The Secret Grave

by Lois Ruby

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. And there 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 . . .


A Hauntings novel.

Genres: Middle Grade, Horror, Fantasy, Ghosts, Childrens, Young Adult, Paranormal

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Lois Ruby is the author of fifteen books for middle-graders and teens, including STEAL AWAY HOME, SKIN DEEP, and THE SECRET OF LAUREL OAKS. She and her husband live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the foothills of the awesome Sandia Mountains. Lois explores lots of haunted places, including ghostly locations in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and even a few spooky spots in Australia and Thailand. No spirits have tapped her on the shoulder yet, but she hasn't given up hope.

Reviews

[Nikki Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Mother-Daughter buddy read! My daughter & I both rated this one 3+ stars, rounding up to four.

Lucky for me, my daughter loves ghost stories too so we decided to buddy read Lois Ruby’s The Secret Grave. Set in modern day Georgia, The Secret Grave is about a just-turned-twelve-year-old named Hannah who meets an unusual girl in the woods outside of her home. In addition to her new pal, Hannah begins noticing strange things at her old, historic home. Hannah suddenly finds herself spending summer break trying to unravel the mysteries behind her new companion and her house.

This was a fun read and would be especially appealing for young female readers ages 10-12. My daughter & I both felt there were parts that were a little too predictable regarding the ghost story, and we felt there were a few parts that were a little confusing and needed more clarification. Outside of the ghost story, we both really enjoyed the family/friend dynamics of this book. Hannah is the middle child in a large family, and the book does a nice job exploring what she feels like being “Hannah-in-the-middle”. Hannah also has two close friends that sometimes make Hannah feel like a third wheel, which I’m sure lots of preteen/tween girls can relate to.

All in all, a good read for young readers!

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Hannah's friends, Sara and Luisa leave for the summer for their own adventures, Hannah meets Cady. But there's something different about Cady. Why is she able to do things that ordinary creatures cannot? Is it possible that Cady could be a ghost? And if she, is it possible for an ordinary girl like Hannah to be friends with a girl that has been alive for over 100 years? Readers will more than likely figure it out long before Hannah does that Cady is a ghost and that no good can come from friendship with a ghost.
If you like creepy stories and/or are a fan of Mary Downing Hahn's stories, this is the book for you.

[R.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book could have been about a hundred pages shorter. Dragged on way too long. Was happy to see Hannah's friends come and save her at the lake though.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many things about this story just didn’t make sense. I can’t say it’s only because I’m an adult reading a middle grade book, because I do love me some spooky middle grade fiction (Mary Downing Hahn is QUEEN), so that leaves the story itself.

[Claire Kuhlman · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of my favorite books from 4th grade. definitely for younger kids but helped me get back into reading. i liked the eeriness and i could picture Nightshade so well, i imagined some parts as my grandparents’ old house which helped me relate more in a way to Hannah.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ghost story with a surprising twist.

[~Kawaii_Potato~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good and is interesting.

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally love a good mystery book.

[Riley G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was high on suspense until a little bit into the book, I looked at the back and soon predicted the whole story line. I continued reading and my hypothesis was absolutely correct.

[Anais Roriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah meets a strange girl named Cady. And she has a secret to herself.

CADY WANTS HANNAH ALL TO HERSELF.

Cady is soon copying Hannah on what she wears. And she insults Hannah's brother, Scooter. It's like she is 2 faced, she is nice to Hannah, and when she meets Hannah's brother and older sister THEN she gets rude in front of them. Now Hannah has to decide whether to trust her new friend or dig for answers that may lead her to a watery grave. I highly recommend this book because it is a really good book to read. Once you read one chapter you keep reading more and more non-stop. I EXTREMLY LOVE this book. I really love mystery/horror books. You should read this book. I will give this book a five star rating. Allow yourself to go by the woods.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. This was one of the handful of clearance books at the Scholastic Book Fair this year. I have learned my lesson and will not purchase any more of those. All of my kids love scary stories and both the cover of this and the concept were appealing, so I thought I would add it to their stack. While my kids agreed that they liked the cover, no one made it past the first few chapters. Trying it myself, I can see why.

First, the writing is dreadful. It's seriously dumbed down for the reluctant reader and it's all over the place. What could have been a neat story was garbage in execution.

The main character is just turning twelve and yet her friends buy her feminazi t-shirts and she refers to great poets as "old dead white men". Leftist propaganda and antiwhite racism has no place in children's books. No white Irish twelve year old girl thinks like this and it is ridiculous for the author to inject her politics and racism into the book. It's offensive and should not be tolerated. Scholastic, stop giving a platform to racists.

