The Secret of Van Rink's Cellar

by Beverly Haskell Lee

While searching for the ghost that haunts the house in which their mother is a maid and dressmaker for an English officer's wife, Sarah and Stephen become secretly involved in the Revolutionary War effort.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical

174 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was in elementary school and remembered really liking it so I went back and re-read it. I really enjoyed it and it was really nostalgic for me

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during the American Revolution, this tale of secrets and spies should appeal to middle grade readers. It did a good job of holding my attention.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Balch works alongside her mother and brother serving a wealthy English woman, Lady Deborah, and her household. Sarah's brother Stephen is allowed to attend school, but Sarah can already read and so her education is declared complete. Her mother loyally sews and cleans while Sarah assists the housekeeper Mrs. Morgan and reads to Lady Deborah when requested. Soon Sarah starts to suspect everything is not as it seems, though, when Sarah learns of the ghost rumored to reside in their employer's cellar, and even more so when her and Stephen encounter the ghost in their investigation of the myth. Sarah lives in dangerous times - she feels as though she is an American, such as it were in the time of the Revolutionary War, but she serves a Tory, loyal to the King of England. All around her Sarah begins to realize nothing is quite the way she thinks it is, and Sarah longs to help with the cause... even as General George Washington and his men fight for the new country's right to independence.

This was a brilliant grade school book that pulled kids in the 4th through 7th grade into the story, based on the ages of Sarah and Stephen and their involvement in the revolution. I read it while I was in elementary school, and it holds up today. The children were smart and scrappy, The idea of the Revolutionary War and the dangers that citizens were in regardless of side during that time was articulated in a way that was easy for children to understand but still accurately depicted the situation. Bravery comes to people of all ages, as does cowardice, and this is a great example for children on how true that is while teaching them about the war and struggles during that era.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old favorite from my childhood! I even remember doing a Diorama in fifth grade for this book. I read it several times until I lost it in the move out of the house after graduation. If I ever have a child, this would be on the bookshelf for them.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because my middle school crush told me that she liked it. I don't even remember the plot anymore, but I remember really liking this book.

[wanderer · Rating 3 out of 5]

My students liked it, and it was a fun way to learn about history.