The Ghost's Grave [Hardcover]

Peg Kehret (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

What Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with his eccentric great-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 adventure from a master of suspense.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. By turns comic and scary, Kehret's seventeenth novel is rooted in both the supernatural and the gritty reality of coal miners' lives in the first years of the last century. Hero-narrator Josh is sent to stay with a distant relative in Carbon City, Washington. From the moment he crosses the threshold of his aunt's old country house and witnesses her using a shotgun on a bat in the kitchen, he knows he has crossed into a life new and strange. With no TV, CDs, or DVDs, Josh occupies himself with a long bike ride into town, past a cemetery and a tree house said to be haunted. And haunted it is. Its ghost, the specter of an old coal miner who died in a disaster in 1903, has a mission for Josh; he wants the boy to dig up his leg, which was buried before the miner died, and reunite it with the rest of him. When Josh exhumes the limb, he discovers a buried box of cash. A bored kid in a dead-end town turns sleuth in this fun, fast-moving caper. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (August 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525461620
• ISBN-13: 978-0525461623
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #368,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've published 45 books; all but two are for children. I wrote magazine articles, short stories, and plays for many years before I discovered that what I like best is to write books for kids.
When I was twelve, I was paralyzed with polio. I made almost a full recovery but I remember that time of my life so clearly that it's easy for me to write from the viewpoint of a twelve or thirteen-year-old.
I'm always thrilled when one of my books wins a state young reader award, because I know those awards are voted on by children.
I am a widow who was married for 48 years. I have two grown children and four grandchildren. I live on a small wildlife sanctuary near Mt. Rainier National Park and I often have deer and elk in my yard.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Willie's Leg, November 22, 2005

By 

Tigers#1 (Versailles, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghost's Grave (Hardcover)

Summer had just begun when Josh moved to a new town. He thought he might join a summer baseball league to make some new friends. When he told his mom about it she had some bad news. Turns out, his step dad has to go to India for his job and his mom is going with him. Where is Josh going to stay? At his great aunts whom he's never met before. When he gets off the train he is greeted by an older lady with a beat up pick-up truck. Her house is gross and the first night wasn't too good considering his aunt shot a bat in the house. Things get better when he finds an old tree house in the woods behind his aunts house. Josh brought books out there and a bean bag to read. He left and when he returned to the tree house the books weren't where he left them. Suddenly a ghost pops into the window. The ghost wants to ask a favor of Josh. This ghost, Willie, wants Josh to dig up his leg and bury it with the rest of his body. Will Josh do it or will he run off and never go back again?
I loved this book! it was a total mystery and that is what I have always loved to read. I was done with this book in three days! That is a record for me. I usually don't get into reading, but this book was just great. I didn't have any dislikes. I liked the whole book.
I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries and it is a book that can be read by boys and girls.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Star, December 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Ghost's Grave (Hardcover)

When Josh's parents go to India for a new job, Josh goes to his aunt Ethel's house in Carbon City, Washington. When he gets there he finds a treehouse that he likes to read in. One day when he comes back he sees that his book was moved then he hears a deep voice. He meets a ghost named Willie who died when he was mining. Josh does a favor for Willie by burying his leg where his body is. When Josh is digging up Willies leg, he finds a metal box with money in it. Things get exciting when the owner of the money realizes the box is missing! I liked the book but it's not the best book I ever read but I have to say it is very interesting. It is interesting because you never know what will happen next and there are alot of problems happening at once.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mystery story, December 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Ghost's Grave (Hardcover)

A mystery story
The Ghost Grave by Peg Kehret is about a boy named Josh who goes to his aunt's because his stepdad has to go to work. At his aunt Ethel's House he finds a tree house and in the tree house is a ghost named Willie who died in a mining accident. Josh and Willie become friends. Later in the book, Josh is digging in the grave yard because Willie wants his leg bones burried with the rest of his body. Josh finds a metal box that has money in it. There is a robber who tries to steal the money. You should read this book to find out if the robber gets arrested or gets the money. I like this book because it is a mystery story. if you read this story you won't want to stop reading it.