The Mystery of Drear House

Dies Drear Chronicles #2

by Virginia Hamilton

An African-American family living in the house of the long-dead abolitionist Dies Drear must decide what to do with his vast treasure, hidden for one hundred years in a cavern near their house. Reissue.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Juvenile

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Virginia Esther Hamilton was the author of forty-one works of fiction and nonfiction. She was the first Black writer awarded the Newbery Medal and the first children's writer to be named a MacArthur Fellow (the "Genius" grant). She also received the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.

Reviews

[Polly Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

About two-thirds of the way through this book, I just couldn't do anything but read it. The portrayal of mental illness, the connections to slavery and the underground railroad, the way Thomas sorts out his obligations and opportunities and loyalties and fears, the portrayal of older characters and Thomas's young twin bothers, the father's insistence on the priority of saving historical information for posterity, and the surprising solution to real conflicts, without violence but with no turning away from the future as it arrives--all this makes large claims on the reader's attention and understanding, it's true, but repays them fully. It just feels honest, somehow. Enormously memorable.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saved this book from the discard pile at a school I was previously employed at.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Smart is a young man from a very loving family. Pesty Darrow is his best friend. She is adopted and all she wants is to be cherished and bring everyone together in her family. Thomas lives in a house surrounded by secrets, tunnels and treasures. The owner of the house was an abolitionist, and the tunnels served as an underground railroad to help many children to escape. There are feelings of jealousy and contempt that could ignite a war anytime between the Smart and Darrow families but Pesty will do anything she can to avoid that from happening. I found this story to be heartwarming and actually cared about the characters and the outcome which turns out to be something wonderful for everyone. People at any age need love and support from their families and friends. They also need understanding and hope. This excellent novel has it all.

[Diana Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book even better than the first in the 2-part series. The pace is a little faster. In case you didn't read my review for the first book, I will describe the overall story. The book is written from the perspective of a teenage boy. The story takes place in a large old mansion built for the purpose of hiding slaves on the underground railroad. The new owners find a wall that slides up; a room that rotates; and tunnels so long and so wide that they contain rooms. This book is full of suspense and you never know what's going to happen next. Very well written.

[Michelle Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first of these books back in grade school and was crazy about the secret tunnels and the idea that history could be so well hidden and preserved for so long. The idea that rooms and tunnels were built for the Underground Railroad was something I appreciated as a child- it felt like it was the only time that fugitives could relax and feel safe although now I understand it was unlikely that was ever the case. But that’s what these stories signified- a place where slaves on the run to their freedom could find safety.

The first book was about the discovery of a history whereas this book to more was more about discovering truths of the present.

VH did an excellent job fictionalizing a part of our history that will encourage children to want to learn about the real Underground Railroad and why it existed and the true dangers that surrounded it. I know because I was one of those kids and the story has stuck with me even till today.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this book and the series. Sad to see no more books in this series, because I like characters and setting

[Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOLDEN TRIANGLES POINT THE WAY


Excellent sequel to THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR, this book continues the story of the King of the Underground Railroad, some 8 months later. But for the teenage hero, Thomas, and young Pesty, there are so many dark secrets yet to be revealed--which ones to keep and which to share? We thought that "things" were settled, that the Darrows had been scared away from Mr. Pluto's cave for good, that the cataloguing was going on for the Foundation...Not so--those wretched Darrows are still hunting and digging, grimly determined to recover the treasure which they feel is their legacy.

The plot is as sinuous as the secret passageways used by runaway slaves, while hidden rooms are gradually revealed and we learn the legend of Indian Maiden. Do ghosts still haunt the old place? Why is Pesty suddenly nervous and will Macky choose to be a friend or foe to Thomas? Beware of the effects of living too closely in the past, or it may distort your conception of the present and destroy your future.
Difficult moral choices face both children and adults in this excellent mystery:how long can Right and Wrong coexist in one house?

How to protect the obvious treasure as well as the written record--a true historical treasure. Very exciting events happen in one day (90 pp), producing intensive reading in places. I thought I could predict part of the very ending, but my guesses were wrong. I challenge all who read THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR to read this sequel and write down your plot predictions before the last few chapters. Mystery buffs and amateur literary sleuths--Don't miss this one!

