thomas Small is thrilled when his family moves into the historical Drear House, even if it means leaving Virginia and moving to Ohio. What kid wouldn't love a potentially haunted house that's full of secret passages? It doesn't take him long to become embroiled in the mystery. Who is Mr. Pluto, the caretaker, really? Does he This gothic mystery uses true-to-life details about the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement to give depth to an already creepy, fascinating story. 13-year-old Thomas Small is thrilled when his family moves into the historical Drear House, even if it means leaving Virginia and moving to Ohio. What kid wouldn't love a potentially haunted house that's full of secret passages? It doesn't take him long to become embroiled in the mystery. Who is Mr. Pluto, the caretaker, really? Does he want the Smalls to stay, or is he trying to drive them out? Who are the mysterious figures that creep through the house unnoticed? There are tons of shivers here, but what I really enjoyed was the characterization of Thomas and his relationship with his father. They are well-drawn characters, and Hamilton gives the reader the sense that they understand one another very well. It's kind of nice to read a book of this kind where the adults aren't constantly denying or dismissing the child protagonist's observations and theories; in this book, Thomas and his father solve the mystery together. It's a refreshing change. ...more
I grew up with this classic book as part of my childhood. I first learned of it from the ABC Weekend Specials show that was on Saturday mornings in the 80s. A TV adaptation was made of it, which I
watched as a little kid, then read later when I was a bit older. It was probably my first introduction to the topic of slavery in American history as well as the Underground Railroad, and it's presented in a great, engaging way. It's a great book for kids, and has some wonderful things to say about why It was probably my first introduction to the topic of slavery in American history as well as the Underground Railroad, and it's presented in a great, engaging way. It's a great book for kids, and has some wonderful things to say about why history and legacy is important and needs to be protected and honored. Virginia Hamilton has a style similar to that of Harper
Lee. She uses clear, evocative prose to set the tone of a scene and Thomas' father definitely has shades of Atticus Finch in him. Overall, a very nice novel and a classic of American Children's Literature. Virginia Esther Hamilton was the author of forty-one works of fiction and nonfiction. She was the first Black writer awarded the Newbery Medal and the first children’s writer to be named a MacArthur Fellow (the “Genius” grant). She also received the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. Other books in the seriesRelated ArticlesHere in the U.S., it’s time once again for National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs annually from September 15 through October 15. In... Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. |
House of dies drear chapter 18 summary
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 en.ketajaman Inc.
