Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret

From the Publisher

What Josh thought would be the dullest summer of his life, spent with hiseccentric 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.

Author Bio: Peg Kehret consistently produces action-packed stories that satisfy young readers. She lives in Washington State.

Denise Daley - Children's Literature

Well-known author Peg Kehret has done it again. She has written another exciting and entertaining ghost story. In this story the main character is Josh, a typical teenage boy whose dreams of playing baseball all summer are destroyed when he learns that he will be visiting his Aunt Ethel for eight long weeks. Josh fears his summer will be boring but the excitement begins as soon as he meets Aunt Ethel. The adventures quickly escalate as Josh meets a ghost who asks for help. Josh reluctantly agrees to help the ghost by digging in a nearby cemetery. While he is digging, Josh discovers more than he expected and this leads to a dangerous confrontation with a crook. Josh is an intelligent young man but is he clever enough to escape a conflict with an armed and angry intruder? This book is very enjoyable. It is well written, fast-paced, and hard to put down; all of the attributes that many young people seek when selecting reading material. 2005, Dutton Children's Books/Penguin Group, Ages 10 up.

School Library Journal

Gr 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 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Twelve-year-old Josh expected his summer with an elderly relative in Carbon City, Wash. to be utterly boring. However, his aunt turns out to be amusingly eccentric, and a secluded tree house in the woods is a perfect place to read and watch deer. There he encounters the ghost of a one-legged coal miner, Willy Martin. Willie asks him to dig up his lost leg and bury it with the rest of his body. Surprisingly, Josh agrees, but he finds more than just leg bones; the man who stole the money the town had raised for an animal shelter had hidden it in the leg's uncared-for grave. Josh's first-person narrative literally opens with a bang, as Aunt Ethel shoots a bat in her kitchen his first night there. The action moves quickly to the suspenseful moment when the robber, seeking to retrieve his treasure, threatens Josh at gunpoint. A subplot involving taming an abandoned cat may add interest for animal lovers. Easy to booktalk, this is a solidly plotted ghost story for middle-grade readers. (Fiction. 9-12)

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