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Overview
Fifteen-year-old Lia comes from a long line of courageous women, dating back to a Civil War survivor who single-handedly saved her Louisiana plantation house, Graymoss, from destruction. But Graymoss is haunted by a terrible evil.
With clues from a diary and Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Lia, who doesn't feel as if she's inherited any family genes of courage, must figure out what—or whom—the evil wants. When Lia's parents decide to move into Graymoss, Lia isn't sure how to convince them to change their minds. But it's up to her to chase away the horror lurking inside the old house. Can she find the courage to deal with a noisy ghost who wants vengeance?
When her mother inherits an old plantation house in the Louisiana countryside, fifteen-year-old Lia seeks to rid it of the evil spirit that haunts it.
Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Lia comes from a long line of courageous women, dating back to a Civil War survivor who single-handedly saved her Louisiana plantation house, Graymoss, from destruction. But Graymoss is haunted by a terrible evil.
With clues from a diary and Favorite Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Lia, who doesn't feel as if she's inherited any family genes of courage, must figure out what—or whom—the evil wants. When Lia's parents decide to move into Graymoss, Lia isn't sure how to convince them to change their minds. But it's up to her to chase away the horror lurking inside the old house. Can she find the courage to deal with a noisy ghost who wants vengeance?
Claire Rosser - KLIATT
To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 1998: Ghost story around a haunted plantation in Louisiana sums this plot up. From Civil War days, the family home is reported to be filled with evil, and it has remained uninhabited. When Lia's mother inherits the place, she and her husband want to turn it into a home for children. Since Lia likes her status as only child, she at first hopes her parents will be discouraged by the hauntings. Later, when she realizes how much good they could do by providing a home for these children, she determines to rid the house of the evil presence. This takes some detective work with information from an old diary, and bravery in confronting the place after dark. Lia changes from a shy bookish type at the beginning of the story to a young woman willing to fight for what she believes in. Taken as a whole, this is entertaining for middle school students who enjoy slightly scary ghost stories. Nixon succeeds in creating the necessary atmosphere to sustain the plot. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 1998, Random House, Dell Yearling, 184p., Ages 12 to 15.
Editorials
KLIATT
To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 1998: Ghost story around a haunted plantation in Louisiana sums this plot up. From Civil War days, the family home is reported to be filled with evil, and it has remained uninhabited. When Lia's mother inherits the place, she and her husband want to turn it into a home for children. Since Lia likes her status as only child, she at first hopes her parents will be discouraged by the hauntings. Later, when she realizes how much good they could do by providing a home for these children, she determines to rid the house of the evil presence. This takes some detective work with information from an old diary, and bravery in confronting the place after dark. Lia changes from a shy bookish type at the beginning of the story to a young woman willing to fight for what she believes in. Taken as a whole, this is entertaining for middle school students who enjoy slightly scary ghost stories. Nixon succeeds in creating the necessary atmosphere to sustain the plot. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 1998, Random House, Dell Yearling, 184p., Ages 12 to 15.—Claire Rosser