The House of Dies Drear

By: Virginia Hamilton

Thomas Small and his family are moving from North Carolina to Ohio in a 100 year old house. This house isn’t an ordinary house. It was once a station on the Underground Railroad. The house was owned by an abolitionist name Dies Drear. His plan was to have slaves come to him, and then he would give some of the slaves money and send them back to help other slaves escape. His plan was a great success, until one time he sent back three slaves. Two of the slaves were caught and murdered. The same day that the two slaves were murdered, Dies Drear was also murdered. Nobody knows how he was murdered. The house is now said to be haunted. Some people even think it holds treasures in the home. As the Small family drives towards the house, he has a strange feeling that something is wrong. Strange things start happening to his family, and Thomas thinks it has something to do with the caretaker Mr. Pluto, and their neighbors, the Darrows. After two days of living in the house, Thomas and his dad are on the urge to find out the big mystery of the house. They stumble around many questions. Are there really treasures in the house? Is the house haunted, or is somebody trying to scare them out? Is the Small family going to figure out the mystery, or will they be driven away? Read this great book to find out.

The House of Dies Drear is an excellent mystery. It is filled with great suspense that will leave you hanging of the edge of your seat. The whole fictional structure of the house is amazing. They talk about how there are hidden tunnels all around the house. Some of which the Smalls don’t know about. The detail in the story gives you a great description of the setting, characters, and the action. You will feel like you are inside the story. Anyone who is in for a great mystery should read this book. I doubt you will put the book down once you start reading!

Heather M.