The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed [Paperback]

Bruce Coville (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When sixth grader Nina Tanleven starts working at an antiques shop, she never expects to stumble onto a mystery -- or into danger. But that's exactly what happens when she and her best friend, Chris, go to pick up an antique wardrobe at old Miss Watson's. From the moment the girls set foot in the run-down mansion, they sense that it's haunted -- even before they discover the tower room with its big brass bed and grieving little girl ghost!

But the tower romm isn't the only place holding secrets. In the parlor there's a gruesome painting, which seems to have a terrible hold over Nina. Could there be a connection between it and the ghostly child crying upstairs? As Nina and Chris begin investigating, a second ghost puts in an eerie appearance. The girls realize this could be the biggest ghost-busting adventure of their lives -- if they survive!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- The ghost of a little girl waiting for her father, the father's ghost looking for his daughter, a lost painting, and a house full of antiques add up to a mystery. Ghost specialists Nina Tanleven and Chris Gurley really hadn't planned on getting involved in any more hauntings, but they can't say no when the father and daughter appeal to them for help. The two girls are resourceful and courageous while trying to unravel the secrets. Antagonists are well developed, and readers will enjoy trying to figure out the real villain's identity. Descriptive details add to the suspense. Especially powerful are the paintings that seem to come to life with an unnatural force. This is a page turner that will keep mystery buffs reading to the frightening climax and satisfactory conclusion. --Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

When sixth grader Nina Tanleven starts working at an antiques shop, she never expects to stumble onto a mystery -- or into danger. But that's exactly what happens when she and her best friend, Chris, go to pick up an antique wardrobe at old Miss Watson's. From the moment the girls set foot in the run-down mansion, they sense that it's haunted -- even before they discover the tower room with its big brass bed and grieving little girl ghost!

But the tower romm isn't the only place holding secrets. In the parlor there's a gruesome painting, which seems to have a terrible hold over Nina. Could there be a connection between it and the ghostly child crying upstairs? As Nina and Chris begin investigating, a second ghost puts in an eerie appearance. The girls realize this could be the biggest ghost-busting adventure of their lives -- if they survive!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553158279
• ISBN-13: 978-0553158274
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce Coville was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1950. His family lived in farm territory, about twenty miles north of Syracuse. Bruce grew up around the corner from his grandparents' dairy farm, where he spent a great deal of time as a child, dodging cows and chores to the best of his ability. As a young reader he loved Mary Poppins and Dr. Dolittle, and still has fond memories of rising ahead of the rest of his family so he could huddle in a chair and read THE VOYAGES OF DR. DOLITTLE. He also read lots of things that people consider junk (Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and zillions of comic books). His only real regret is the time he spent watching television, when he could have been reading instead. (A mind is a terrible thing to waste!)

His first book, THE FOOLISH GIANT, was published in 1978. It was illustrated by his wife, Katherine, whom he had married in 1969. This was followed in 1979 by SARAH'S UNICORN, also illustrated by Katherine. After a long period of working separately, the Covilles began collaborating again with SPACE BRAT and GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE, both published in 1992.

Before getting published Bruce earned his living as a toymaker, a gravedigger, a cookware salesman, an assembly line worker, and finally as an elementary school teacher (second and fourth grades). He left teaching in 1981 to devote himself to becoming a full time writer - though it took another five years to achieve that goal!)

Bruce has published nearly 100 books, which have appeared in over a dozen countries around the world and sold more than sixteen million copies. Among his most popular titles are MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN, INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS, and THE MONSTER'S RING. In 2001 he founded Full Cast Audio, an audiobook company dedicated to creating unabridged, full cast recordings of the best in children's and young adult literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!, December 10, 1999

By 

Ashley (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed (Paperback)

The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed is a great book by Bruce Coville. In this book, Nina and her friend Chris are risking their lives to figure out a mystery, onw they are sure of is that they are going to figure out. They only thing they focus on is the Ghost in Pheobe Waston's house. It all begins when Nina starts to work at an antigue store on Saturdays. Her and on of her co-workers go to pick up on antique from Pheobe's house and as soon as Nina walks in to the house, she knoows it is haunted. That's how it all begins and to findout teh exciting events that take place later in teh story, just read the book. THe book level is probably more for middle school students. It is a great bool for girls and boys. They will love it. It was so interesting to read that even my mom read it. Read this woderful book and gelp Chris and Nina find the Lost Masterpiece. There is nothing you won't like about this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes!, April 2, 2011

By 

Karen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed (Paperback)

I read this book when I was in 5th grade. I completely forgot the name of it, and most of the plot, but it was one of those books that had moments that have stayed with me for years. I'm happy that I finally remembered the name of it.

This is a great kid's story. I have read lots of books in my life (I've been a big reader ever since I learned how), and when a book like this sticks with you for this long, you know it's a good one. This one tugged at my fifth-grade-heartstrings at the end.

If you have a kid (especially a girl) who likes some suspense and one or two chills, this is a great one. It's not scary, but it does have thrills, and I remember having a LOT of fun reading it. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone over 11 or under 7, though, because it's very definitely for grade school kids.

5.0 out of 5 stars "Daddy, When Are You Coming Home?", September 11, 2011

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed (Hardcover)

The third, final and best installment in Bruce Coville's ghostly trilogy is "The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed", following on from The Ghost In the Third Row and The Ghost Wore Gray, each one centered on two girls' experiences with haunted houses and the ghosts therein. Nina Tanleven has just started a part-time job at an antiques store when she's introduced to the elderly Phoebe Watson. The daughter of a famous artist, she's being forced to systematically sell the old furniture in her house in order to pay off debts.

Nina and her friend Chris Gurney strike up a friendship with Phoebe, and having built-up a sensitivity to ghosts in the previous books, know before even setting foot in Phoebe's house that there's a ghost inside. In fact, there are plenty of mysteries within the old house. Not only does a gruesome painting in the parlor have a terrible effect over Nina, but the two girls also witness the ghost of a little girl weeping in the brass bed upstairs. How are the two connected? The girls begin their investigation, researching the tragic life of Phoebe's father, the famous painter Cornelius Fletcher and the rumors of his Lost Masterpiece that could save Phoebe from financial ruination.

I hadn't read this book since I was ten years old, and I returned to it over a decade later with some hesitation, afraid that it would not live up to my memory of it as a nail-biting ghost story that I read in bed until way past the time I was meant to be asleep. Of course, nothing is ever the way you remember as a child, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that "The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed" holds up incredibly well. The story itself is complex without being confusing, and the pieces of the ghost story are gradually revealed out so that the reader has a chance of solving the mystery along with Nina and Chris, with plenty of clues and red herrings along the way. This is a surprisingly thick book for its reading audience, but Coville masterfully paces the suspense.

As always, the real danger lies not with the ghosts themselves, but with the living. However, for the first time the ghosts are not wholly benevolent (as the ghosts in the previous books were) but rather intimidating and scary. It means that this is a much more chilling tale than its predecessors, and its resolution all the more satisfying. Although Chris is a little sidelined owing to the circumstances of the plot, Nina takes center-stage with her breezy first-person narration in order to lead the story to its rather ingenious outcome. Coville has written a rewarding and poignant ghost story that even manages to inject some WWI history into the plot, and which is immensely re-readable - even all these years later!