The Irish grandmother is also stereotypical and offensive, the nicknames vs her calling everyone by their full name is distracting and unnecessary. The plotline has a lot of holes and is written in a way that ignores modern technology until the end. It also isn't believable that Hannah lived there her whole life, but never explored the clearing with the graves, which ended up being a complete ripoff...etc etc. This book needed a good editor to clean it up, rewrite passages and streamline it. Editing seems to be a lost art.

The Scholastic Book Fair itself has become such a huge disappointment. As someone who volunteers regularly, I can say that kids really aren't interested in many of the titles at the middle grade level. When I was a kid, the books were awesome and many of them are still keepers in my collection. A book like this ends up in the recycling, because I wouldn't donate it because I wouldn't want someone else's kid reading it. I have been reading a lot of classic teen novels and middle grade recently and the biggest difference seems to be that in the past, no one assumed kids were dumb, yet snarky. The difference in quality and content is shocking. Children's publishing needs a complete overhaul and this book embodies everything wrong with what's being published.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Journeys are more important than destinations” means savouring every day of life; not that we should not go to México faster by air. I prefer to spend vacations onsite but our travels should be pleasurable. In stories, it has dawned on me that a good ride is a must. Happy conclusions do not make-up for a novel of ugliness, like jealousy. A paranormal mystery must above all, be moving and suspenseful in an eager way.

Rule number 1 of narrating: NEVER WRITE IN THE FIRST PERSON, PRESENT TENSE! I pulled a star for this. Oddball authors who make this blunder do not realize how and why it jars readers out of stories. WE ARE NOT THERE. Therefore, describing action in progress is annoying rather than artsy, or whatever they hope to achieve. Use past tense with any pronoun and it mirrors the protagonists themselves relating their story. First person just sounds wrong!

“The Secret Grave” was next docked a star, for focusing on a textbook clamouring family. Hannah was a vanilla middle child stereotype, often stuck babysitting a superfluous toddler. Parents existed to toss orders and disapproving frowns over their shoulders. I loved Grandma Flynn. She brought formidable emotions, meaning, and useful information. Her Son and his wife hid, so their visitor would houseclean.... in 2017!!!!

I like that Franny and Scooter witnessed some of Cady’s behaviour and cautioned Hannah about her demeanour. Their sports nut Brother was a stock character, more purposeless than toddler, Gracie. Lois Ruby used Scooter for asthma education.

Here are general critiques. Hannah fled a fire but forgot belongings she set down beside her? Grandma’s treasured souvenir got broken just after seeing it again? Did Lois consider titles that were not closing plot revelations? The house named “nightshade” was less essential than the introduction dramatised.

[Cheryl]

A reviewer says that the propaganda is unrealistic for a 12 yo to express, and that it's antiwhite racism. Wtf? Of course I can't judge for myself, but both propositions seem silly to me.
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halfway through and I have no idea what that reviewer is talking about...
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I am enjoying it as a fun genre adventure. It's got a lot of tropes like a lonely middle school child, middle in the family, sick sibling, mysterious new friend, secrets in the attic, etc.... but all are told refreshingly and with just enough twist to engage.
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I do look forward to the ending and to figuring out what that other reviewer was saying.
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The other reviewer misread a couple of minor things and hunted for other things to misinterpret. She's full of it.

The ending was original, creative. I really like this and if you like MG spooky stories I bet you will, too. Honestly, I normally don't love ghost stories, so I'm surprising myself by rounding up from 3.5 stars.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4th and 5th grade library patrons, especially the girls, are going to love this ghost story! While not as chilling as Mary Downing Hahn's works, readers will be just as drawn in to Hannah's story of a house called Nightshade, a new friend in the woods, and a haunted attic as they are to Wait Til Helen Comes, etc. The characters of Hannah, Cady, and Scooter are particularly well-developed and I look forward to promoting this well-written tale with my students. The only criticism from this librarian is that the cover illustration and even the title seem to emphasize the grave(s) more than the ghosts that are really the most important aspect of this book. (Review of digital ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline)

[Susan Bryson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than I thought. Decent for elementary ghost enthusiasts.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah's friends, Sarah and Luisa, are leaving for summer vacation; Hannah's sister is getting ready to leave for college and won't stop talking about how excited she is; and her best-brother, Scooter, is limited by asthma. Hannah is afraid that her summer is doomed until she meets a new friend in the forbidden woods near Moonlight Lake. Cady is an unusual girl, which Hanah decides is part of her charm, but Cady spills secrets and is rude to Hannah's family. She doesn't seem to have a last name or a home either. Hannah becomes even more suspicious when Cady survives a snack of poisonous berries and continually invites Hannah to swim with her at midnight in the lake. Hannah ventures to the far side of the water one afternnon and discovers a cemetery. A cemetery with the graves of several 12 year old girls (her age)--and one grave with the name of Cadence Standish. When Hannah's friends return, Cady invites them all for a midnight swim, but only Hannah takes the bate. Sarah and Luisa arrive just in time to rescue their friend from the watery clutches of Cady as she tries to pull Hannah under. Determined to solve the mystery of Cady, Hannah returns to the grave of Cadence Standish and makes peace with her paranormal pariah.

