Here is the book so if you want to read it here it is- Steal Away Home. View all 5 comments. Dec 17, Ron M rated it did not like it. This book was not exciting, It gave me no thrill. I would not read it again if I had to. It switched from present to past every chapter. This confused me very much.
James, he main character, finds a skeleton in their home, and realize that its a dead slave from the underground railroad. In my opinion, this was the worst book I have read in my life. Feb 27, Ainsley rated it really liked it. This was a good book. I read it during school MTSS snd my classmates didnt feel the same. Some liked it, others thought it was boring.
Some parts were really good, and most chapters made me want to keep reading. Others were a little slow. I recommend this book! Especially to people who like mystery. Jul 07, Carrie Hamstra rated it really liked it. There are lots of things I want to say about this book, I hope I don't forget anything. Before I get into all that let me give you the synopsis. Synopsis: The two main characters are Dana and James, about the same age.
James was born about years before Dana, but plays a critical role in Dana's story. Dana and her parents just moved to a historical home. While remodeling the home they discover the skeletal remains of a human. Before the crime scene investigators arrive Dana discovers a little There are lots of things I want to say about this book, I hope I don't forget anything.
Before the crime scene investigators arrive Dana discovers a little black book which she secretly takes. It turns out to be a diary that holds answers to the mysterious body.
James is the son of Quaker parents that recently moved from Boston to Kansas. He learns that his mom is assisting in the Underground Railroad when his father leaves on business trips. James struggles to understands his mother and why she would risk her family. So, the mystery is, who skeleton is it and what is it doing there!? I have done a few basic Google searches and haven't found anything verifying the characters but if you know me, then you know I am a terrible Google-er , but many events and references to the city of Lawrence are historically accurate.
I would say you need to have conversations about these before reading with kiddos. It kept me engaged and interested. I would totally recommend this book to mature readers.
They only know what is written in the diary. I liked this book and want to read book 2. Apr 24, Marissa Wilfahrt rated it really liked it.
This book caught my attention within the very first pages, as it maneuvered me through the experience of young Dana, a twelve-year-old who discovered a secret room in her home containing an intact human skeleton!
However, the reader must uncover for themself the mysterious history surrounding both the former identity of the skeleton and the events surrounding her death. I first discovered this book back in the fourth grade at my public library. I started the second book, but when I found out that there was a first book I thought I should read it. My library did not have it so I forgot about it. Then over the years it was hard to find the books, but then I found it on an online book site.
I thought the characters were very interesting and I enjoyed the plot. I liked how the story went back and forth from the past to the present where Dana found the skeleton and I first discovered this book back in the fourth grade at my public library. I liked how the story went back and forth from the past to the present where Dana found the skeleton and diary. It was because books like these that got me into History and how amazing it feels to read something from the past and learn something.
Now I can not wait to read the next book. Apr 06, Shelby rated it it was amazing. I still jumped when the family found the "surprise" behind the wall. I loved the different points of view in this book.
I also loved how I went on an adventure with the main character throughout this story. I feel like journal entries are an easy way to both connect the past to the present, but also to learn more about a character.
This book did an excellent job of both. I would have liked to see a little more description, but overall, I consider this book a historical fiction classic. Oct 01, James Ward rated it really liked it. Steal Away Home is a historical fiction book about a kid named Dana who finds a literal skeleton in a room with a bed and a journal.
So it's a sort of a time travel book that goes from the s to the modern day. It's pretty unpredictable and at first it seemed hard to connect the pieces in the story, but eventually they all fell into place.
Overall, I thought it was was a well put-together book and it was personal favorite. Jul 07, Bexa rated it it was ok Shelves: battle-of-the-books , childrens , history , mystery , fiction.
Read for battle of the books. Not really that interesting, and didn't connect to any of the characters. Also felt that the only reason Jeep was a character would be so that the other kids would have a black person to look to, even his research wasn't discussed much because it made the one girl feel icky.
Just not that great of a historical fiction. Sep 05, Ellie Lopez rated it really liked it Shelves: books Summary: This chapter book is centered around a girl named Dana who found a dead body in her house. The book jumps from past Civil War time period to present while Dana tries to solve this captivating mystery involving the Underground Railroad. Evaluation: I would rate this book at a 4 because it captured the essence of the history of that time period in an exciting way.
