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Secrets of Greymoor
In this nineteenth-century mystery, a spunky girl strives to decipher a code in order to recover her family’s lost fortune.
No one ever talks about Hattie’s grandfather, who’s been hidden in the Utica Insane Asylum ever since he squandered Grandmother’s fortune and started hearing voices in the walls. When a telegram arrives with news of Grandfather’s death, old wounds are reopened and financial ruin looms once again. But it’s not until Hattie intercepts a threatening notice from the tax collector that she realizes they’re in danger of losing everything — including the family estate. A mysterious book containing a code written by Grandfather leads Hattie to believe that Grandmother’s fortune may not be lost after all, however, and though she works feverishly to crack the code, every step forward leads to another riddle. Are the contents of the book simply the ravings of a madman, or is it possible that there was more to Grandfather than met the eye?
No one ever talks about Hattie’s grandfather, who’s been hidden in the Utica Insane Asylum ever since he squandered Grandmother’s fortune and started hearing voices in the walls. When a telegram arrives with news of Grandfather’s death, old wounds are reopened and financial ruin looms once again. But it’s not until Hattie intercepts a threatening notice from the tax collector that she realizes they’re in danger of losing everything — including the family estate. A mysterious book containing a code written by Grandfather leads Hattie to believe that Grandmother’s fortune may not be lost after all, however, and though she works feverishly to crack the code, every step forward leads to another riddle. Are the contents of the book simply the ravings of a madman, or is it possible that there was more to Grandfather than met the eye?
176 pages, Hardcover
First published February 10, 2009
About the author
Clara Gillow Clark
6 books6 followersThe youngest child in a family who came from "a long line of farmers and readers," Clara Gillow Clark began school in a one-room schoolhouse and-when she wasn't wanting to be an inventor, archaeologist, geologist, missionary, or solo violinist-grew increasingly drawn to writing. After marrying and having a son, she read a magazine article on children's author Judy Blume, who, like her, was a stay-at-home wife who sold her own crafts before starting her writing career. Inspired, Clara Gillow Clark began commuting to writing classes in New York City, while juggling jobs ranging from teacher's aide to store manager.
Her long efforts paid off. "Now I work at home,"she says, happily. When she's not writing--or reading, or teaching writing, or talking shop with other writers--she enjoys baking, gardening, and walking the dirt roads bordering her little red house, surrounded by her own meadows, woods, and lake. "Walking," she says, "is a love I learned from my father, who took his sprawling brood on nature walks and taught us to stop long enough to really see things."
Clara Gillow Clark lives in Pennsylvania.
Her long efforts paid off. "Now I work at home,"she says, happily. When she's not writing--or reading, or teaching writing, or talking shop with other writers--she enjoys baking, gardening, and walking the dirt roads bordering her little red house, surrounded by her own meadows, woods, and lake. "Walking," she says, "is a love I learned from my father, who took his sprawling brood on nature walks and taught us to stop long enough to really see things."
Clara Gillow Clark lives in Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 5, 2010
It was pretty clear I had started in the middle. This is actually the third book about Hattie, but despite missing the first two, this one was charming and I didn't feel too lost. Hattie is a hills girl, a backcountry nobody who is living with her wealthy society grandmother in the late 19th century. In this book, Hattie's grandmother is crumbling under a financial burden and Hattie tries to find ways to get her grandmother out of trouble. The cast of characters is charming, and Hattie herself is a girl after my own heart. She tries to impress her classmates, with the best intentions, but only succeeds in alienating herself more. She is loyal to her family and a spunky little girl.
Those who enjoy a bit of history with a twist of mystery might like this story. Those who are trying to discuss class issues might also be able to make use of this book. I'm not sure what the rest of the series is like, but I plan on finding out!
Nothing obviously objectionable.
Those who enjoy a bit of history with a twist of mystery might like this story. Those who are trying to discuss class issues might also be able to make use of this book. I'm not sure what the rest of the series is like, but I plan on finding out!
Nothing obviously objectionable.
March 1, 2011
The cover had me expecting an old fashioned mystery. Not to be. Part of a series of books about the main character.
November 8, 2019
GREAT protagonist --- the kind you'd like your children to emulate.
September 25, 2021
Somehow this fell kind of flat for me. The heroine can't really do much to help her grandma's situation - it's realistic, but kind of a letdown.
March 20, 2014
I bought this book because of the mysterious looking picture on the dust jacket. I didn't realize that this was actually book #3 of a series. The story was complete in itself and it didn't matter that I didn't read the first two, though. The story is a charming period piece taking place in the 19th century.
