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The Secret of Laurel Oaks

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The Secret of Laurel Oaks

Paperback

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Paperback
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Overview

When Lila and her family visit Laurel Oaks Plantation in Louisiana, her parents and brother scoff at the claim that the house is haunted. But secretly, Lila suspects there are ghostly presences willing to communicate with her, and her alone. One spirit eager to tell her story is Daphne, a slave girl at Laurel Oaks in the 1840s, who was blamed for the poisoning deaths of two girls and their mother. Daphne's spirit senses that Lila is the very person she's been waiting for, the one who can prove her innocence so her spirit can rest at long last. Shifting back and forth from Lila's world in the present to Daphne's world in the past, the true story of what really happened that fateful night finally comes to light.

Laurel Oaks is a thinly disguised version of the legendary Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana, which is on the Smithsonian's list of the ten most haunted places in America. This novel was inspired by the author's visit to the plantation and her experiences there.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250163974
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/29/2009
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	918,041
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Lois Ruby is a versatile and accomplished novelist who has written books for middle-graders and young adults. Among the many awards she has won are: ALA Best Book for Young Adults and New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age for Arriving at a Place You've Never Left (1977); ALA Best Book for Young Adults, New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age for Miriam's Well (1994); Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies and the IRA Young Adult Choice selection for Steal Away Home (1995). A former young adult librarian, Ms. Ruby now spend most of her time writing and leading creative-writing workshops. She and her husband live in Albuquerque, NM, and are the parents of three grown sons.

Read an Excerpt

Welcome to Laurel Oaks Plantation.

I’m frightfully glad you’re here.

· Do not attempt to enter the General Cambridge Suite at the far end of the gallery.

· The golden key opens the door at the bottom of the steep staircase leading to the dark belly of the house. BEWARE THE TWELFTH STEP.

· Keys wait in the doors of your rooms at the top of the stairs. The Eberly room is on your right; the Brookes and Gladstone rooms are on your left. Choose wisely.

· Caution: Do not, DO NOT turn out the light in the hall. When the last light at Laurel Oaks is snuffed out, the spirits are released to take their pleasure.

· There are no phones in the house. There is no one in the house but you. Lock your door from the inside. Carefully. Rest in peace.

Your Host,

Camilla

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

If you read this book late at night, as I did, in a dark and quiet house, as I did, you may feel the same chill I did—the someone-is-looking-over-your shoulder chill. The heebie-jeebies. The creeps. This is a genuinely spooky and engrossing ghost story, filled with fascinating historical detail.” —Jennifer Armstrong, award-winning author of The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan on The Secret of Laurel Oaks

“Lois Ruby's The Secret of Laurel Oaks is an intriguing mystery that takes the contemporary heroine (and the reader) on a spirited journey back and forth from a haunted house to the slave-owning family that once owned it....We are in capable hands with Ruby's deft story telling powers and her devotion to historical truths. A terrific read.” —Sonia Levitin, award-winning author of Strange Relations, The Goodness Gene, and Dream Freedom

From the Publisher

Gr 6-9
When the Barry family decides to stay at the Laurel Oaks Plantation in Louisiana, considered by the Smithsonian Institution to be one of the 10 most haunted places in the United States, a harmless bit of fun becomes a life-altering experience for Lila, 13, and her 14-year-old brother, Gabe. As they take part in the spooky evening tour of the house, Lila senses and sees what Gabe thinks are all gimmicks and Disney-style special effects. The presence of spirits is strong and one in particular is reaching out to Lila. It is the spirit of Daphne, a slave girl who was accused of poisoning her master's wife and two daughters. Is Lila the one who can put things right for Daphne after all these years and allow peace to come to Laurel Oaks? This plot-twisting ghost story is full of history, friendship, romance, betrayal, and jealousy. Lila's and Daphne's stories are revealed through alternating chapters, shifting between today and the 1840s. While this technique works well, at times it is distracting and seems to make the plot drag needlessly. Overall, this is an interesting read with considerable potential but its ending loses steam.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

School Library Journal

Set in south Louisiana and inspired by the ghost stories surrounding the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, this tale alternates between the voices of Lila, a modern teenager from Albuquerque, and Daphne, the ghost of a slave girl. Lila, with help from her brother Gabe and new friend Sal, debunks the long-held belief that Daphne poisoned and killed the mistress of the plantation and her two daughters. Daphne finally learns what exactly happened that fateful day as Lila pieces it together through both logical and supernatural means, and Daphne secures Lila's help fulfilling a promise she'd made to the mistress of the house when she was alive. The story contains some dark truths about slavery-including repeated sexual assaults on Daphne and the slicing off of her ear as punishment for eavesdropping-without describing them too graphically. The characters are, for the most part, well-rendered and likable, although the behavior and dialogue of the contemporary cast at times feels a bit contrived. Fans of Mary Downing Hahn will love this one. (Horror. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews