The House of Dies Drear

"The House of Dies Drear" is a novel by Virginia Hamilton. It is the story of 13-year-old Thomas, a modern black boy who moves into a house that was once part of the Underground Railroad. His father, Mr. Small, tells Thomas that the caretaker of the house is Mr. Pluto. When they actually live in the house, strange and scary things begin to happen. They meet a malicious family next to them, the Darrows. In the end, they learn that the Darrows are doing the sinister things so they could scare away the Smalls and get the treasure under the house.

The story takes place during 1961, where Thomas Small moves from his great-grandmother's home to a house with many secrets.

Darrows, Mr. Pluto, Mayhew,and the Small Family,and Pesty

The Smalls

The Smalls are an african american family that has moved from North Carolina to Miami Valley, Ohio. The family consists of Mr. Small, who is going to take a job in Ohio at the college, his wife Mrs. Small, and their three sons, Thomas, Billy and Buster. The family feels that the House of Dies Drear is a bit strange, but better than the racist community from where they came from.

The main character, Thomas, is 13 and interested in things that frighten him. He also likes whittling. Thomas makes wood carvings. He also likes to explore. Thomas first believes the old legend about the old house and is scared of what might happen. Thomas the elder son was quiet and he was very brave. He wanted to solve the mystery of the house but was worried about others attacking him.

Mr. Pluto

Pluto, or Henry Skinner, is the caretaker of the House of Dies Drear, and a mysterious man indeed. When the Small family moved in they accused Mr. Pluto of arranging their furniture, which he did do. The Small family also accused Mr. Pluto of ransacking their kitchen, but it turns out to be none other than some unruly "neighbors" called the Darrow boys. He also likes to scare people off his land because of the Darrow boys who try to hurt him.

Pluto has a son named Mayhew Skinner.

The Darrows

The Darrows have had a feud with Pluto since Grandpa Darrow's time. Mr. Pluto and the Darrow's grandpa were once friends when they were little children. They are trying to find the treasure (hidden in a cavern underneath the hill behind Dies Drear's house) that Pluto is hiding from them. One of the youngest Darrow children, oros, wishes to make a friend out of Thomas, but is punished for attempting to do so. The Darrow boys were responsible for ransacking the Smalls' kitchen when the Small family wasn't at home. They also found a little girl named pesty who helped scare the Darrows at the end of the book.

""'=About The Book

The book The House Of Dies Drear is about a african american family that moved from North Carolina to Ohio to live in an old house that was once occupied by a man known as Dies Drear. The house was part of the Underground Railroad with secret tunnels, passages, and hiding places for escaping slaves. The house is isolated from the rest of the town, and the townspeople are very curious about the new people that moved into the Dies Drear house. There is a legend that the house is haunted by Dies Drear and two running slaves that were killed on the same night. There is also a legend that old Dies Drear has his valuables hidden in one of his tunnels. The Darrow boys are very interested in getting his loot for themselves and will do anything to get it, so they try to scare the Smalls and Mr.Pluto out of the house so they can search it once again.""'