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Ellen Poe: The Forgotten Lore
Not yet published
Expected 7 Apr 26The first book in an exciting YA series about a teen girl, descended from Edgar Allan Poe, who must navigate the haunting legacy of her ancestor while learning to harness her own strength and intelligence, especially as she begins to commune with the dead.
What happens when your tell-tale nightmares turn into reality and the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe won't seem to let you alone? For as long as she can remember, sixteen-year-old Ellen Poe's family has claimed to be long-lost descendants of Edgar Allan Poe. But when she moves in with her aunt in a Poe-themed B&B, the nightmares that have always haunted her begin bleeding into Ellen’s waking hours. When she stumbles upon a journal in the house, none other than Edgar Allan Poe himself begins visiting her. Has the journal somehow released his ghost? And what does he want with Ellen? Through secret messages in his writings, she learns that the two share the same psychic ability to interact with spirits—which is what ultimately drove him mad. This thrilling new series for young adult listeners follows Ellen on her quest to learn more about her abilities, the afterlife, and the clues Poe has left for her (ciphers and cryptograms galore), in an effort to not suffer his same fate.
What happens when your tell-tale nightmares turn into reality and the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe won't seem to let you alone? For as long as she can remember, sixteen-year-old Ellen Poe's family has claimed to be long-lost descendants of Edgar Allan Poe. But when she moves in with her aunt in a Poe-themed B&B, the nightmares that have always haunted her begin bleeding into Ellen’s waking hours. When she stumbles upon a journal in the house, none other than Edgar Allan Poe himself begins visiting her. Has the journal somehow released his ghost? And what does he want with Ellen? Through secret messages in his writings, she learns that the two share the same psychic ability to interact with spirits—which is what ultimately drove him mad. This thrilling new series for young adult listeners follows Ellen on her quest to learn more about her abilities, the afterlife, and the clues Poe has left for her (ciphers and cryptograms galore), in an effort to not suffer his same fate.
- GenresYoung AdultTeen
304 pages, Paperback
Expected publication April 7, 2026
2 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Diana Peterfreund
53 books2,054 followersDiana Peterfreund has been a costume designer, a cover model, and a food critic. Her travels have taken her from the cloud forests of Costa Rica to the underground caverns of New Zealand (and as far as she’s concerned, she’s just getting started). Diana graduated from Yale University in 2001 with dual degrees in Literature and Geology, which her family claimed would only come in handy if she wrote books about rocks. Now, this Florida girl lives with her husband and their puppy in Washington D.C., and writes books that rock
Her first novel, Secret Society Girl (2006), was described as “witty and endearing” by The New York Observer and was placed on the New York Public LIbrary’s 2007 Books for the Teen Age list. The follow-up, Under the Rose (2007) was deemed “impossible to put down” by Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist called the third book, Rites of Spring (Break) (2008), “an ideal summer read.” The final book in the series, Tap & Gown, will be released in 2009. All titles are available from Bantam Dell.
She also contributed to the non-fiction anthologies, Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, edited by Jennifer O’Connell (Pocket Books, 2007), The World of the Golden Compass, edited by Scott Westerfeld (BenBella Books, 2007), and Through the Wardrobe, edited by Herbie Brennan (BenBella Books, 2008).
Her first young adult novel, Rampant, an adventure fantasy about killer unicorns and the virgin descendents of Alexander the Great who hunt them, will be released by Harper Collins in 2009. When she’s not writing, Diana volunteers at the National Zoo, adds movies she has no intention of watching to her Netflix queue, and plays with her puppy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Rio.
Her first novel, Secret Society Girl (2006), was described as “witty and endearing” by The New York Observer and was placed on the New York Public LIbrary’s 2007 Books for the Teen Age list. The follow-up, Under the Rose (2007) was deemed “impossible to put down” by Publisher’s Weekly, and Booklist called the third book, Rites of Spring (Break) (2008), “an ideal summer read.” The final book in the series, Tap & Gown, will be released in 2009. All titles are available from Bantam Dell.
