The House of Dies Drear

Reader reviewed by Jared

                This was a book about a ten year old boy named Thomas who moved to an old house once owned by a slave owner over 100 years ago. Throughout the book weird things keep happening to Thomas and he wants to figure out how it was happening and who (if it were someone) was doing it.

                I thought this book was a bit frightening when the mysterious events were happening to Thomas and his family. I also thought the book had the ability to hold the readers attention through the sequence of events that lead up to solving the big mystery/problem.

                I would recommend this book to kids in the 5^th grade who like mystery books up to preteens in the 6^th and 7^th grade because it isnt that hard to understand and it that is probably the only audience that would really enjoy the book instead of just reading it because they are told to.

                I really enjoyed reading the book and if you decide to read it I hope you enjoy it too.

Reader reviewed by JC Clemente

    Thomas Small feels very melancholy as he moves out of his old home, with his parents and baby brothers, to an old, rickety house in the rural areas of Ohio. The only reason they moved into the house is it was part of he underground railroad, owned by the famous abolitionist, Dries Drear.  You see, Mr. Small is a civil war nut. Shortly after arriving, Thomas falls into one of the many secret caves inside the house. Combined with the darkness, and the icy temperature, it made one of Thomass most blood-curdling   experiences. After being frightened by a strange noise, Thomas runs out and finally exits the cave . Soon after asking his parents permission to investigate the hill, Thomas finds himself being chased by a mysterious man. It turns out the mysterious man was actually Mr. Pluto, the grounds keeper. Mr. Small explains. When the small family hits the hay after their unusual first day in the house, a strange, mysterious figure leaves behind a threat. The very next morning, the smalls find the threat, but decide to put it aside for a trip to church, which they meet yet once again with old Pluto. After a trip around the town, they discover more about the history of Mr. Pluto and his family. So, Mr. Small and Thomas decide to investigate the cave home of Mr. Pluto. They soon found out they bit of more than they can chew&                                      
    I would rate The House of Dies Drear a 4. This book deserves this rating from me because it wasnt the best book, but it was a book experience that I have not read in a while. DONT judge this book by its cover! It does seem like a horror story, but its way more than just that. It has some history. Also, its the kind of the edge of your seat, cliffhanger filled , dont know whats going to happen next, mystery book. If youre a person that likes mystery, horror, or being scared until you wet yourself, then read The House of Dies Drear.

Reader reviewed by Jonathan S.

The House of
Dies Drear Book Review

By
Jonathan S.

The
House of Dies Drear starts off with the Little family traveling from
Carolina to Ohio. The book tells the story of the families life in
their new house, The House of Dies Drear. When they arrive at the
house they find that there are many mysterious things about the
house, and the strange old care keeper named Mr.-Pluto. Trying to
figure out all the puzzles there new home presents is a delima itself
let alone the mysterious doings of their odd neighbors, the Darrows.

I
believe this book was a match for me because it has most of the
qualities that personally I love in a book. The strongest feeling I
get from The House of Dies Drear is a mysterious feeling not knowing
what will happen next, and when I do find out I never saw it coming.
I always felt like I might know what's next but not totally sure, and
it's the unexpected. It's like being in a unfamiliar place but so
familiar at the same time. In this book I have many times
experienced these feelings and opinions that I have expressed to you
now. I hope when you read the book you feel like it's a perfect
match for you like was for me.

I
would recommend this book for people who enjoy mysteries and
cliffhangers often. If you like or think you would like feeling how
I described this book you should read The House of Dies Drear.

Reader reviewed by Zane

Thomas has a dream of someone he meets in the future; who Thomas suspects is trying to scare them out of the house Thomas's dad buys. Dies Drear & 3 slaves lived in the house before Thomas & his family. No one really knew what happened to the 3rd slave. Thomas figures out the mysteries of his house.

I think this book was a little too slow. Each chapter was approximately 20 pages, also it seemed to take longer because the words were generally small. But it was still a great book!

I would recommend this book for people who like slow mysteries. But I personally don't like those types of books. It is full of the kind of suspense I like though, so I think over all this is a great book. If I had the chance to erase my memory & read it again, I would!

Reader reviewed by Isaiah B

In this book a boy named Thomas moves from his house to his new house in Oklahoma, where his fathers job is.The house he moves to is thought to be part of the underground railroad. Thomas finds a secret passageway in front of his house. One of the Darrow boys and a girl named Pesty come riding along on a horse and see he has found a door in the steps in front of his house. Thomas looked in and saw pitch darkness. He leaned forward and fell about four feet when the Darrow boy probably knew about the fall and didnt mention a word about it. Thomas finds his way to the kitchen in his house through the secret passageway. After dinner, he goes out to explore. He finds a mysterious man walking in the forest. He follows the man, until they finally reach a cave. The mysterious man figures out Thomas followed him, then starts chasing Thomas. Thomas finally reaches the house and goes in. Mr.Pluto comes a few seconds later. MrPluto says sorry for chasing Thomas, then he leaves. The Small family found parts of a Greeks cross in different parts of their house, the next day. They went to church that day. After church, they went to the college, but somebody beat them to it. They found out that nothing was stolen or broken, but someone had left parts of the Greeks cross in his room. When they got home, they found out that someone had broken into the house and wrecked the kitchen. They suspected that Mr.Pluto did it. They went into the forest and found Mr.Pluto walking. They followed him into his cave. They looked for him, but couldnt find him. They finally found a secret passageway that lead to where Mr. Pluto was. Mr.Small and Thomas find out that Mr. Pluto has a son named Mayhew. They find out the Darrows are the ones messing with them. They make plans to stop them. Will they stop the Darrows? Will they stop their problems?

    
I like Mr.Small, because he knows a lot and taught me some social studies.

    
I like this book, because it is confusing at first, but fits together when I keep reading. If you like mystery, this book is for you.

Reader reviewed by Kierstin M.

   This book started as a boy named Thomas Small drives to his new house in Ohio, the House of Dies Drear. He finds many warnings to leave the town and the house over time, including triangles, a scattered room, and arranged furniture. Many hidden passages and an Underground Railroad Tunnel come into place. Thomas and his family discover hidden history and learn many secrets as well as valuable treasure and true identities. This book includes friends, laughs, and unfriendly enemies. The House of Dies Drear keeps all suspense and leaves unanswered questions.
   This is a full of action and fun mystery. Some of it's confusing or worse qualities are not explaining things, such as when Thomas has dream and a character he does not meet until later is in it; this never gets an explanation. On pages 1,2, and 25. Another thing is that it does not use some characters for much. They are just there. Examples of this are in pages 157 through 161: Mr. Carr only tells a story and does not appear again, only mentioned. Billy and Buster Small do not have any action that is in any way important to the story. Good things are that it has many literary divices and lots of suspense. Idioms, similes, and more are used throughout the chapters.
   I believe that this is a good, action-packed mystery. I recommend this book to people around 5th grade (10 or 11 years old). If you are looking for at least one of the three S's, (Scary, Suspenseful, or Solving Cases), this is the book for you. I also recommend this people who like the Nancy Drew novels or other mysteries. This is a great book!

Reader reviewed by Tyler K.

   Young Thomas Small is newly moving into a house, in which is supposed to be haunted, but quickly learns there is more hiding than the supposed ghosts. The devil Pluto, the house, and one very mysterious house are just some of the problem. Soon, Thomas realizes that there is more and more to learn about this house than what is passed on, and it is up to him to find out more and more of this uncovered secret of the long-existing, mysterious, House of Dies Drear.
   This is a fantastic novel full of heart-stopping suspense, and one of those fantastic mysteries where violence and crime are not necessarily the answer to the problem. The House of Dies Drear is a fantastic book providing for all of the needs of a young reader. Suspense, unanswered questions, and common, yet deep figurative language are all some of the factors that this fantastic novel provides. The one problem is that there is so much to uncover during the book that at a few points it did get a bit dull, yet you cant resist learning more of the House of Dies Drear. This book is a great novel, and is worth every read word.
   I therefore conclude that to all people that like a good mystery are in for a fun ride reading this book. You will also most likely enjoy it if you are into cliff-hanging suspense, but not necessarily action-packed suspense, yet more like awestruck suspense. Now it is concluded to all who enjoy that type of book, there is no other novel like The House of Dies Drear.

Reader reviewed by Tyler K.

   Young Thomas Small is newly moving into a house, in which is supposed to be haunted, but quickly learns there is more hiding than the supposed ghosts. The devil Pluto, the house, and one very mysterious house are just some of the problem. Soon, Thomas realizes that there is more and more to learn about this house than what is passed on, and it is up to him to find out more and more of this uncovered secret of the long-existing, mysterious, House of Dies Drear.
   This is a fantastic novel full of heart-stopping suspense, and one of those fantastic mysteries where violence and crime are not necessarily the answer to the problem. The House of Dies Drear is a fantastic book providing for all of the needs of a young reader. Suspense, unanswered questions, and common, yet deep figurative language are all some of the factors that this fantastic novel provides. The one problem is that there is so much to uncover during the book that at a few points it did get a bit dull, yet you cant resist learning more of the House of Dies Drear. This book is a great novel, and is worth every read word.
   I therefore conclude that to all people that like a good mystery are in for a fun ride reading this book. You will also most likely enjoy it if you are into cliff-hanging suspense, but not necessarily action-packed suspense, yet more like awestruck suspense. Now it is concluded to all who enjoy that type of book, there is no other novel like The House of Dies Drear.

Reader reviewed by Allion W.

Thomas Small and his family moves into a haunted house, The House of Dies Drear. A house that was once a stop in the Underground Railroad. Mr. Pluto, the ground keeper, causes the family fright and then it leads to a special discovery. As Thomas explores the house, he finds many secrets and passages. There are more secrets than there are ghosts.

The book is not a spooky book. It is exciting but what I do not like is that the book gets a little boring in the end. In the beginning, you will definitely          get hooked, but I kind of got bored near the end. I didnt like how the author didnt put enough suspense in the book.  I love how the author put a lot of literary devices. It makes the book a good piece of text.

Reader reviewed by Allion W.

Thomas Small and his family moves into a haunted house, The House of Dies Drear. A house that was once a stop in the Underground Railroad. Mr. Pluto, the ground keeper, causes the family fright and then it leads to a special discovery. As Thomas explores the house, he finds many secrets and passages. There are more secrets than there are ghosts.

The book is not a spooky book. It is exciting but what I do not like is that the book gets a little boring in the end. In the beginning, you will definitely          get hooked, but I kind of got bored near the end. I didnt like how the author didnt put enough suspense in the book.  I love how the author put a lot of literary devices. It makes the book a good piece of text.