| "Thomas dreamed he walked a familiar forest, following a time-worn path of the Tuscarroras..." (from the first line) "An absorbing mystery (about a Negro boy's house, once part of the Underground Railroad), enriched with perceptive insights into certain aspects of the Negro American's heritage."--"Booklist." An ALA Notable Children's Book. A "School Library Journal" Best of the Best. Winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award.
Annotation:
Life changes for 13-year-old Thomas Small when he and his family relocate to Ohio where they take up residence in a house that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. As both an African-American and a history professor, Thomas's father is particularly interested in the house although his wife and children are disconcerted about another aspect of the house's history: the former owner, abolitionist Dies Drear, and two runaway slaves were murdered there. As Thomas explores the underground tunnels and secret passages of the house, he senses danger and even comes to believe that the house's elderly caretaker, an eccentric man named Mr. Pluto, might be the devil himself. Working closely with his father, Thomas struggles to understand the history of, and mystery behind, the House of Dies Drear. The story of THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR continues in THE MYSTERY OF DREAR HOUSE.
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Author Bio| Virginia Hamilton | | Virginia Hamilton's writing was deeply influenced by her family history. Her mother's side was descended from a fugitive slave named Levi Perry, and the extended families of both parents contained excellent storytellers. She majored in writing at Antioch College but left before graduating when an instructor encouraged her to test her writing skills in New York City. Living in New York, she attended the New School and extended one of her short stories into the novel ZEELY, which was published in 1967. Also during this time, she met and married poet and anthologist Arnold Adoff, who returned with her to her family farm in Ohio after living in New York for 15 years. In 1969 she received the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award for THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR. In 1975 she won the National Book Award and the Newbery Medal for M.C. HIGGINS THE GREAT--the first book ever to achieve both honors. She was honored with the Regina Medal in 1990 and with the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1992. In 1995 she received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her body of work. She died of breast cancer at the age of 65. |
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