It also managed to keep it relate able to children like Dana, the main character of the book. However, I personally felt that Summary: This chapter book is centered around a girl named Dana who found a dead body in her house.
However, I personally felt that this book dragged on just a bit. I kept feeling like the author ineffectively detoured the story line every time the mystery was almost solved.
Teaching: I would use this chapter book to provide my students with a first-person point of view of some of the struggles involved in the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. It also gave much information having to do with Quakers and their beliefs, which would help my students better understand details of the Underground Railroad. Jul 22, Barb Keltner rated it really liked it Shelves: young-adult , children-chapter , Somehow I'd missed reading this book when it came out, but while taking a class on the underground railroad, it was recommended to us by a jr.
It was a good choice for his classes, and Mike and I enjoyed it too. Feb 05, Christine rated it liked it. We as the reader found out because of flashbacks, so at least some satisfaction there. Jun 02, Beth Wells rated it really liked it.
Great historical tie-ins! Switches from to modern day after Dana finds the remains of Lizbet Charles in her attic. She also finds a journal which let's us see into the Weaver home in Sep 09, Eri Ackley rated it it was amazing. This was my favorite book as a child, reading about uncovering a mystery from the past and finding out all the details was something that stayed with me.
Jan 03, Debbie rated it it was ok Shelves: ya. My 9-year-old liked this one when she read it for school, but I am unimpressed with the writing, the plot, or the teenage talk and antics. Aug 15, K. Waldvogel rated it it was amazing. Wonderful book. Written to keep middle grade reader engaged while learning about history and tough decisions people faced. Dec 14, Whitney Rivera rated it really liked it. I think of 6th grade when I think of this book.
Fun read. Dec 19, Kelly rated it really liked it. I read this book over and over as a kid, fascinated by the idea of finding hidden dead bodies in walls. Jan 15, Melissa rated it really liked it.
A great book that mixes history with today. Had some mystery etc. Loved reading it with my 5th graders! Aug 03, Diane rated it did not like it. Started off interesting then went down hill quickly. Mar 04, Amy Holland added it Shelves: j-historical-fiction , Right off the bat, there are three things I love in a story: a creepy old house, a secret room, and a decades-old skeleton.
Dana, the main character, discovers the secret room and the skeleton within. She also discovers a diary in the room, wedged between the bed and the wall. She keeps the diary to herself, and reads it hoping to find clues to the identity and cause of death of the skeleton.
I can't decide if I liked the depth it added to the story, or if it was too jarring going back and forth between perspectives. Maybe a little of both. Through reading the journal and hashing it out with her friends, Dana is able to piece together a probable identity of the skeleton as well as the circumstances surrounding her death. With both perspectives, readers get a complete picture of what really happened - even more so than Dana.
I liked how Ruby framed the story as a mystery - it's all very murky at the beginning, but the puzzle pieces fall into places as the story progresses. She's a good storyteller. I also like her writing style - it's casual and conversational with the occasional witty or sarcastic comment without being too flip.
I think that's especially important in a spooky mystery story; you don't want the tone of the writing to be too goofy or you'll completely wreck the mood. I would definitely recommend this to kids looking for historical fiction books, especially those who are interested in the Underground Railroad. May 08, Olivia rated it really liked it. Lois Ruby wrote 17 books altogether.
The genre of this book is historical fiction, the sub genre is mystery because the book was mysterious and inspiring. The narrator of the story is Dana, the point of view is first person because the book describes Dana in a house stripping away wallpaper and suddenly she hits something hard, she pokes a hole in the wall and she sees a dark room.
The light darts around the room then it stops on something How on earth did such a thing get there? James is a boy that lived in the house many years ago. Dana is brave because there is a skeleton in her house and she is also smart because she knew when to give the diary to her father. James is brave because there was a war between them and the slave catchers and he is quick thinking because when his father was about to get shot he saw an axe in the trunk of a tree, took it out and handed it to a friend so he could kill the slaver.
