The Ghost's Grave

by Peg Kehret Narrated by Charles Carroll

Overview

What Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric aunt, turns chilling when he meets the ghost of a coal miner killed in a mine explosion. Willie has been waiting years for some kind soul to dig up his leg and rebury it with the rest of him-only then will he be at peace. Josh agrees to do the grisly deed, but when he digs in the old cemetery, he finds more than Willie's leg bones. Who buried the box of cash in the grave, and why? How far will that person go to get the money back?

The Ghost's Grave is a deliciously spooky and masterfully suspenseful adventure from Peg Kehret.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Josh, 12, is furious at his mom and step-dad, who are spending their summer in India while he is trapped in Carbon City, WA. Aunt Ethel is very peculiar-she serves dinner for breakfast and thinks the peacock living on the porch is her dead sister. Josh's luck turns when he discovers a tree house and a stray cat with kittens nearby. He also meets a ghost named Willie, who shares the tragic story of his death and convinces Josh to dig up his leg bones and reunite them with the rest of his body. When Josh stumbles upon a metal box full of money buried with Willie's leg, he heads home with the cash, planning to tell Ethel and to call the police. But she breaks her ankle and is rushed to the hospital before he gets the chance. Later that night, the owner of the cash tracks down Josh and demands it back at gunpoint. Willie, the peacock, and a quick-thinking neighbor come to Josh's aid and foil the thief. This fast-paced and engaging book should be a hit with fans of ghost stories. Josh is a rich character to whom readers can relate and they will cheer him on as he searches for the truth.-Alison Grant, West Bloomfield Township Public Library, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Twelve-year-old Josh expected his summer with an elderly relative in Carbon City, Wash. to be utterly boring. However, his aunt turns out to be amusingly eccentric, and a secluded tree house in the woods is a perfect place to read and watch deer. There he encounters the ghost of a one-legged coal miner, Willy Martin. Willie asks him to dig up his lost leg and bury it with the rest of his body. Surprisingly, Josh agrees, but he finds more than just leg bones; the man who stole the money the town had raised for an animal shelter had hidden it in the leg's uncared-for grave. Josh's first-person narrative literally opens with a bang, as Aunt Ethel shoots a bat in her kitchen his first night there. The action moves quickly to the suspenseful moment when the robber, seeking to retrieve his treasure, threatens Josh at gunpoint. A subplot involving taming an abandoned cat may add interest for animal lovers. Easy to booktalk, this is a solidly plotted ghost story for middle-grade readers. (Fiction. 9-12)

School Library Journal - Audio

Gr 5–8—Josh is forced to live with his stepfather's elderly aunt for the summer while his parents are in India. Aunt Ethel is eccentric, living in an old house far from town where she believes that her dead sister has been reincarnated into a peacock. But Josh also finds her somewhat endearing when she serves spaghetti for breakfast and he learns that she's an excellent baker. Meeting the ghost of a dead miner adds interest to Josh's life as does the miner's request to bury a leg he lost with the rest of his body. This mission puts Josh in danger when he discovers some money that was stolen years ago and the thief returns for it. Peg Kehret's tale (Dutton, 2005) is slow to evolve and Josh's confrontation with the thief is not particularly terrorizing. Charles Carroll never varies the pitch or tone of Josh's voice, even when he should be feeling panic or fear. This makes Josh sound earnest but too mellow at times when he should be scared or desperate.—Edith Ching, University of Maryland, College Park

JUNE 2012 - AudioFile

When Josh arrives at Aunt Ethel’s house, he’s still stinging from having been forced to leave his spot on the baseball team to spend the summer with a distant relative he’s never met. Charles Carroll captures Josh’s kind heart in his narration as Josh’s irritation melts into fondness for Aunt Ethel, concern for a stray cat, and interest in the plight of a friendly ghost named Willie. Carroll’s performance buoys this fast-paced and not-at-all-scary mystery, and Kehret does a masterful job of weaving in details about Washington state history, rural life, caring for pets, and how to treat the elderly. A winner for mystery fans and family listening. A.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169634594
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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