Das Geheimnis im 13. Stock

by Sid Fleischman

There's a mile-long word for the fear (and magic) or the number thirteen - triskaidekaphobia.

In this comic fireworks of a novel, newly orphaned Buddy Stebbins stumbles onto the 13th floor of a shabby old building and finds himself transported aboard a leaking pirate ship in a howling storm - 300 years in the past! Cast adrift, he washes up in New England where his plucky ancestor, ten-year-old Abigail, is caught up in the witchcraft mania and is about to be hanged. Firing off surprises like Roman candles from almost every page, award-winning novelist Sid Fleischman tells a many-mirrored tale of ghosts, witchcraft, razzle-dazzle treasure, and the mischief of illusion and delusion.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Time Travel, Fiction, Middle Grade, Ghosts

171 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 1995

About the author

As a children's book author Sid Fleischman felt a special obligation to his readers. "The books we enjoy as children stay with us forever -- they have a special impact. Paragraph after paragraph and page after page, the author must deliver his or her best work." With almost 60 books to his credit, some of which have been made into motion pictures, Sid Fleischman can be assured that his work will make a special impact.

Sid Fleischman wrote his books at a huge table cluttered with projects: story ideas, library books, research, letters, notes, pens, pencils, and a computer. He lived in an old-fashioned, two-story house full of creaks and character, and enjoys hearing the sound of the nearby Pacific Ocean.

Fleischman passed away after a battle with cancer on March 17, 2010, the day after his ninetieth birthday.

He was the father of Newbery Medal winning writer and poet Paul Fleischman, author of Joyful Noise; they are the only father and son to receive Newbery awards.

Reviews

[Mahdi Golestani · Rating 4 out of 5]

این عنوان تحت عنوان مسافری با پاپوش های جهنمی توسط نشر هوپا ترجمه و چاپ شده .
نشر هوپا از سید فلاش من سه عنوان ترجمه و چاپ کرده که به عنوان کتاب های کودک و نوجوان دسته بندی میشن
که به غیر این عنوان شامل . کوهستان شارلاتان و کتک خور سلطنتی میشه .
عنوان مسافری با پاپوش های جهنمی و به سختی و عنوان کوهستان شارلاتان به راحتی میتونن مخاطب بزرگ سال رو نیز راضی کنند .
و به شخصه عنوان کوهستان شارلاتان رو بابت مطالعه به همه توصیه میکنم به خصوص بزرگسالان میتونن از این عنوان شیرین لذت ببرند البته بر خلاف درجه ی ۱۱ سال به بالا بخاطر وجود چند کلمه ی رکیک موجود به افراد کم سن خیر

[Marika Gillis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buddy Stebbins lives alone with his 23-year-old lawyer sister Liz after their parents are killed in a small plane crash. In an outlandish attempt to acquire money in order to pay back their father's debts, Liz and Buddy follow directions that are left on their answering machine by a mysterious ancestor, and inadvertently stumble back in time to the year 1692. Buddy is transported to a pirate ship captained by another of their ancestors, John Crackstone.

Liz and Buddy are entangled in a story that has everything- orphans, time travel, witchcraft, pirate ships, magic, and even ghosts. And, yet, even with all that hubbub woven throughout this story, it somehow fails to deliver. So much was squeezed into this chapter book, it felt as though all the parts were spread a little thin. Not that this was a terrible book, I just had a hard time feeling attached to the characters or invested in the action, and I found myself comparing this book to others that were not so lacking. If you want a good book about orphans, check out The Thief Lord. If you'd like to read a fabulous kids' book about time travel, try A Wrinkle in Time. If it's witchcraft or magic you're looking for, any of the Harry Potter books will do nicely! Or Ella Enchanted, if you're looking for something a little dreamier. And, of course, ship drama can be found in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which was the book that came to mind most often while reading The 13th Floor.

A note to Mr. Fleischman: Maybe a little less pirate ship and a little more magic next time. Or a little less orphans and a little more ghosts. Either way.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sort of skirted around this book in middle school; it was always there, always looked interesting, but I never picked it up. Recently, I found it in a used bookstore. After reading it, I wish I'd picked it up earlier. It was absolutely a joy to read. It centred on Buddy, a twelve year old, and his lawyer of a sister. They're orphans in serious money trouble. They get transported back in time and meet some of their family, specifically a pirate, his wife, and a little girl who, when grown, will marry the pirate's son. Even though its called a "ghost story," the book focuses on the lives of these past characters. The little girl is accused of witchcraft, and the pirate gets arrested. buddy and his sister help both of them, eventually helping themselves. The book is well written, funny, exciting, and endearing. I absolutely suggest it.

