The House of Dies Drear

Written by Virginia Hamilton

Narrated by Lynne Thigpen

One hundred years ago, Dies Drear and two runaway slaves hiding in his house, an important station on the Underground Railroad, were murdered. Legend has it that the ghost of Mr. Drear still haunts the lonely old house. But Thomas Small's father, a Civil War history professor, doesn't believe the legends and buys the house. The house is fascinating, thinks Thomas, and it is filled with hidden doorways and secret passages that he can't wait to explore. But funny things keep happening-frightening things that no one, not even Thomas' father, can explain. Is someone playing a prank? Or is the ghost of Dies Drear trying to warn the Smalls of danger? From Virginia Hamilton, the author of the Newbery Medal and National Book Award winning M.C. Higgins, the Great, comes a spellbinding mystery filled with edge-of-the-seat suspense. The House of Dies Drear wraps an important history lesson into a brilliantly imaginative story for all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781461810681

Virginia Hamilton

Virginia Hamilton (1934–2002) was the author of over forty books for children, young adults, and their older allies. Throughout a career that spanned four decades, Hamilton earned numerous accolades for her work, including nearly every major award available to writers of youth literature. In 1974, M.C. Higgins, the Great earned Hamilton the National Book Award, the Newbery Medal (which she was the first African-American author to receive), and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, three of the field’s most prestigious awards. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition bestowed on a writer of books for young readers, in 1992, and in 1995 became the first children’s book author to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, or “Genius Award.” She was also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award.

Reviews for The House of Dies Drear

[caro488 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Hamilton, Virginia, The House of Dies Drear , Thomas' Dad bought a house formerly used to hide and help runaway slaves. The caretaker acts like he owns the place and they try to scare away vandals rather than calling officials. Hate that attitude- and don't even want to talk about hidden treasure and secret passages that have remained hidden for a hundred years. Actually seems to be 2 (or more)plots swirled into one, and not very skillfully

[abundabookworms · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The House of Dies Drear was especially interesting to me because of the lore of the Underground Railroad in the area where I was born and raised. The many mentions of my familiar made it extra special and it made me picture possible houses for this location. Thank you Virginia Hamilton for another wonderful book that touches on American History.

[echslibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First, let me start by saying, "Get a new cover already!" Don't let the cover turn you off. When a father takes a teaching position in a new town, the family moves in to a creepy old house with a haunted past - and present.

[goodwillbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good, exciting adventure story geared towards children/young adults. Nonetheless, the it has a somber backdrop - that of slavery and the Underground Railroad. The book concerns a young family that moves into an old house, and is told primarily from the perspective of Thomas, the 13 year-old son. The house is known to be a former station on the Underground Railroad, and is supposedly haunted by slaves caught and killed on their journey. Strange things begin happening immediately, apparently at the hands of the fearsome old caretaker. There are a few twists before a very satisfying ending.

[leslitgs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas knows there is something odd about his new home. It was a major player in the underground railroad back in the civil war, and is honeycombed with hideyholes and passages. But it isn't just that--he can tell that there is more of a long-ended story lurking behind every shadow. Now, scary things are happening in the house and frightening him and his family, and he must take the time to figure out just what is going on before something really bad happens. I finished reading The House of Dies Drear yesterday. It is one of my favorite books. However, I made the mistake of skimming some of the negative reviews online and am now not in the proper mindframe to be of any use here. I want to take these silly people by the collars and shake them, screaming, 'How can you say there is not enough detail in this book? What do you want, a play by play description of Thomas's haircut?!' But I won't. And not only because it is immature and I don't know them. I won't, because they are wrong. Yes, it is my opinion and I am completely entitled to it as they are to theirs. It just also happens to be my opinion that they are stupid and wrong. Or at least wrong. Intelligence doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it. But it, aside from breaking my mood, got me thinking. How do we determine that we like a book? Yes, it is, for most people, reader oriented. They just go, 'Oh hey, I like that.' or 'Oh, hey. This sucks. I'm going to go read Twilight again.' Sorry. Being a jerk. But seriously, how do we determine it? I like this book because it is about people. One of the reviews said that they were unrealistic, borderline fantastic. I think that, while yes, I don't believe there are many Mr. Plutos out there, I believe that there are many people that have the potential to behave as he did in such a situation. People are stubborn and pigheaded and inclined to lose perspective when allowing themselves to obsess. And Thomas? What is so unusual about Thomas? He's a kid--he's kind of petulant, curious and unsure of himself. He loves his family and doesn't know what to think about where he is now. He's allowed to be a little off-center. These are people, but not just people. They are characters in a book, a short one. I will never say this book is one of the greatest of all time, but I will say it's pretty damn good. Hamilton paints her pictures of this possibly haunted house with care to include all of the details that make it no more than an actual house in the day light. Argh. I'm racking my brain to explain this, but I cannot. The plot isn't astounding, it is, actually, quite straightforward. Thomas's house might be haunted and the creepy caretaker knows more than he lets on. There are secret passages; there might be treasure. Thomas is a boy with two baby brothers and knack for whittling. I don't know. I'm still somewhat frustrated. I cannot get beyond the 'I thinks' right now, and will thusly leave it at that. But this will always be a favorite.