Jade Green: A Ghost Story by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

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Judith Sparrow, 15, finds herself alone in the world after her mother passes away. Her father died some time before, and she has no other immediate family. When her Uncle Geoffrey offers to take her in, she gladly travels from Ohio to Whispers, South Carolina (near Charleston) to live with him. Judith is invited to stay as long as she wishes, provided that she helps Emma Hastings, the housekeeper and cook, around the house and, most importantly, that she doesn't bring anything with the color green into the house. Judith finds the latter request somewhat peculiar but, under the circumstances, she agrees.

Before she begins her journey, Judith discards several green articles of clothing. But she cannot bear to part with a photo of her dead mother in a green frame. She can't imagine that her tiny green frame will bother her uncle, so she stashes it deep within her trunk. With fantasies of a future friendship with her cousin Charles in mind, she sets off for South Carolina.

Upon arrival, Judith finds Whispers a little eerie and her uncle hard to crack. Cousin Charles turns out to be nowhere near her age -- closer to 40 years old, actually -- and far from pleasant. Mrs. Hastings, on the other hand, is a warm, welcoming presence. There is indeed no green in the house, but Judith's room is to her liking. She settles in. Her uncle allows her to take a job, and she is glad of the opportunity to make some money and some friends. Judith works in a bonnet store, and it is there that she begins to hear rumors about her uncle's house. There was a young girl who lived in the house before Judith, also an orphan. Her name was Jade Green, and green was her favorite color. The accounts of Jade vary, but one thing is for sure: Jade Green died in the house where Judith now lives.

Judith's life flourishes in this odd environment. She even falls a little bit in love with Zeke, the boy who delivers flour to her spooky old house. He waits for her after work and drives her home in his carriage. But her nights are sheer terror. There is constant scratching and noise at night, and it isn't coming from mice, as she first suspected. Judith feels the house is haunted. She worries constantly that she is going mad. But mainly she worries that by bringing that green frame into the house, she has woken the ghost of Jade Green.

The delightful Jade Green is set in the late 1800s. Author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written more than 100 books for children, including the Alice series and the Shiloh trilogy. She won the 1992 Newbery Medal for Shiloh. In Jade Green she has produced another quaint and quick read.

Naylor does a great job with the ghost story, creating fun supernatural occurrences throughout the book. But she doesn't allow these somewhat gimmicky moments to dominate her plot, which makes Jade Green that much more enjoyable. A walking hand may happen to appear every few chapters, but in between those appearances there is a full dose of gossip, destruction, love stories, family secrets, and budding friendships.

There is a fair amount of suspense as the story of Jade's untimely death unfolds; this is a ghost story, after all. But it isn't very anxiety-provoking. Readers can expect a nice thrill that won't result in ten bitten fingernails.

—Alexandra Zissu

From the Publisher

At first glance the large brown house at the end of Stone Street seems so forbidding that Judith Sparrow wants to turn back. But turn back to where?

Recently orphaned, she has no alternative other than to be taken in by her stern uncle Geoffrey, who agreed to the arrangement with one peculiar provision: Judith could bring with her whatever belongings she liked except for anything green. The color green is strictly forbidden in his house.

Upon arrival at the house, Judith is determined to make the best of it and indeed is cheered by the warmth and charm of Mrs. Hastings, her uncle's housekeeper, if less so by her older cousin Charles, who seems to alternate between friendliness and a certain suspicious animosity. Even her uncle seems willing to open up to her at times.

But then strange, ghostly things begin to happen, and Judith finds her happiness in her new home, including a budding romance with Zeke, the miller's son, compromised by terrifying experiences she can share with no one, not to mention the ghastly stories she hears about the household's past.

And Judith must wonder if her one small transgression of the rule — her having concealed in her trunk a small green picture frame given to her by her mother — has somehow caused it all by bringing that past to life again.

Children's Literature

Taken into her uncle's home upon her mother's death, Judith is grateful but unnerved when she is told that she can bring her possessions with one exception--"no green." Surely this can not apply to the photography of her mother, set in a green velvet frame. Hiding it in the bottom of her trunk, she adjusts well to her new surroundings almost forgetting about her one transgression until mysterious things happen. Who has been riffling through her trunk? Could it have been her cousin Charles whose behavior is either friendly or sinister? Or could it have been Mrs. Hastings, the friendly housekeeper? Or is there another presence in the house? Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written a suspenseful and haunting tale in Jade Green. 1999, Atheneum, Ages 11 to 14, $16.00. Reviewer: Jan Lieberman

VOYA

When Judith Sparrow is orphaned after her mother dies in an insane asylum, her Uncle Geoffrey and his cook, Emma Hastings, welcome her into his home with only one conditionshe must not bring anything green with her. Judith cannot resist keeping her mother's picture in its green silk frame. Surely it will do no harm hidden at the bottom of her trunk. Fortyyear-old cousin Charles's welcome is less than pleasant. His inappropriate stares and improper touches make Judith quite uncomfortable. As Judith settles in, she begins to hear strange noises coming from the closet. The green frame has become the stimulus that awakens the ghost of Jade Green, a young girl who supposedly committed suicide by chopping off her hand with a cleaver. To her horror, Judith sees Jade's disembodied hand playing the piano, crawling under her bed, and making its way down the door frame. Judith keeps these strange, ghostly happenings to herself. What does Jade want? Is Judith going mad as her mother did? Or could it be that Jade's death was not what it seemed? Nearly too late, Judith learns that the hand is there to protect her, not harm her. This genuinely creepy tale will spring off the shelf like Jade's hand, although characterization is not strong and there are a few details that seem out of place in the 1800s setting. One wonders if a wealthy, prominent, southern businessman such as Uncle Geoffrey would tolerate his niece working in a hat shop or being courted by the miller's son. When taken out of context, some sexual incidents might seem inappropriate for the publisher's designated age range but contribute to the novel as a whole. The occasional references to Judith's own budding sexuality, however, failtocontribute to the overall plot or the development of her character. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2000, Atheneum/S & S, Ages 12 to 15, 168p, $16. Reviewer: Kathleen Beck and Mary Ann Capan

KLIATT

Naylor, the award-winning author of over 100 books for children and young adults, has penned another winner in this fast-paced spellbinder. Fifteen-year-old orphan Judith Sparrow moves in with Uncle Geoffrey, Cousin Charles, and Mrs. Hastings. Through town gossip, Judith learns the story of Jade Green, the girl who lived in the Sparrow house until she committed suicide with a meat cleaver. Judith begins seeing Jade Green's white-gloved hand playing the piano, scurrying across the floor, and chopping gashes into the cutting board with a cleaver. Though scared of the hand, Judith becomes more afraid of the leering Cousin Charles. During the climax, a hurricane, Charles attempts to rape and kill Judith and admits to killing Jade Green. Jade Green's hand comes to the rescue, choking Charles to death and disappearing forever into the storm's swirling pools of water. This riveting story is a well written and age-appropriate quick read that would appeal to reluctant readers as well. Judith will win the reader's heart in this first-person account of how she works to fit into an odd family, experiences first love, and learns that the living can be as dangerous as the dead. Recommended for YA collections in both school and public libraries. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 1999, Simon & Schuster, Aladdin, 169p., $4.99. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Kim Harris; YA Libn., Newman Riga Lib., Churchville, NY , September 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 5)

Midwest Book Review

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Jade Green provides an outstanding ghost story as it tells of Judith, a new orphan who awakens a ghost in her new home with her uncle. A creeping hand and a dangerous secret affect her newfound home and threaten her in this excellent story of suspense.

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