[Beth G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 13th Floor is not so much a ghost story as it is a story of time-travelling adventure. Twelve-year-old Buddy and his sister Liz (a grown-up lawyer) lost their parents to a plane crash and are about to lose their house in order to pay off their father's debts when Buddy, acting on an old family legend, calls on one of their ancestors, the fierce pirate Captain Crackstone. A ghostly voice on their answering machine directs Liz and Buddy to the 13th floor of an office building. Once they each find their way there, they tumble through time to the year 1692. It will take all of their cleverness to get themselves back home again. A fantastic historical adventure, even if the book's present time feels a little dated now.

[Jennifer Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several interesting bits of early New England history are woven into the story. The “ghost story” subtitle is a bit misleading, in my opinion. But it’s a quick adventure that will appeal to many kids.

[Penni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pre-reading books for the granddaughters so I can leave them reviews of books I believe they will enjoy. Not one that I would choose for them but I wouldn't discourage them from reading it if they wish to choose it for themselves.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisited a book I liked very much as a kid (loved all Fleischman's books) and found it has held up well. Good characters, humor, and lots of action.

[Amara Tanith]

This is another book I picked up for a dime a million years ago and never got around to reading. And after finally sitting down to read a couple chapters... not reading this was probably the right way to go.

Since I have so many other books to get through and only so much time to spend on the project, I'm not going to be reading any more of this one. The two chapters that I did read were, uh, not great; the humor was really cringey, the main character was an odd little butthead who was neither funny nor sympathetic, and the story was just in general very written--the kind of prose that makes the reader painfully aware that what they're reading is coming from the mind of a elderly man who only thinks he's successfully pulling off the voice of a modern preteen boy. (I mean, really, what kind of teen boy in 1995 references his crush by way of Greta Garbo? C'mon!)

Obviously, there's some possibility that the book dramatically improves at some point after the chapters I read; if that is the case, I will not be discovering it for myself. What little I did read of this book did nothing to convince me that the rest of it was worth my investment, and so it's going to the top of my 'for eBay' pile as of now.

As I did read so few chapters, however, I will be leaving this review unrated.

[Adriane Devries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two orphans get lost in between floors in a mysterious old building and end up in the midst of a family drama several generations in their own past. Dare they save a family member wrongly accused of witchcraft, when doing so might irrevocably alter, or eliminate, their own existence? Anyone who enjoys stories about orphans, pirates, sailing lore, time travel, historic fiction and witches will get a kick out of this salty yarn. Be warned that my family and I might have accidentally learned something about the Salem Witch trials and the importance of a stable judicial system while we were engrossed in this adventurous tale, and you just might, too. We also have memorized one of the pirate's speeches for our classroom, perfect to haul out on National Talk Like a Pirate Day, or any other time when we might traipse around town in flouncy shirts with swords on our belts.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a big disappointment. I really liked Fleischman's "Jim Ugly," so I had high expectations for this one, especially since I enjoy time-travel stories. Instead "The 13th Floor" was just silly. A boy and his adult sister, strapped for cash by their parents' deaths, receive an answering machine message from a long-dead ancestor summoning them back to 1690s Boston via a time portal on the 13th floor of a building. So far, corny but good. But then there's pirates and accused witches and there's too many plots and not enough substance. A high-ability second grader might enjoy it, but not anyone much older. For a slightly more advanced kid I'd strongly recommend Ted Bell's "Nick of Time."

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I bought the book from the library's second-hand table simply because of the title. (My office is on the 13th floor, or was until Hurricane Harvey two weeks ago!).

This time-traveling story reminded me of Nick of Time (a book, and not related to the movie of the same name). But the witch trial literally had me worrying (I blame that on recently finishing The Crucible). And the ending had a nice surprise that anchors the story to the present.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sid Fleischman writes great books for kids (boys) that don't want to read. This one -- like Whipping Boy, moves fast and smoothly. Tells the story. Gets the job done. And it's fun! I guess I'm so used to reading series books that to get through a story in 131 pages is a shock.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super quick read. Fun adventure with pirates and witches and no ghosts at all.

[D'Anne Mosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz and Buddy are all on their own after their parents death. Liz is 23, Buddy is 12. But they manage on their own. Sort of. Money is tough, and they might have to sell their house. Their house is amazing, though! Full of treasures and artifacts from their family the light he ages. Their grandfather could speak to ghosts. And their most famous ancestor is a pirate, hanged before his treasure could be discovered. When they receive a voicemail from a relative (what? They have no known relatives!) in trouble, they follow the instructions to the 13th floor of The building their great grandfather once owned. But, there is no 13th floor—or is there?! That mystery floor is actually portal back in time where Liz and Buddy must battle witchcraft accusations and meet up with the dread pirate of their ancestry. But will they be stuck in the last forever?

