Aunt Matilda's Ghost (A Silver Dagger Mystery, Young Reader's Edition) [Hardcover]

Mignon Franklin Ballard (Author)

Book Description

People in the small college town of King's Creek had always said the grand old Southern manor on Walnut Hill was haunted. Tomboy Peggy Patrick and her family move into the house and soon find out that not only is the ghost real, but it's their Great-Aunt Matilda!

With their friends and a flop-eared dog as conspirators, Peggy and her brother set out to clear the name of Aunt Matilda's long-dead fiance, Calvin, wrongly accused of suicide. What follows is a deliciously creepy, often hilarious, rousing good mystery as the Walnut Hill gang plunges deeper into the fascinating past of Aunt Matilda.

Along the way they discover an amazing fact: the first electric light may have been invented in 1857--when Thomas Edison was still a little boy--by their great-great-great-grandfather (in real life, Dr. Alexander Means of old Emory College at Oxford, Georgia).

The location of the lost invention, the secret of the missing diary, and the truth behind Calvin's death are just some of the many mysteries of Aunt Matilda's Ghost.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...enough ghostliness to attract middle-grade sleuths, and the mystery is attention-holding. -- Booklist, November 1978

A most engaging, sprightly, and occasionally creepy mystery/comedy which ought to hold the attention of readers in the 9-14 age bracket. -- The Columbia State

An old Southern house, a ghost, a mystery. Mignon Ballard has happily mixed these ingredients with believable, loveable characters, -- The Charlotte Observer, Bill Hart

This is a thoroughly enjoyable mystery with the various strands tied up into a satisfying whole -- The Atlanta Constitution, Kemie Nix --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

I was born and raised in Calhoun, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism.

For my first book, "Aunt Matilda's Ghost", a novel for children, I received the Excellence in Writing Award at the Winthrop College (now University) Writer's Conference for the best published book in that category by a South Carolina writer.

"Raven Rock", a mystery for adult readers, published by Dodd Mead in 1986, was followed by "Cry At Dusk" in 1987. Carroll and Graf brought out "Deadly Promise", a Christmas mystery, in 1989. All were published in England and were selections of several book clubs. Two were also published in paperback.

A fourth novel of suspense, "The Widow's Woods", was published by Carroll & Graf in 1991, followed by "Final Curtain" in 1992, and "Minerva Cries Murder" in 1993. "Angel At Troublesome Creek", the first in a mystery series featuring Augusta Goodnight, guardian angel "temp," was published in hard cover November 1999 from St. Martin's Minotaur. This will be followed by "An Angel To Die For".

A short story, "Waiting For Pixie", was included in a mystery anthology, "Malice IV", and I have published short fiction in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mary Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine, and others.

I live with my husband, Gene, in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and we have two grown daughters and five grandchildren.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Overmountain Press (March 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570721165
• ISBN-13: 978-1570721168
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,310,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Mystery For Young Readers, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Aunt Matilda's Ghost (A Silver Dagger Mystery, Young Reader's Edition) (Hardcover)

"Aunt Matilda's Ghost" is a wonderfully supernatural, and gentle, mystery for young readers. Out of print for many years, this yarn about a spritely spirit should please not only children, but adults as well.