Ghosts in the Gallery

by Barbara Brooks Wallace

Something dark is happening at Graymark When eleven-year-old orphan Jenny arrives from China at her grandfather's mysterious Graymark House, no one recognizes her. So, in a moment of bleak despair, she agrees to serve as a scullery maid. Why hasn't her grandfather told anyone about her? Didn't her letter of introduction ever arrive? Why does everyone treat her so cruelly? Will Jenny's fate ever change?

Genres: Childrens, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Juvenile, Young Adult

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Award-winning American children's writer. Has received, among others, the NLAPW Children's Book Award and International Youth Library "Best of the Best" for 'Claudia' (2001), as well as the William Allen White Children's Book Award for 'Peppermints in the Parlor' (1983).

Wallace was born and spent her childhood in China, but then moved to the United States. San Francisco was often a port of entry for her family, who lived in a huge, white-pillared mansion on the side of a hill, later to become the Sugar Hill Hall mansion which served as the setting for some of her most popular books. She was a UCLA graduate.

Wallace won two Edgar Allan Poe Awards from the Mystery Writers of America for 'The Twin in the Tavern' (1994) and for 'Sparrows in the Scullery' (1998). 'Cousins in The Castle' (1997 and 'Ghosts in the Gallery' (2001) were also nominated for an Edgar Award.

Reviews

[Lesa Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great YA mystery. Very entertaining.

[Amelia Galluzzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not really about ghosts.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is tough for me to truly give this a star rating. I guess mainly because I wanted a ghost story, and this wasn't. The title would lead you to believe such a thing. It's actually a cute little story that took place. Maybe sometime in the regency or Victorian era? Probably. Maybe there was a date given so I could pin that down better but I'm not going to go back to find out. A young lady who is sent by her dying mother which is her last living relative in China to go and live with a grandfather. She never knew she had. Thought to be a sycophant so given place as a servant while remaining up, beat and friendly with everybody. So it is a cute children's story. The gallery is filled with painting of some of the old family members and they talk about the idea that they could be the ghosts there, but it's spelled out pretty clear. There are no ghosts. You finally do get a wink at the very end so I guess this could fall under paranormal but it also could have just been her imagination.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good young adult novel. Jenny is sent to her grandfather after her parents die in China. When she reaches her new home, the letter that was to explain her arrival has not arrived. Jenny is sent to the basement rooms and becomes a servant. Mysteries surround her as she learns about the untrustworthy people living in her new home.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up as one of the few Americans in China during the Victorian era, young Jenny never knew her real father, who died when she was just an infant. The only father she knows is the kindly man who married her mother when she was a young widow struggling to provide for herself and baby Jenny. The three of them lived a spare but comfortable life over the years. But sudden tragedy strikes Jenny when she is just eleven, when her stepfather and mother die within weeks of each other. On her deathbed, Jenny's mother provides her with the instructions and money neccesary to make the long voyage to the American east coast to live with her paternal grandfather. Along the miserable ocean crossing and railroad trip across the United States, the one thing comforting Jenny is the fact that she will soon be with her grandfather, safe and loved. Instead, she arrives to misery: her mother's letter never arrived, her grandfather is ailing, and her uncle does not believe that Jenny is his niece, and thinks she is an impostor trying to swindle the family fortune. So Jenny is sent to a dank room in the cellar to become a servant. With many mysterious people surrounding her, she begins to wonder just what is going on in gloomy Graymark House, and whether someone could possibly be plotting against her.

Bringing to life a brave, resourceful young girl, this novel spins a dark tale of treachery and sinister plots set against a shadowy 19th-century backdrop.

[Emerson Grim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recently, I finished this book. After reading this book, I was comparing it to other scary books I have read in the past. This book is interesting, but sometimes I found myself bored while flipping through pages. I think that it would be better if they had more events in the story. Jenny, the main character, is haunted throughout the story. She had fought through the hauntings, so the story does have somewhat of a happy ending.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this author! I like how as you meet the supporting characters, you are never quite sure if they are good guys or bad guys. They do some nice things for the heroine, and then they are grouchy and you wonder if they are bad or not. It really keeps you guessing until the end! Wonderful story, and colorful characters! Superb writing!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Wallace's children's books about orphans. In this one Jenny, after her mother dies, is sent to live with a grandfather she has never heard of. Nobody believes she is related to this rich family, and she becomes a servant with a room in the damp cellar. However, everything turns out good in the end. It's not actually about ghosts, though.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book. A little dark for the intended age group though.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author seems to write a lot of books about orfans

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not actually a ghost story, but a pretty cool story none the less. XD

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little mystery. Listened to it on cd with my kids. They enjoyed it too.

[Darin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audio version in the car with the kids. They liked it. We all liked it.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gothic, melodramatic, disconnected...but clean.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little mystery for a child - I'm not a child and I was enthralled.