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy Stebbins lives with his older sister, a new lawyer. Their parents were killed in a planet crash, and now they only have each other. Buddy stumbles upon a mystery. First, his sister goes missing. Buddy’s tracking instincts leads him to a secret passage on the thirteenth floor of an old building, a floor that almost doesn’t exist. Passing through a light between floors, he finds himself on a pirate ship, 300 years in the past. Can he follow his sister’s trail? Surely he is on the right track, if only he doesn’t get thrown overboard for being a stowaway. This highly imaginative and clever tale is sure to enthrall and amuse young readers. Both boys and girls will find characters to like and admire. It is a well written tale with enough intrigue to be interesting but not scary. The detailed illustrations add much to the enjoyment to the story.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 13th Floor: A Ghost Story by Sid Fleischman is about Buddy Stebbins and how him and his sister are alone, with no other other family, and one day both their lives change. I recommend this book to all middle school students because this book really has a cool fiction plot line which tells you a good story. So what happens is that they receive a strange call and investigate it, which leads them into a old building and Buddy’s sister has gone missing. He finds the 13th floor and has the adventure of his life. The theme of this story is to learn with what you’re going through. Let your mind wonder and let it learn your history or present to realize how special these moments could be and how big of an impact it could be on you.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a neat "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need" story (light spoiler, I guess), although the way it resolves is a bit unbelievable, considering the setting. Maybe if I imagine it as a shared hallucination, or ghostly projection to share history to the current generation, then it makes sense without breaking historical precedent, because it feels too hopeful to expect this had a good ending but all the other tragedies still happened... I don't know.

Worth a read anyway! (although, leave major historical landmarks alone and don't go digging them up based on a children's book, please)

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED this book when I was a kid, so when I saw a patron check it out at work last week, I was like OMG I HAVE TO RE-READ THIS!!! Well, I still liked it, but it certainly was far from what I remembered. I noticed a few somewhat large inconsistencies/missing pieces of information. I noticed that most characters were pretty...shallow. Things moved so fast compared to middle grade books written today (in my opinion), that it was hard to get deep into everything. But it was still a cute story, so it gets a 3.

[John Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stebbins’ phone rings, it’s Abigail Parsons saying to meet her on the 13th floor of some office. Liz dismisses it as a hoax, but when she doesn’t show up the next day Buddy sees his sister was looking at an old family history and there was a girl of that name. Buddy sets off to look for her, when he gets off the elevator he’s thrust into the bilge of his ancestor’s privateer ship.

What ensues are encounters with a pirate ship, a witch trial, and buried treasure. Fast fun read. Young adult. The plot holds together in this time travel tale. We cared about Buddy and Liz. 4.3 stars.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. The premise of the story is fun, with a time travel back in time to save Buddy’s family, but the ghost part of the title was a little weird and didn’t seem to fit. The writing is dated, and I am not sure if kids will love that. I had a hard time keeping everyone apart, but that was also probably because I was not invested in the story. I did like the Captain getting arrested for kissing his wife on the Sabbath. Some mild elements of danger. Fans of pirate stories might enjoy the book. 4th grade and up.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 13th floor I really like the adventure they went through in time to save an ancestor from being hanged. I also thought it was cool how the received a message from an answering machine. It made me want to go back in time to and maybe save one of my ancestors. I also like how buddy is looking for treasure to pay their mounting bills, and Liz is hoping to save Abigail their ancestor from being hanged. I would recommend this book for 5th-7th grade.

[Seb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ey, ich weiß auch nicht warum, aber ich fand's echt gut. Sehr sehr leichte Lektüre, ist halt n Jugendbuch. Aber ich muss sagen, hätte ich das vor 10 Jahren gelesen (wo ich es auch bekommen hatte😅), hätte ich womöglich 5 Sterne gegeben. Ehrlich gesagt, selbst jetzt noch ziemlich spannend und mich hat die Story echt gecatched obwohl ich wirklich komplett ohne Erwartungen reingegangen bin. Wirklich angenehme 4/5 Sternen.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good adventure for a younger mature reader, elementary age, with some New England/early American history. Lots of things going on, and not really a ghost story: time travel, pirates, vague treasure, judges and witch trials.

[Phteven Phtiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I‘ve read it for my class and it‘s really age appropriate, but that‘s almost the best thing about this story. It doesn‘t really go that deep and the biggest thing I missed was the lack of explanation as WHY they landed in the 17th century. It never gets explained!

[Kristi Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars. I am not exactly sure how this is labeled a ghost story-more a time travel adventure book. I think my kids would like it. Lots of information about New England witch trials and things going on in that time period.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one for those who want to read adventures, going back to history, pirates.

[Trey Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to read early on about time travel.

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a 4.5--so fun! See http://www.eatreadandbemommy.com/2018... for details.

[Sonja Persch · Rating 5 out of 5]

War als Kind mein absolutes Lieblingsbuch!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. The last sentence, in an author's note at the very end of the book, was chilling.