The novel takes place in 1961, when thomas small, a yearold african american boy, moves with his family into a house that was once. Soon they begin to suspect that the ghosts of slaves who passed through there are haunting the house. Drear and how he used our new house f the underground railroad. When he had the nightmare about the giant trees and the man with white hair and red eyes, thomas was a in a camping tent, b riding in his fathers car. A young black man and his family move into a home in rural ohio, and discover that during the civil war it was used by a dutch immigrant to smuggle runaway slaves to freedom.
She is the first author to receive the newbery medal. A plus literature guides teaching resources teachers. Its effectively a story about fatherson relationships, smartly wrapped within a ghost story, as yearold. Virginia hamilton a black family of five moves into an enormous house once used as a hiding place for runaway slaves. Pluto have come a long way toward mending their relationship. Small couldnt stand it anymore when he kept on telling his son. Analyze each simile by telling what two things are being compared and how they are alike. Hundreds of runaway slaves found shelter in the secret rooms and hidden tunnels of drear s house, for many years now, the longsince deserted house has been tended to by mr. Thomas small is in a pine forest running from a scary man with a white beard. Thomas small is saddened to leave his hometown for the new house in ohio, but he is excited about the history that surrounds the new house. Set in ohio, the story follows thomas small as he and his family move into an old house that had previously been part of the underground railroad.
The darrows have been stopped from antagonizing the skinners and the smalls, and mayhew and mr. The house has a past, and when thomas discovers a hidden passageway that may have been part of the underground railroad, the family realizes the house has a history as well. The many mentions of my familiar made it extra special and it made me picture possible houses for this location. Childrens, classics, fiction, historical, historical fiction, middle grade, mystery, young adult. After the skinners, the smalls, and pesty frighten the darrows out of their wits, a couple of important things happen.
But thomas smalls father, a civil war history professor, doesnt believe the legends and buys the house. Mysterious sounds and events as well as the discovery of secret passageways make the family believe. Thomas small, the oldest son, was in the car dreaming. From 1810 to 1850, the house was a station on the underground railroad, a series of hiding places along a route that led from the united states to canada. Virginia hamilton a black family of five moves into an enormous house once used as a hiding place for.
Ohio was a key state in the latter operation, some 40,000 escaping slaves passing through or settling there. Travelling in a car, the small family was going on a trip to their new home. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones. The house held secrets, thomas knew, even before he first saw it looming gray and massive on its ledge of rock. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and.
Columbus city schools this is an older resource which can. It was published by macmillan in 1968 with illustrations by eros keith. Local legend claims that the ghosts of the three dead men still haunt. Thomas did not wake in time to see the ohio riverwhat was visible looked much like a thick mud path, as the sedan crossed over it at huntington. The house thomas and his family are to live in was once an important stop on the infamous underground railroad before the civil war. A teenager and his family must uncover the haunting historical legacy of their civil warera house. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. After researching the events and the life of a family member through interviews and informational resources, write a narrative that describes an event in that persons life when heshe had experienced conflict. Delaware county district library ohio scanned in china. The novel received the 1969 edgar award for best juvenile mystery. Original title isbn 97814532780 published on 196811 in edition language. The house is known to help the slaves in the underground railroad.
Vocabulary development chapter questions and answers grammar activities story element. Thank you virginia hamilton for another wonderful book that touches on american history. What was the name of the network that helped escaped slaves going north in chapter 1. Lesson plan from scholastic created by scholastic view. This set of lesson plans consists of approximately 112 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other teaching materials. When he wakes up he realizes hes in a car with his parents and his toddler twin brothers, billy and buster.