The Secret of the Seven Crows

by Wylly Folk St. John, Judith Gwyn Brown (Illustrator)

Alternate Cover Edition can be found here.

There was something mighty spooky about that huge old clapboard structure behind the sand dunes and the sea oats. It was as gray as the stormy twilight sky behind it and the rolling waves of the Gulf in front of it and the Spanish moss that hung on the bent and twisted live oak and cedar trees all around it.

Shelley's family moves into an old mansion on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and discover that there is a mystery to be solved and a treasure to be found before the house can really belong to them. Shelley wants to solve the mystery all by herself...but encounters danger...intriguing clues...a poltergeist... and spooky Gulf Coast legends.

-from the back cover

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

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Wylly Folk St. John was a popular and successful author of children's mystery books and an Atlanta journalist whose work was much admired across America in the mid 20th century.

She was born in 1908 in Bamberg County, SC. She loved to read and maintained an interest in reading and writing from an early age; she even published a poem at the age of 9. She grew up in Savannah where her family had moved and was graduated from Savannah High School. She received a A.B. in Journalism at the University of Georgia in 1930.

She was hired for the staff of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution Sunday magazine in 1941 and remained there until 1954 when she joined her husband, an Army officer who was stationed at a hospital in Germany. When they returned home, she resumed working for the newspaper and began freelancing stories.

Redbook magazine published several of her book-length novels, which focused on mysteries but with a wide range of appealing young characters whose adventures were sometimes "torrid," in one coleague's words. When it came to writing children's stories, she said in 1966, "You have to be careful about what expressions might offend parents, teachers and librarians." But she nonetheless took pleasure in surprising her reading with some unexpected words.

Her mystery novels for young readers included "The Ghost Next Door," "Uncle Robert's Secret," "The Secret of the Seven Crows," "The Mystery of the Other Girl," "Christmas Tree Mystery," "The Mystery of the Mystery Book," "The Mystery of the Gingerbread House," "The Secret of Hidden Creek" and "The Secrets of the Pirate Inn," the latter of which was adapted for a television series by Walt Disney. She was named Georgia author of the Year by the Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists in 1968.

She spent the last years of her life in Social Circle in Waltson County with her family, and she died there of cancer in 1985.

~Georgia Center for the Book

Reviews

[Rebecca Lowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was a kid. Loved it.
And I always wondered if Adam Duritz did, too.

[Laura Arive · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was in 4th or 5th grade and wanted to share it with my 5th grader. I loved it as a child and Luca seemed pretty enthralled with it too.

[Paul Wartenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remembered this from childhood, when I was asked about which children's books I would recommend here at the library. Now I want to read it again.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a kid and thinking it was a great mystery, so I thought I'd read it again. A family moves into a mansion on the Mississippi Gulf Coast where they intend to fix it up and make it a school. They soon meet a young girl named Gale with Dracula, her pet crow. She tells them about her family which owns the old mansion and the mysterious treasure that is supposed to be hidden there.
The clues to the mystery are not bad, but reading this as an adult, I found that there are too many annoying and dated features to the kids in the family that I didn't really enjoy reading it that much. This book IS older than I am, but still, Nancy Drew holds up to the test of time, right? This one doesn't.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite childhood books, hands down.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

another book that's just as good today as it was when I read it back in 4th grade

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five children put their heads together to unravel the clues to solve a long-time family mystery of long-lost treasure. A few spooky-ish moments, not too scary, plenty of plot twists to keep you guessing.

[Libby · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a dumb book and not really worth my time but also a kids book so I shouldn’t be so harsh. Had a crow named Dracula and I liked that, also a twist at the end that *SPOILER* it was historical fiction involving John Wilkes booth??

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Torn between two and three stars on this one. There were some fun elements (pet crow!) that I would have loved as a child, but let's just say some other aspects of the story did not age well.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery, explains the premise behind an indecipherable code, and interesting idea about a key point in history.

[Jennifer Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood Favorite! Loved the revisit.

[ash]

i read this in 3rd grade i remember it was nutso

[KC Punch · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite books. Just an excellent read- especially for young people.

[Danielle R · Rating 4 out of 5]

"One crow means sorrow,
Two crows mean joy,
Three crows a wedding,
Four crows a boy.
Five crows mean silver,
Six crows mean gold,
Seven crows a secret,
That's never been told."

This was one of my favorite childhood mysteries. I've always loved that folk rhyme at the beginning. I like crows, I like ghosts, I like treasure hunts. I love that spooky cover! I've been rereading for nostalgia lately and this held up very well. (This is the book where the cat's name is Grandma!)

The gaggle of children (Jason, Shelley, Pam, Bug, and Gale) had much more adult help than I remember. In the face of most children's mystery stories being completely dangerous for the age group of characters, I actually enjoyed that Mom and Dad were right there with them the whole time. Even if they weren't ready to believe in a poltergeist, they were definitely ready to believe there was an intruder.

The clues were very believably solved, part luck and part skill with (again) some adult help. The secret and the treasure lean abruptly into American History in a way that doesn't feel like it belongs with the rest of the plot... Why John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln assassination? The 'treasure' was the blood money paid to the old man who may or may not have been JWB, which he could never bring himself to spend, but the kids even point out that Booth was caught and killed. So... was it really blood money from the assassination? Was old lady Crawley just really into puzzles? Either way, that was such a minor part that I don't think it should affect anyone's enjoyment. The mystery is why we were here and it delivered. 4/5

"Well, that's why such legends live on, Shelley thought. Because people like to believe they know mysterious secrets."

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is actually written by Wylly Folk St. John. It is illustrated by Judith Gwyn Brown. If you look at the cover you will see the actual author's name. It was recommended by someone in my children's literature book group. It is a fun kid's mystery. I felt a little distanced from the characters. Enjoyed it anyway.

[Particle_Person · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was a kid, but on rereading I found it had some issues (mentioned by previous reviewers upthread). What it does well, and still does well, is atmosphere. It's genuinely creepy, which is hard to pull off. (Also, I love the cover art on this printing.)

[Nicole]

Little bit scary

[Leslie]

I found a list of books I read during the summer when I was about 14. This was one of them. I don't remember anything about it, but I read it.