(Jan. 13, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)

[Brigitte · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Mystery of Dies Drear House is about a boy named Thomas who is in a kind of feud with his next door neighbors. Both families are trying to find the buried treasure that is some where on their land. Thomas's main external conflict is that he has to meet secretly with his best friend from the rival family. His main internal conflict is that he has to deicide if he is going to forgive his friend for the secrets that she has kept from him and his family.
I can connect this book to the world. Back in the day there where a ton of hillbillies who where always fighting over land. That is exactly like this book only in a different time period. There was always some buried treasure on the land and all the neighbors wanted it, so they would fight.
I would give this book only two stares becausee is was completely boring. It was too descriptive, just give me a picture not a page full of descriptive words. I would not recommend this book to anyone. I hated it.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mystery of Drear House is the follow up to The House of Dies Drear. The first of the series was a little more fun and adventurous, but this one was interesting as well. Virginia Hamilton defines the Small and Carr families more thoroughly and helps put some closure on the mystery. Still a fun read, and I love Underground Railroad stories.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come. I have to admit, this was a little harder to get into than I remember "House of Dies Drear" being, probably because you have to rely quite a bit on reading "House of Dies Drear" to get into the flow of reading this at first. But once I did get into the book, it was smooth sailing, and I was glad to follow Thomas's voice and experiences again. I hope to do a more thorough analysis of the book in my extended review.

[Majanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/mini-rev...

This is a great mystery novel for young adults. The most interesting part was Drear House itself. It’s a labyrinth with secret tunnels and hideouts. The pace is quite fast, and the main character Thomas is the kind of protagonist kids can easily relate to. An intriguing, quick read.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thomas and his family have been living in the Drear house, a old house filled with mysteries. Mysteries, along with secret passages and tunnels can lead to danger, especially when the Darrow family is involved. Involving in break-ins of the drear house, Thomas ruminates about the reasons...

Thomas and his friend, Pesty Darrow, ventures into this mystery... but is she really trustworthy?

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the sequel to "The House of Dies Drear". It picks up 6 months after the prior one ends. It still has some mystery in there, and introduces a character you didn't meet in the first one. This one was ok too, but sort of a re-hash of the first. I still liked it.

[4josh4283 · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a grade last yeer that you had to reed it so i did and i liked it. it was definetly one of the best books ive read, they should make another one just like it

[MisterFweem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit I was not in love with this story at first. It all seemed prefabricated and rushed, though it was written decades after the first novel.

But it grew on me. The ending was a might predictable, but it was nice to see at least some of the Darrows come out as rounded characters, rather than the stock villains most of them were in the first book.

SPOILER: One thing did bug me. In the first book, it's mentioned the Darrows moved their house a few feet, dug around under it, and put in back in its original position. How would that not mess up the tunnel connecting the Darrow home to the Drear home?

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know that a sequel was required for The House of Dies Drear. When I first started reading the book I was NOT enjoying it--the first few pages read like a pre-publication draft.

That settled down soon enough, as the normal quality known to Ms. Hamilton's readers returned. The story did have some interest as they explored the house and as we got to know the mysterious mother of Pesty, but the story wasn't compelling enough for a full length.

This would have been better as an epilogue to the first novel.

[Lee Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lousy

[Lisa Daleiden-Brugman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Hamiltons writing and this set of books about Dies Drear was great. Lots of secret passages, spooky caves and treasure!

[Sean]

I love Virginia Hamilton.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe even better than the first. The mystery is so kid-friendly while the underlying message is deep and important. The conclusion is lovely.

[Mere · Rating 1 out of 5]

The last book wasn't great -- but I felt this book did not help at all. Thomas was still as usual, super annoying and I did not like him at all. The whole thing was just a highly irritating book. And while I thought that the last one was decently written, this one was even worse.

The plot, the writing, the characters, all of it was lackluster at best and I could not get into it at all. I skimmed a lot of it.

This is not something I would suggest to anyone to read.

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than the first. It was more smoothly written.

[Tammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad to have read the conclusion!

[Alexia · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 word: boring...i read this book in 5th grade btw.

[Lillian N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just sort of...odd, to say the least...

[Vanellope · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was better than the first one, but there's still not much to it? Idk, it was just okay.

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book. Might work better as a movie so you can better visualize the tunnels.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

wasn't as good as the first book but it did have a really good conclusion.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

On par with the first one.