She also contributed to the non-fiction anthologies, Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, edited by Jennifer O’Connell (Pocket Books, 2007), The World of the Golden Compass, edited by Scott Westerfeld (BenBella Books, 2007), and Through the Wardrobe, edited by Herbie Brennan (BenBella Books, 2008).
Her first young adult novel, Rampant, an adventure fantasy about killer unicorns and the virgin descendents of Alexander the Great who hunt them, will be released by Harper Collins in 2009. When she’s not writing, Diana volunteers at the National Zoo, adds movies she has no intention of watching to her Netflix queue, and plays with her puppy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Rio.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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August 7, 2025I leave most YA fiction to others to enjoy. But Ellen Poe delighted me with her sly, sarcastic narration. All the ghostly code-breaking hijinks were super fun — think Enola Holmes in 21st-century Baltimore but with Eddy, the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, along for extra delights.
December 3, 2025
This wasn’t all I thought it’d be (tbh I expected ✨more✨) but it was still a fun read!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Ellen Poe Reynolds' family has long cherished and maintained their connection to the author Edgar Allan Poe, and her Aunt Marie is working on turning the family's very old home in Baltimore into a Poe themed bed and breakfast. Ellen is living with her aunt temporarily while her father has a job out west, and she's helping her aunt weed through generations of possessions to clear space, without much luck. She's having horrible nightmares about dead people, which she and her Aunt contribute to moving to a new place... where she has a stuffed raven in her bedroom! She attends the private Evergreen Prep on scholarship, and when new student Gus Davenport arrives she is shocked... he is one of the people from her dreams. She reacts badly with what sounds like a threat ("You're dead!"), and gets in trouble with the school, but Gus is intrigued because he was in an accident that killed his parents and caused him to die for a short time. He thinks that Ellen is psychic. It's a good guess, since she is also seeing the ghost of Poe, who is following her around and giving her advice through quoting his own writing. She has also found a very old journal that seems to be Poe's writing. When she finds out that her aunt is short of money and may lose the house, she wants to help, since her father is also having financial troubles. She and Gus go to the Pratt Museum to try to get information on the journal, and meet librarian Mrs. Rice. Gus invites Ellen home to meet his much older sister Madeline, who is caring for him since his parents' death. She's married to the well-to-do Rod, and wants Ellen to see if she can contact Gus and Madeline's father using a Ouija board. This ends with Ellen breaking a very expensive clock. The mystery escalates quickly, Gus and Ellen develop a romantic relationship, and secrets emerge about Poe as Ellen unravels codes and clues to help solve the mystery, which I don't want to ruin.
Strengths: Ellen's investigation reminded me a bit of Joan Lowery Nixon's fantastic 1990s mysteries, which sometimes involved some supernatural elements. Ellen is in high school, but doesn't engage in any activities that would make this less appealing for younger readers, which is absolutely perfect. There's a light romance with Gus, some danger and excitement, an a well-developed mystery. I enjoyed reading about Aunt Marie's house, even though I wouldn't really want to be in the jam-packed bed and breakfast, with its creepy decor! There are lots of codes and clues, as well as information about Poe, his life, and his legacy. There seems to be another book on the way, and I am hoping that we find out more about the problems that Ellen's dad is having, and perhaps even what happened to her mother.
Weaknesses: While it is very cool that codes and clues are included and play a major part in the story, especially since Poe himself was fond of them, they are my favorite thing to read, so I didn't try to solve the mystery myself.
What I really think: I enjoyed reading This author's 2015 Omega City, and was glad to see another title by her. Spradlin's The Raven's Shadow (which featured not only Poe, but Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, came out in the fall, and I wonder if we will see an increase in the number of books referencing this influential author. I enjoy seeing books that incorporate historical elements into stories with a modern setting, like Wallach's Hatchet Girls. Mysteries involving ghosts are always popular, and while the ghost isn't a murderous one, there are some tense moments where Ellen is in danger, so this book should do well with middle grade and high school readers.
