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The Great Depression means hard times for everyone in the tiny town of Magnolia. For young Gene Richards, things are about to get even tougher. What began as a tightening in his chest quickly evolves into a hollow voice inside his head, thrusting Gene into a waking nightmare.
It is immediately evident this voice is up to no good. When it threatens to make Gene kill his own grandfather in revenge for a well-kept secret, Gene and his two best friends quickly embark on a journey to find the truth. What they uncover is a local scandal and a better-left-alone murder mystery. As if that weren’t enough, it becomes apparent that each of their fathers was involved. Will the evil that has its grip on Gene turn this sleepy town upside down again, or will the past stay buried once and for all?
Believable ghost stories for this age bracket are hard to come by, but The Dreadful Revenge of Ernest Gallen certainly rises to the top. James Lincoln Collier spins a frightening tale of secrets and revenge. As in the famous line from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, “The sins of the fathers are to be laid upon the children.” The characters in Collier’s novel unwittingly face the immorality of their father’s actions and for Gene, who doesn’t know his father, there could be lasting consequences.
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Niki Schoenfeldt/2008 for curled
up with a good kid's book |
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For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews,
visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)
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The Dreadful Revenge of Ernest Gallen