Hattie Belle Basket has come from the cabin the woods where she lived with her Pa (in previous books) to stay with her society matron maternal Grandmother on "Snob Hill", as it is called by girls her age at the "Common" school. Her Pa wants her to have the education that she can only get in the city (New York, I believe). But Grandmother, from a well-to-do prestigious family, has no fortune. Her husband, Hattie's Grandpa, had lost all their money before being put in an asylum. Now Grandpa is dead, the taxes are overdue, and there's no money to pay them but Hattie thinks Grandpa hid the treasure and she just has to find it. The book ends satisfactorily enough but not a fairy-tale ending. Also, not much of a mystery.
I'm curious about the previous two books.
Hattie Belle Basket has come from the cabin the woods where she lived with her Pa (in previous books) to stay with her society matron maternal Grandmother on "Snob Hill", as it is called by girls her age at the "Common" school. Her Pa wants her to have the education that she can only get in the city (New York, I believe). But Grandmother, from a well-to-do prestigious family, has no fortune. Her husband, Hattie's Grandpa, had lost all their money before being put in an asylum. Now Grandpa is dead, the taxes are overdue, and there's no money to pay them but Hattie thinks Grandpa hid the treasure and she just has to find it. The book ends satisfactorily enough but not a fairy-tale ending. Also, not much of a mystery.
I'm curious about the previous two books.
January 3, 2015
Where to begin? The jacket made this book sound like a mystery (akin, say, to Treasure of Green Knowe, and when I read the words "Utica Insane Asylum" in the first few pages, I thought that this would be a very different type of book.
Instead, I got a short, historical fiction book about Hattie, who has a penchant for lying and losing her temper, and whose Grandmother (once part of Society) is about to lose her house through non-payment of taxes. There is no real mystery, no "secret" of Greymoor, nothing thrilling or in keeping with the jacket blurb or the cover.
Instead, I got a short, historical fiction book about Hattie, who has a penchant for lying and losing her temper, and whose Grandmother (once part of Society) is about to lose her house through non-payment of taxes. There is no real mystery, no "secret" of Greymoor, nothing thrilling or in keeping with the jacket blurb or the cover.
May 26, 2009
I didn't realize this book was part of a series but it didn't make the story hard to follow. I chose this book based on the title and the cover (bad Erin, I know) and thought it would be a mystery but it's not. That being said the story was good even though you knew what was going to happen before it happened. It was good to see Hattie learn what true friendship meant and also to understand what she wanted and how to get it.
February 17, 2009
This is the third in a series centered around a young girl named Hattie living in the late nineteenth century. Hattie misses her father keenly but realizes living with her Grandmother is where she needs to be. However, with property taxes due and no prospects for money in sight, Hattie and her Grandmother are faced with foreclosure, and Grandmother refuses to face reality.
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January 27, 2011Colleen Mondor reviewed this at Chasing Ray. She grabbed me with the comparison to my beloved Nancy Drew (the old ones!), but then she said that the mystery is overplayed by the "real" story of the book. Intriguing.
July 27, 2010
Third in the Hattie Basket trilogy--this book was a nice story with an old-fashioned feel. It was well-written and had a good mystery. In the end, Hattie was not able to save the day but the growth her character experiences is laudable.
March 3, 2011
This book sounds like a great mystery on the book jacket, but it's really not very mysterious. It is an interesting historical fiction novel. The ending is realistic, no last minute fairytale, but it's a good ending.
July 25, 2009
3.5 I will admit that you think it's a mystery based on the cover, when it isn't. However, it's a well written and enjoyable story.
October 1, 2009
Quick read but not much of a mystery in this third book about Hattie in which she makes several mistakes and is unhappy when she doesn't represent herself honestly.
December 22, 2009
Disappointing.
July 2, 2010
Spoiler coming up. You’ve been warned.
Disappointing ending. The author sets up this elaborate treasure hunt and it comes to nothing. Zip.
Disappointing ending. The author sets up this elaborate treasure hunt and it comes to nothing. Zip.
September 17, 2010
There is much less mystery to this historical fiction piece than it implies. This is more about relationships, societal status and self-discovery than mystery and intrigue.
March 21, 2011
Book 3.
November 29, 2011
This YA novel would catch the interest of an avid history buff; unfortunately, that doesn't comprise the average YA reader. The plot is slow and the "secret" isn't exactly attention sustaining.
July 22, 2013
didn't finish.
May 30, 2009
This is supposed to be a mystery but it really isn't. Dull over all.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews