The Ghost of Fossil Glen (Paperback)

~ Cynthia Defelice (Author) "Allie Nichols clung to the side of the steep cliff, trying to calm her racing heart and think..." (more)
Key Phrases: Fossil Glen, Raymond Gagney, Lucy Stiles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-An imaginative and adventurous sixth grader makes a connection with the ghost of the victim of an unsolved murder and puts her own life in jeopardy to find the killer. Strange events begin when a calm, unknown voice prevents Allie from panicking and falling from a dangerous cliff while fossil hunting. Then, an old journal mysteriously appears in her mailbox. Allie often feels a presence nearby and dreams of a girl falling from the cliff. She then discovers the grave marker of an 11-year-old girl who was missing and presumed dead in 1994. Because of her reputation for telling stories, Allie cannot convince anyone to believe her except her longtime friend and fellow fossil hunter, Dub. Driven to pursue the mystery, Allie finds an old diary that provides her with facts about the girl's death. Foolishly, she reveals what she knows and endangers her own life. Tension builds throughout the story. A contemporary murder and ghost make the threat immediate and the danger real. Allie is a compelling and well-drawn character. She is determined and unsure of herself, foolish, impetuous, and brave. The dynamics of adolescent relationships add depth to the story. Fans of ghost stories by Betty Ren Wright and Mary Downing Hahn will find this excellent book difficult to put down.
Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. A tense opening scene draws children right into this beautifully crafted thriller: Allie Nichols hangs by a thread on the side of a steep cliff in Fossil Glen. Readers have nothing to worry about, though, because Allie is guided safely down by a reassuring voice belonging to the ghost of a young girl who died in the glen four years earlier. It seems Allie has been chosen to avenge the girl's murder, which was made to look like an accident by a greedy real-estate developer, the boyfriend of the girl's mother. As she did in her historical novel The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker (1996), DeFelice does a splendid job of unfolding the complicated plot, dispensing information in just the right amounts, and making connections. Very little time is given to characters and events that don't advance the story, resulting in an expertly paced, dynamic page-turner that never gives readers the chance to become distracted or lose interest. It's another fine title from a fine author. Lauren Peterson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperTrophy (October 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380731754
• ISBN-13: 978-0380731756
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #618,812 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book - for older kids, August 31, 2001

By A Customer

I read this because it was the book my son selected from the 6th grade reading list. It was an excellent book - successfully combining elements of 6th grade life with an extraordinary unusual experience. However I think maybe 5th grade is about the youngest I would recommend it for. The way the ghost had met her end and the subsequent threat to the story's heroine are disturbing. I liked the way the story dealt with the 'friends', the Machiavellian life of the average 6th / 7th grader - but without making this the main focus of the story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost of Fossil Glen, November 16, 2000

By	DENNIS RHOADS (GROTON, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghost of Fossil Glen (Ghost Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This was an awesome book by Cynthia Defelice. Our class thought this was an exciting book and it was as if Allie was on a mission.We could picture the setting in our heads, since we live near Glen's very similar to that one in the book. We did not want to stop reading as we went along.We recommend this book to everyone because we liked it. Cynthia Defelice kept us in suspense.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barbara's Review, January 13, 2006

A Kid's Review

I liked the book. It was exciting and you never know what's going to happen next.
Allie Nichols is eleven and is in the sixth grade. She is stuck on a ledge about 100ft. up. She hears a soothing voice and trusts it right away, and lets herself slide. She only has a few cuts and her hands were raw. She tells Karen and Pam about the voice but they think she's a liar. Her friend Dub listens intently with great interest. She hears the voice more and in one of her dreams she witnesses the first part of Lucy's death. Lucy is the ghost that is haunting her. She had died four years previously. Later she finds Lucy's diary in her new desk that once belonged to Lucy. That's when she finds out about Gag-me. (Raymond Gagne) She thinks that he had murdered Lucy. Did he really murder Lucy or was her death really an accident?
The type of person who would like this book is some one who likes mysteries, ghost stories, or both. It's a really good book.