The Secret Grave by Lois Ruby
Genres: Contemporary, Ghosts
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-545-93250-9
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book
Nightshade can be deadly.
Hannah and Scooter’s sprawling, ramshackle house is named for the lethal plant that grows in the dark woods behind it. Hannah knows she’s not supposed to explore the forest or nearby Moonlight Lake. But she’s feeling lonely and desperate for an adventure. It’s there in the woods that Hannah meets Cady, a mysterious girl who promises everything Hannah’s been missing. Only Cady has a secret:
Cady Wants Hannah all to herself.
Soon Cady is copying Hannah’s style so they can be more alike. She lies to Hannah’s friends, insults Scooter, and begs Hannah to break her parents’ rules and sneak out for a midnight swim. Hannah wants to believe Cady’s just a little insecure. But when she discovers a cemetery beyond the lake with an eerily familiar headstone, she must decide whether to trust her new friend or dig for answers that may lead her to a watery grave.
Personal & Info
I picked this up cheap with a few other spooky middle grade books. It looks like a stand alone, but some places list it as number three in a series called, “Hauntings.” I will be reading it as a stand alone. If it seems like I get lost or confused by something for not reading the other books, I will say so.
Characters
Hannah Flynn is the main character. She’s the twelve year old middle child in a large family, as follows below.
Gracie is the youngest sister at two years old.
Franny, or Frences, is the older sister, and apparently grumbles a lot. She’s seventeen.
Scooter, actual name Scott Thomas, is one year younger than Hannah, and her favorite member of the family. He has chronic asthma.
Trick, also known as Patrick, is fourteen. He is obsessed with baseball.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Sally Flynn, I suspect they are crazy for having five kids, but they seem happy.
Luisa and Sara are Hannah’s best friends. They seem like they are friends with each other first, and Hanna second.
Cady is the girl Hannah meets in the woods. She’s rather mean and demanding.
Story & Thoughts
This book has a similar premise as Wait Till Helen Comes. Both books center on a large property where there’s an unknown area containing a tragic mystery. Both also contain ghosts only intent on communicating with the family member of the same age as the ghost.
I wouldn’t consider this one horror, though. It’s more of a chill almost normal story. Aside from one near drowning, it’s more of a story about friendship than about ghosts. Cady doesn’t seem like a nice person, but at least nobody in this book is as insufferable as Heather is in WTHC.
The plot, aside from the ghost related part, is actually relatable. Hannah’s friends will be gone for a large chunk of the summer, so she’ll be bored and lonely until they get back. This particular type of vulnerability makes her want a new friend, and rather easy to influence.
I think this story is well written. Plot devices and story telling methods are easy to pick out for young readers. Like how Nana Fiona explains banshees to Hanna, for example. There is a good call back to that later on. I think this example is called foreshadowing.
I do have one gripe with the story. Why didn’t Hanna grab her music box and take it home? That didn’t make any sense to me. She was right there, and she had the opportunity.