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{{Short description|Children's mystery novel by Virginia Hamilton}}
{{Copyedit|date=April 2008}}
{{Infobox book
'''''The House of Dies Drear''''' is a [[novel]] by [[Virginia Hamilton]]. It is the story of 13-year-old Thomas, a modern black boy who moves into a [[house]] that was once part of the [[Underground Railroad]]. His father, Mr. Small, tells Thomas that the caretaker of the house is Mr. Pluto. When they actually live in the house, strange and scary things begin to happen. They meet a malicious family next to them, the Darrows. In the end, they learn that the Darrows are doing the sinister things so they could scare away the Smalls and get the [[treasure]] under the [[house]].
| name = The House Of Dies Drear
The [[story]] takes place during [[1961]], where Thomas Small moves from his great-grandmother's home to a house with many [[secret]]s.


| image = File:The House of Dies Drear (Virginia Hamilton novel) cover.jpg
== Darrows, Mr. Pluto, Mayhew,and the Small Family, and Pesty ==
| caption = First edition
=== The Smalls ===
| author = [[Virginia Hamilton]]
The Smalls are an [[african american]] [[family]] that has moved from South Carolina]] to [[the north]], . The family consists of Mr. Small, who is going to take a job in Ohio at the [[college]], his wife Mrs. Small, and their three sons, Thomas, Billy and Buster. The family feels that the House of Dies Drear is a bit strange, but better than the [[racist]] [[community]] from where they came from.
| illustrator = Eros Keith
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| series = Dies Drear
| genre = Children's mystery fiction
| publisher = Macmillan Publishers
| pub_date = 1968
| media_type = Print (hardcover & paperback)
| pages = 279 pp <!-- LCC, WorldCat -->
| awards = Edgar Award
| isbn = <!-- none for first edition; specify later edition -->
| congress = PZ7.H1828 Ho<ref name=LCC>
{{cite book|url=http://lccn.loc.gov/68023059 |title=The House of Dies Drear|year=1968|publisher=Macmillan|lccn=68023059 |access-date= 2013-02-11}}</ref>
| preceded_by =
| followed_by = The Mystery of Drear House
}}
'''''The House of Dies Drear''''' is a children's mystery novel by [[Virginia Hamilton]], with sinister goings-on in a reputedly haunted house. It was published by [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] in 1968 with illustrations by Eros Keith. The novel received the 1969 [[List of Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile winners|Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery]].<ref>{{cite web|website=The Edgars Database|url=http://theedgars.com/awards/|title=Awards|access-date=2015-03-27|archive-date=2020-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408102446/http://theedgars.com/awards/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The House of Dies Drear'' is the first book in the Dies Drear Chronicles; the second is ''[[The Mystery of Drear House]]'' (1987).<ref>{{cite book|author=Hamilton, Virginia| date=1987| publisher=Scholastic| title=The Mystery of Drear House|url= https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/225729.The_Mystery_of_Drear_House}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Hamilton, Virginia| title=The Dies Drear Chronicles|url= https://www.goodreads.com/series/72915-dies-drear-chronicles|publisher=Goodreads}}</ref>


==Setting==
The main character, Thomas, is 13 and interested in things that frighten him. He also likes whittling. Thomas makes wood carvings. He also likes to explore. Thomas, the elder son, first believes the old legend about the old house and is scared of what might happen. Thomas was quiet and he was very brave. He wanted to solve the mystery of the house but was worried about others attacking him.
The story is set in Ohio, in 1968.


=== Mr. Pluto ===
==Summary==
Thomas Small is a 13-year-old African American boy, who has moved with his family from North Carolina to Ohio. His father is a history professor who has leased the historic home of the [[abolitionist]] Dies Drear. The house has been mostly empty for years, and is riddled with hidden passageways that were used to hide escaping slaves on the [[Underground Railroad]]. An elderly caretaker, named Mr. Pluto, lives in a cave on the property, which he has converted into a home. There are rumors that the house is haunted by the ghosts of two escaped slaves who were captured and killed, and by the ghost of Dies Drear himself.
Pluto, or Henry Skinner, is the caretaker of the House of Dies Drear, and a mysterious man indeed. When the Small family moved in they accused Mr. Pluto of arranging their furniture, which he did do. The Small family also accused Mr. Pluto of ransacking their kitchen, but it turns out to be none other than some unruly "neighbors" called the Darrow boys. He also likes to scare people off his land because of the Darrow boys who try to hurt him.


After many strange happenings in the house, Thomas and his father find a secret passage leading to a cavern full of historic artwork, tapestries, glasswork, ledgers, and carvings. The Smalls' neighbors, the Darrows, have been looking for this collection for years. Mr. Pluto and Mr. Darrow's father were both descendants of escaped slaves who had passed through Dies Drear's house and later returned. Mr. Pluto feared that the Smalls would be like the Darrows and pose a threat to the historic artifacts in the cavern, but he now sees that Mr. Small has a great appreciation for history and can be trusted with the secret.
Pluto has a son named Mayhew Skinner.


After the Darrows are driven off, Mr. Small helps Mr. Pluto catalog the artifacts in the cavern. They agree to keep the secret, at least until the cataloging is done and the collection is ready to show to the [[historical society]]. Thomas looks forward to starting school and making friends, possibly including young Mac Darrow.
=== The Darrows ===

The Darrows have had a feud with Pluto since Grandpa Darrow's time. Mr. Pluto and the Darrow's grandpa were once friends when they were little children. They are trying to find the [[treasure]] (hidden in a cavern underneath the hill behind Dies Drear's house) that Pluto is hiding from them. One of the youngest Darrow children, oros, wishes to make a friend out of Thomas, but is [[punish]]ed for attempting to do so. The Darrow boys were responsible for ransacking the Smalls' kitchen when the Small family wasn't at home. They also found a little girl named Pesty who helped scare the Darrows at the end of the book.
==Subjects==
[[Library of Congress Subject Headings]] for ''The House of Dies Drear'' are: African Americans, Mystery and detective stories, Underground Railroad, and Ohio-History.<ref name=LCC/>

==Television adaptation==
The film was adapted into the 1984 television film ''The House of Dies Drear'' directed by [[Allan A. Goldstein]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264696/reference|title = The House of Dies Drear (TV Movie 1984) - IMDb| website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Children's literature|United States}}
*[[National Underground Railroad Freedom Center]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{worldcat|oclc=34329271}}

{{Virginia Hamilton}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Dies Drear}}
[[Category:1968 American novels]]
[[Category:1968 children's books]]
[[Category:American children's novels]]
[[Category:American mystery novels]]
[[Category:Children's mystery novels]]
[[Category:Edgar Award–winning works]]
[[Category:Novels set in Ohio]]
[[Category:Works about the Underground Railroad]]
[[Category:Literature by African-American women]]
[[Category:African-American novels]]
[[Category:Children's books set in Ohio]]
[[Category:Children's books set in the 1960s]]

Latest revision as of 04:31, 13 November 2024

The House Of Dies Drear
First edition
AuthorVirginia Hamilton
IllustratorEros Keith
LanguageEnglish
SeriesDies Drear
GenreChildren's mystery fiction
PublisherMacmillan Publishers
Publication date
1968
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover & paperback)
Pages279 pp
AwardsEdgar Award
LC ClassPZ7.H1828 Ho[1]
Followed byThe Mystery of Drear House 

The House of Dies Drear is a children's mystery novel by Virginia Hamilton, with sinister goings-on in a reputedly haunted house. It was published by Macmillan in 1968 with illustrations by Eros Keith. The novel received the 1969 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery.[2] The House of Dies Drear is the first book in the Dies Drear Chronicles; the second is The Mystery of Drear House (1987).[3][4]

Setting

[edit]

The story is set in Ohio, in 1968.

Summary

[edit]

Thomas Small is a 13-year-old African American boy, who has moved with his family from North Carolina to Ohio. His father is a history professor who has leased the historic home of the abolitionist Dies Drear. The house has been mostly empty for years, and is riddled with hidden passageways that were used to hide escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. An elderly caretaker, named Mr. Pluto, lives in a cave on the property, which he has converted into a home. There are rumors that the house is haunted by the ghosts of two escaped slaves who were captured and killed, and by the ghost of Dies Drear himself.

After many strange happenings in the house, Thomas and his father find a secret passage leading to a cavern full of historic artwork, tapestries, glasswork, ledgers, and carvings. The Smalls' neighbors, the Darrows, have been looking for this collection for years. Mr. Pluto and Mr. Darrow's father were both descendants of escaped slaves who had passed through Dies Drear's house and later returned. Mr. Pluto feared that the Smalls would be like the Darrows and pose a threat to the historic artifacts in the cavern, but he now sees that Mr. Small has a great appreciation for history and can be trusted with the secret.

After the Darrows are driven off, Mr. Small helps Mr. Pluto catalog the artifacts in the cavern. They agree to keep the secret, at least until the cataloging is done and the collection is ready to show to the historical society. Thomas looks forward to starting school and making friends, possibly including young Mac Darrow.

Subjects

[edit]

Library of Congress Subject Headings for The House of Dies Drear are: African Americans, Mystery and detective stories, Underground Railroad, and Ohio-History.[1]

Television adaptation

[edit]

The film was adapted into the 1984 television film The House of Dies Drear directed by Allan A. Goldstein.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b The House of Dies Drear. Macmillan. 1968. LCCN 68023059. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  2. ^ "Awards". The Edgars Database. Archived from the original on 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  3. ^ Hamilton, Virginia (1987). The Mystery of Drear House. Scholastic.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Virginia. The Dies Drear Chronicles. Goodreads.
  5. ^ "The House of Dies Drear (TV Movie 1984) - IMDb". IMDb.
[edit]
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