Jade Green: A Ghost Story

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.

Amazon.com Review

"Then at the end of the street, the house--the large brown house with the two eyes--made me suddenly clutch at the driver's arm as if to say, Turn back! Turn back!" At the first sight of her uncle's house--her future home--an inexplicable cloud of foreboding engulfs orphaned teen Judith Sparrow. Unfortunately, her fears are confirmed when she hears a mysterious scratching at the back of her closet and senses a ghostly presence hovering over her at night. Even more chilling, Judith learns of the death of a girl named Jade Green from the town gossip--a girl who lived in her uncle's house before Judith and died a horrible death on the attic stairs. As it turns out, Jade dearly loved the color that was her name. Suddenly, Judith knows the reason she was forbidden by her uncle to bring anything green into the house. She fears that by smuggling in a small green picture frame, she has roused the sleeping ghost of Jade Green and assured the doom of all who sleep under her uncle's roof! Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, best known for her humorous Alice series and the award-winning Shiloh, has dished up a fine gothic tale with all the trimmings: a brave, orphaned heroine; a dark and dreary manor; a hunky savior; a dastardly villain; and the star of the cast--a ghostly severed hand that holds the secret to Jade Green's untimely demise. This novel is a shivery delight that is ideal for both reading under the covers and sharing aloud with a group of enthralled listeners. Heartily recommended. (Ages 12 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

Although this period ghost story does not measure up to the originality and complexity of Naylor's bewitchingly eerie Sang Spell, it will engage readers (girls especially) looking for pleasantly shivery entertainment. The narrator conforms to the conventions of the genre: pretty, young and newly orphaned, Judith Sparrow has traveled from a distant home (in this case, Ohio) to the refuge offered by her only relatives, a widower uncle and his adult son, in Whispers, S.C. Judith aims to assist the housekeeper; in fact, Uncle Geoffrey places no such demands on her time, asking only that she not bring anything green into the house. But Judith has been unable to part with her only token from her mother, a green picture frame, which she stashes in her trunk. Before long Judith is hearing odd noises and catching sight of mysterious scurrying objects that elude all mousetraps. Could they be connected to the silence surrounding another orphan girl previously taken in by Uncle Geoffrey, Jade Green, who died by her own hand? With an indeterminate 19th-century setting, and with the entrance of a handsome, industrious local fellow to supply a bit of romance, Naylor's latest has all the ingredients of classic supernatural suspense. While she combines these elements in familiar ways, her execution is assured. A satisfying spine-tingler. Ages 10-14. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-When Judith Sparrow is orphaned at age 15, she is lucky enough to be taken in by her elderly Uncle Geoffrey in South Carolina, where she helps the cook with housework but is otherwise treated as family. She finds work in a hatmaker's shop and makes friends, but two things mar her happiness. The first is Charles, her 40-year-old unemployed, dissipated cousin, who lavishes unwanted attention on her. The second is the mystery concerning a girl named Jade Green, who used to live in the house but who died gruesomely three years earlier, supposedly by her own hand. Strange scratching noises coming from her closet, a bloodstain on the stairs, and finally a hideous disembodied hand begin to terrorize Judith, until a final showdown with Charles shows Judith the truth about Jade Green's demise. The slightly old-fashioned, first-person narrative matches the period setting of this story, which is unspecified but is set sometime in the horse-drawn past. Judith's adjustment to her new life, her budding friendship with a young man named Zeke, and her growing horror of the supernatural happenings in her new home will absorb readers. Judith isn't a particularly plucky heroine; she must be rescued twice, once by Zeke and once by Jade Green. Nevertheless, this is a satisfying ghost story that demands to be read in one sitting.Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A truly scary, gripping ghost story from a master of the genre will keep readers engrossed until the last suspenseful page. Young, newly-orphaned Judith is taken in by her uncle, Geoffrey, and is delighted to have a good home again. There's just one condition: nothing green may ever be brought into the house; no one will tell the girl why, but everyone takes the stricture seriously. Puzzled, Judith agrees, but there is one thing just she cannot give up. Before her death, her mother gave the girl a picture of herself, framed in green velvet. She hides it away in her trunk in the closet and almost forgets about it, until one day she finds that someone has been in the trunk. Could it be Geoffrey's son, the obnoxious Cousin Charles? Or dear Mrs. Hastings, Geoffrey's housekeeper and Judith's new friend? One day, when Judith goes to interview for a job, she hears about Jade Green, a girl who lived in her uncle's home before Judith, and who cut off her hand with a cleaver and bled to death. The story terrifies Judith, but that's nothing compared to what's to come, when Jade Green's disembodied hand appears one night in Judith's bedroom. Naylor's mysteries aren't always this bold, nor this graphic, but this one blends her best writing and some fairly horror- filled ideas to riveting effect. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has written more than 135 books, including the Newbery Award–winning Shiloh and its sequels, the Alice series, Roxie and the Hooligans, and Roxie and the Hooligans at Buzzard’s Roost. She lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. To hear from Phyllis and find out more about Alice, visit AliceMcKinley.com.Mark Elliott has a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts. He has illustrated a number of book covers, and his work has been exhibited at the Society of Illustrators and the Art Directors Guild. Mark lives on a sheep farm in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

Reviews

News