This is a nice shivery story, but lacks resolution of a few primary questions. Cady tells Hannah that she is not responsible for the death of any of the 12 year olds in the cemetery, but the reader never discovers what happened to them and why they are clustered together. All of their headstones say that they are burried in "effigy". Why aren't their bodies buried in their graves? It makes more sense that Cady is lying to Hannah about her involvement, especially after doing her best to drown innocent Hannah in the lake. There are two ghosts in the story, one in the attic named Vivienne and Cady by the lake. Neither ghost receives resolution although Hannah seems to have it in her power to bring them together and lay them both to rest. When Hannah decides to bff Cady in the final chapter, it feels awkward and flakey. The rest of the story is great. The mystery is spooky without being too over the top for twelve year olds and Hannah, her family, and her friends are good examples of love and caring. The overall message seems to be that pre-teens without their cronies are vulnerable to temptation--which may be true. It might be a good book for opening a discussion on the dilemmas of loneliness, the desire to fit in, and the importance of being able to say, "no". This is a good story for chills and thrills, just be prepared to answer some questions for yourself as not everything is resolved by the end.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s weird that we call the house by name like it’s the eighth member of our family…”Well kiddos let’s hotfoot it back to Nightshade”…An old house with a name that cool and creepy has to have ghosts right? I’m always listening for creaky footsteps in the dark and doors slamming in empty rooms and water gurgling through the pipes when everyone else is asleep. Ghostly signs. Not that I believe in ghosts..(Pg. 3)
A $2.00 Scholastic book fair find that struck me on my personal bookshelf as a quick spooky little read geared at younger grades…I just had to find out why it was discounted LOL, was it really that bad—eh you know I had to try it before shelving just because…
Alright so a family of five children, mother and father move into a new house in their neighborhood—an old sprawling house with character and a backyard full of woods and a pond that our narrator Hannah likes to explore—Hannah is the quintessential middle child who craves alone time and is extra upset when her two friends go away for the summer, her older sister starts preparing for college and she has no one to really hang out with except her closest youngest brother who suffers from allergies and asthma and doesn’t do the woods much..So Hannah is left to explore alone and meets a strange girl named Cady who appears out of thin air, wants to be friends and brings an element of adventure and drama the more they hang out..Cady has no parents, no house to speak of and seems jealous and mean around Hannah’s family as if she wants her all to herself—and even crazier she seems to be changing to be like Hannah more and more..

Cady picks up on the shivers in my voice, and her eyes go soft. “Don’t be scared Hannah. Nothing here would hurt you. Trust me.”
Uh-oh. Dad once warned me, “Those are dangerous words. There’s something untrustworthy about a person who has to remind you to trust in her.” (Pg. 109)

So predictably Hannah gets way too close to this mysterious girl and finds out yup she is a ghost and unfortunately the ending is where the book falls apart a little for me and is not as tight and suspenseful with the reveal and conclusion but still not the worst book I have read and hmm for two bucks I will put it on the shelf and even recommend..

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

This Hauntings Novel is a great option for young readers (recommended for 4th-6th grade, but I think could go up to 8th grade depending on the child) who are interested in novels that are a little spooky! Hannah is the middle child in her family and sometimes feels rather left out, not only by her family, but her friends. One day, a girl her age appears in the forest and there is something quite peculiar about her, and she becomes rather obsessed with Hannah.

The beginning of the book was rather slow in my opinion, as it took me a couple days to get through the first two chapters or so. This also could be because of the language that it is written in (pre-teen Hannah), so I think for kids, they will enjoy it from the beginning! After the first couple chapters, the story really took off and it only took me about 3 hours to finish the rest of the book! The characters are well developed and I could really visualize Hannah, her siblings, and Cady interacting with one another!

If you need recommendations for your child, or students, that are interested in mysteries, horror, or related topics, check this one out! I am looking forward to reading the rest of The Hauntings Novels as well.