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
Ellen Poe Reynolds' family has long cherished and maintained their connection to the author Edgar Allan Poe, and her Aunt Marie is working on turning the family's very old home in Baltimore into a Poe themed bed and breakfast. Ellen is living with her aunt temporarily while her father has a job out west, and she's helping her aunt weed through generations of possessions to clear space, without much luck. She's having horrible nightmares about dead people, which she and her Aunt contribute to moving to a new place... where she has a stuffed raven in her bedroom! She attends the private Evergreen Prep on scholarship, and when new student Gus Davenport arrives she is shocked... he is one of the people from her dreams. She reacts badly with what sounds like a threat ("You're dead!"), and gets in trouble with the school, but Gus is intrigued because he was in an accident that killed his parents and caused him to die for a short time. He thinks that Ellen is psychic. It's a good guess, since she is also seeing the ghost of Poe, who is following her around and giving her advice through quoting his own writing. She has also found a very old journal that seems to be Poe's writing. When she finds out that her aunt is short of money and may lose the house, she wants to help, since her father is also having financial troubles. She and Gus go to the Pratt Museum to try to get information on the journal, and meet librarian Mrs. Rice. Gus invites Ellen home to meet his much older sister Madeline, who is caring for him since his parents' death. She's married to the well-to-do Rod, and wants Ellen to see if she can contact Gus and Madeline's father using a Ouija board. This ends with Ellen breaking a very expensive clock. The mystery escalates quickly, Gus and Ellen develop a romantic relationship, and secrets emerge about Poe as Ellen unravels codes and clues to help solve the mystery, which I don't want to ruin.
Strengths: Ellen's investigation reminded me a bit of Joan Lowery Nixon's fantastic 1990s mysteries, which sometimes involved some supernatural elements. Ellen is in high school, but doesn't engage in any activities that would make this less appealing for younger readers, which is absolutely perfect. There's a light romance with Gus, some danger and excitement, an a well-developed mystery. I enjoyed reading about Aunt Marie's house, even though I wouldn't really want to be in the jam-packed bed and breakfast, with its creepy decor! There are lots of codes and clues, as well as information about Poe, his life, and his legacy. There seems to be another book on the way, and I am hoping that we find out more about the problems that Ellen's dad is having, and perhaps even what happened to her mother.
Weaknesses: While it is very cool that codes and clues are included and play a major part in the story, especially since Poe himself was fond of them, they are my favorite thing to read, so I didn't try to solve the mystery myself.
What I really think: I enjoyed reading This author's 2015 Omega City, and was glad to see another title by her. Spradlin's The Raven's Shadow (which featured not only Poe, but Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, came out in the fall, and I wonder if we will see an increase in the number of books referencing this influential author. I enjoy seeing books that incorporate historical elements into stories with a modern setting, like Wallach's Hatchet Girls. Mysteries involving ghosts are always popular, and while the ghost isn't a murderous one, there are some tense moments where Ellen is in danger, so this book should do well with middle grade and high school readers.
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
January 17, 2026
Okay where do I start. I am an ARC reader. I love Edgar Allen Poe but the amount of times things are repeated was driving me insane. I did not see the PLOT TWIST. NEITHER ONE! I love all the characters. Even Eddy but the amount of history mentioned was whew. Im so excited for the next book and mad I have to wait for it. Cut 100 pages. I love the decorative pages before each chapter. Im so on a cliff hanger about the dad. My daughter enjoyed the chapters I read to her aloud. I couldn’t keep waiting on her. Gosh still a really good book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a well done, adventurous, cozy mystery that will appeal to middle and early high school students. The author has done her homework, all the Poe facts are accurate. It’s a fun way to learn about the our friend of Raven fame. Ellen’s struggles with dreams and money add a nice depth to her character.. pacing is well done. I like how the mystery ties up at the end. Will definitely read more from this author.
November 7, 2025
Ellen Poe Reynolds is from a family who is convinced they are descendants of Edgar Allan Poe. When she goes to live with her aunt in a Poe-themed B&B, she finds an old journal in code. Is it Poe’s? As struggles with nightmares about ghosts, she tries to solve the mystery of the journal. In the process, Ellen learns to trust herself. Great fun, even if you're not a Poe fan!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews