Summary
The House of Dies Drier is about a young boy named Thomas and his family who move to the House of Dies Drier in Ohio. The House of Dies Drier was a hiding place for slaves in the Underground Railroad, and Thomas's father, who is a history teacher, jumps at the chance to live there. Thomas believes the place is haunted, and with all the secret passage ways, the strange Mr. Pluto, and warnings the family receives, it almost seems as if the place really is haunted. However, it turns out that the warnings are really from a local family who want to find the treasure of Dies Drear and keep it for themselves. None of them expect that old Mr. Pluto, the caretaker for many many years found the treasure years ago and had been protecting it all along.
Theme Focus: Shelter and Refuge: A Historic Focus
The book actually has a double meaning when it comes to the theme of shelter and refuge. First, the house itself was used as a refuge for slaves and offered them a place to hide. However, this isn't the only refuge. Late in the book, a cavern filled with the treasure of Dies Drear is discovered hiding in a cavern that has been watched over by Mr. Pluto for many years. In this case, the theme of shelter and refuge is turned on its head, because the sheltering of the treasure from harm actually becomes a bad thing, enslaving Mr. Pluto, who feels responsible for its continuing safety. A good social issue to discuss with the class then could be to discuss when being sheltered or given refuge can be a good thing and when it can be a negative thing. Another issue that could be discussed in relation to the theme is slavery, which is what the house was used to help people escape. Discussing how and why the slaves needed refuges to escape would fit nicely in with this them as well.
Literary Quality
Although this story is told really more from the point of view of an omniscient narrator than from a young adult, the story still focuses mostly on the adolescent throughout the story, and still retains some of the literary qualities that make a good Young Adult Book. The books best quality is its plot, which is very imaginative, suspensful and tense. Although it is a long book, the need to find out what happens next makes the plot go very quickly. The language of the book is simple, yet vivid making it interesting to read. Finally the themes do inform about slavery and what they had to do to hide in an almost truthful manner, but it stays out of the more challenging parts of the theme. I do think it is missing a couple of essential qualities though. The book seems be lacking the ability to help readers develop in their own lives and to grow in relation to their personal issues. Although the book is interesting, personal connections for the students may be difficult to make.
Potential Popularity and Student Interest
Since the book is told mostly from a male perspective, the book would probably appeal more to boys than girls. Although it is a longer book, the language for the most part is simple, so I think boys 13-18 would be interested in this. However, some girls may find the suspense and adventure just as exciting as the boys do, so this may be another book that students would want to choose to read. I also think this book would be interesting to anyone that likes learning about history or anyone who enjoys ghost stories, since it incorporates these two things into the plot nicely. Finally, it would be interesting to any student who has a personal connection to a former slave or to the Underground Railroad.
Consideration for the Reader
The Lexile Level for Dies Drear is 670. The book seems to only have a few challenges to students that may keep them from understanding what it is about. One of these challenges is understanding the historical context. Because the plot is built around what happened at that house in history, students would probably benefit from information about Slavery and the Underground Railroad before they begin to read. The other hurdle to comprehension for students may be some of the vocabulary. A few of the words may need to be defined for the students, but these words are limited.
Potential Uses for the Classroom
In the classroom, this book would be great to teach students about slavery and the Underground Railroad. I also think it would be a good book to teach suspense, irony and foreshadowing to students. For example, irony came into play when it is discovered that the treasure which was supposed to free so slaves had enslaved Mr. Pluto and taken his family away from him. Another use for this book in the classroom could be to teach the elements of fiction such as plot or character.
Potential Censor Targets
The only censor target that I can think of that might be challenged is that the book presents slavery and how the slaves escaped and hid. Some censors might challenge the book because it isn't completely historically accurate and seems to take to light of a tone with such a serious issue.