[Becky Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8 year old daughter is severely dyslexic but loves being read to. Finding books that entertain us both: challenging. If I were to rate this as a 33 year old adult, I'd probably give it 3 stars for a few reasons: The ending seemed rushed and unfinished. There's a lot of plot holes--why did brooch change and why did the pearls on the brooch go missing shortly after finding Moira's pearls? How did Vivienne and Cady not meet sooner since Cady was in and out of the house. Why would they bury her alone on the far side of a lake--and how did Cady make gravestone effigies (and what 12 year old knows what an effigy is?!). Are there not gators in Georgia that they can just go swim in this lake? Isn't lakefront property valuable?! (I'm from MN, so maybe things are different down there?).

As long as you can overlook the glaring plot holes and unfinished story lines, this is a highly entertaining book. I guarantee I would have LOVED this book as a child, since I devoured paranormal stories (still do!). My daughter loved it--it was scary, but not TOO scary. The characters were relatable to her. So keeping in mind this is a children's book, and something I would likely have read and reread a dozen times as a kid, I rated it 5 stars. Especially since a children's book that leaves me excitedly wondering what's going to happen is a rarity!

[Gina Clabo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must be starting spookathon early because I feel like I have read so many ghost books lately and have lots more to read in Oct.. I enjoyed this creepy kids ghost book. It had all the feels for a fast read in the night time, kind of wish I had a ghost friend to hang with it would be so cool. Cady (the ghost) just wanted someone to be her friend until she found Hannah, with Hannah things did not seem as normal as she thought and from here I will leave you to go and read it, because it's just a very cute and fun ghost read. I would recommend to kids from 4th grade to adults. If you have a child that scares easy it's not for them until their older..Great Halloween read. Gina Clabo

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Hannah moves to a new place and she isn't allowed to wonder in the forest but she feels desperate to go explore it that is when Hannah meets Cady a girl who promises her everything she has been missing. Later in the book Cady starts copying everything Hannah does so they can be both alike, But the in the end Cady is a ghost.

I would recommend this book to my friend who really likes stories like this and would really enjoy reading this book I gave it 4 stars because I really liked it was ok but i didn't like it to the fullest.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah is the middle child in the Flynn family. Luisa and Sara, her two best friends, are each leaving for part of the summer. She feels so lonely; Hannah decides to go exploring in the woods behind her house even though she knows it is against the rules. She meets Cady, a girl wearing old-fashioned clothes with her blonde hair up in a bun.
Is this Summer going to be truly exciting or will this Summer turn out to be her last?

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lois Ruby came to my school and worked with students...I like her willingness to go dark places, and here's another example. Hannah and her large family live in a big house in Georgia...with a name, and a history.

The history involves a rickety balcony and two restless ghosts. Can Hannah help solve a century-old mystery? Before she becomes another secret grave?

[Tatum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now this book i didn't mind it was great ,but not my favorite.I kept guessing what was going to happen next like i do in every book. But boy did i guess wrong. I did think something was off about her at first ,but nothing like what happened. If you interested in books about horror and mystery then I definitly recommend this book to you its spooky its thrilling its just all around a good book.

[Joe Holman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little book to read. The characters are well developed and stay true to character throughout the book. There are some unexpected twists that are always fun to come across. It's a good hauntings book that I think gals will like more than guys. Like most books these days, it has some important lessons; here about friendship and listening to others.

[Shruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok....so i was around 12 when i read this book. My 12 year old self found it really amusing (i have no idea why :)) although, once when i tried to re-read it, it kinda got boring......i felt that there was a lot more insight into hannah's family and the plot was a bit..confusing ig...read only if ur utterly bored

[Carter Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Grave is a fun, quick read with some horror elements for younger and older audiences. The characters are likable and I wanted to know what was up with the house and the forest which surrounds it. Though some of the side story’s were a bit boring, the beginning is slow, and the ending is anticlimactic (in my opinion) this is definitely a book I recommend reading!

[Trudy Monk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is much like what I planned my first scary story in elementary school. I think you put it together better than I did. It includes good stereotypes but also a scary thought, that we may of thought about as children, or teenagers when we felt lonely. Or that we thought the internet friend we thought we made is actually just our imagination. They never really existed.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lois Ruby does it again! A full-bodied metaphys-tery that keeps you on your toes but includes Mrs. Ruby's ever-winking reassurance and humor. Each of her novels is a gift to us, and a gift to her family since a significant character is always named for one of Lois' significant loved ones.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked the book. Yes it was predictable but the story was exciting and I liked the characters. The book probably will not be as predictable to it's intended audience of fourth and fifth grade readers. I believe if they like ghost stories, they will enjoy this book.