Dana is special because she knows how to handle difficult things. The protagonist is Dana because she is the one with the problem. The story begins with Dana stripping away wallpaper and finding a hidden room.
Near the end of the book Dana finds out why Lizbet Charles dies. Dana solved the mystery by reading the diary. In the end of the story, Dana and her friends find out that the Wolcott Castle was dedicated to Lizbet and her son. THEME The theme is perseverance, my proof is how Dana keeps trying and trying and trying to find time to read the diary and to solve the mystery.
The theme is most compelling because I really had to think about the moral of the story. I would recommend it for 3rd - 6th because it is an easy book to read. Feb 24, Isabel rated it really liked it. This book was about a girl named Dana and she finds a skeleton in her house after ripping through wallpaper.
She finds a journal that she reads to help her solve the mystery. Her and her friends read through the book to find any clues they can find. They find that her house was part of the underground station. She reads that this family took in slaves to help them. The more they read the more clues they found.
They found that this family was hiding a girl and she was in her 20's. Soon the lady gets sicks and they put her on her bed where she dies. The book is about this family taking in slaves and hiding it from the dad. And then about Dana and her friends finding how everything happened. The two main characters are James and Dana. James was the son of the mom who hid the slaves.
He had to keep things a secret from his dad. Dana tells both her parents everything and can never quite hide something from them. When Dana reads the diary she find that James is the same age as her. As humans we have a tendency to judge others by there looks but if we just get to know them we might really like them. Like in the book the blacks were slaves. But Jame's mom when she hid the girl the mom found out lots of things from her that she didn't know. She didn't treat her any different than she would to anyone else.
Now, a normal person would have run for help, but not a blazing redhead. Besides, mud was squishing over my sneakers, so I couldn't have run very fast, anyway. I slogged up behind the man and yelled, "My father's a police captain, you know. The man tumbled forward at the sound of my bellow, and the flashlight flew out of his hand and sank into the bog.
He scrambled to regain his balance. His shoulders were no broader than my friend Jeep's, and he had a sort of caved-in look to him, as if he'd had some terrible disease as a child. They were the high-waisted, plaid kind of pants my uncle Tom used to wear, according to the faded Vietnam-era photos from the seventies. This man's clown pants were held up with suspenders as wide as chalkboard erasers.
Tucked into them was a red flannel shirt buttoned to his chin. You'd think he was ambling in from hoeing the south forty. It's not your business, girl. All of Lawrence -- probably all of Kansas -- knew how the famous architect James Baylor Weaver had lived in this house when he was a boy, and how his family had harbored runaway slaves until Miz Lizbet died here.
At first he'd just seemed comical sinking in mud in that weird getup. But then he patted his pockets, and a chill rippled over me when I heard the jingle that told me he hadn't been looking for his keys after all. What did he want in my yard? And had he found what he was looking for? The old Ford sputtered and cranked, giving me plenty of time to memorize the Kansas license plate before the man sped away.
Spring rains in Kansas can be fierce. They send earthworms leaping to their death over the side of a culvert. So when I say puddles and mud, you get the picture. Diamonds of light filtered through a lattice wall around the back porch, showing me the man's flashlight beached in the mud with its nose sticking out as if it were gasping for breath. I pulled at it against the resistance of the sludge and swiped the slimy flashlight down my flank.
This tells you what an elegant wench I am. Mike's word. Looked like I'd have to figure out a way to drag Mike to Kansas City. Who's this Mike I'm always talking about? Well, he isn't exactly my boyfriend, since he's a full three months younger than I am, and besides, my parents would break out in festering, oozing hives if they thought I had a boyfriend at the tender age of thirteen.
Mike's an experiment in progress, still rough like a lump of coal that might just polish up into the Hope Diamond. I'm checking him out carefully as a potential love object when I get to be a freshman, but at this point I can tell you he's no James Baylor Weaver. Sally and Ahn and I, we are all sort of in love with James-at-twelve, even though we know that he grew up and died eighty years before we were even born.
Come to think of it, Mike does have one distinct advantage over James: Mike's still breathing. About The Author. Lois Ruby. Product Details. Resources and Downloads. Get a FREE ebook by joining our mailing list today!
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