In My Grandmother's House: Rats, Bats, Ghosts and Marbles

This book is a middle grade genre. Synopsis: IN MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE: RATS, BATS, GHOSTS, AND MARBLES—Tory (Doris) Christopher Billy Kent and his family have planned a dream vacation to Disneyland. The big day arrives—Christmas Eve--and in a few hours the fun begins. Dad has checks off each task on his detailed list. Mom insists that the family make one last hurried shopping trip before leaving for the airport. Billy feels that sometimes adults take all the fun out of holidays. What can be more important than Disneyland, the Pacific Ocean, the California desert, and Hollywood? Life couldn’t be better than this! As the family rushes home from the mall to get their luggage and leave for the airport, they are not aware of what awaits them. The family will quickly discover their home and everything they own has been destroyed by a raging fire. And if things could get any worse, they do. Dad tells the family he forgot to pay the fire insurance on the home. The trip has to be cancelled. Billy doesn't understand why a stupid fire should keep them from going on their trip! Dad tells the family the fire is only part of the problem. Dad planned to wait until after the trip to tell everyone that he lost his job. They are now homeless unless the family goes to live with Grandma Rose. randma Rose lives in an old, dilapidated 1800s era farmhouse. The old farmhouse has no electricity, running water, and indoor bathrooms. The house has its share of rats and bats. Grandma Rose keeps a baseball bat on her bed at night to knock the rats off her bed as she sleeps! Grandma Rose wears old rubber boots, grain bag skirts and drives a buckboard wagon to the nearest town. And if things aren’t already strange on that farm with all its wild dogs, cats and other animals, things are about to get even stranger. Billy suspects others live there in that old farmhouse. He is about to find out just how crowded the house really is. Billy hates the farm. He hates the idea of living with Grandma Rose. He is unhappy about being transferred to a new school with a bunch of dumb kids. But Billy is about to meet some “unearthly” friends. These spirit friends will teach him the most valuable life lessons. Billy does not know these spirits have only one year to accomplish their mission. The book describes what life was like for the spirits during their lifetimes--the war between the Indians and English settlers, life in the 1800s, and pilots who never abandon their mission. Each spirit is assigned to teach Billy such virtues as contentment, love, and gratitude.

About the Author

Tory (Doris) Christopher lives in Georgia with her husband and two furbabies (dogs). The children's stories she writes about are based on stories she often told her three children when they were younger. Now, she shares these stories with her grandchildren.

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