Eleanor, Alice, and the Roosevelt Ghosts

Product Description

Murderous ghosts and buried family secrets threaten young Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt in this thrilling middle-grade novel that puts a supernatural spin on alternate history.

It’s 1898 in New York City and ghosts exist among humans.

When an unusual spirit takes up residence at the Roosevelt house, thirteen-year-old Eleanor and fourteen-year-old Alice are suspicious. The cousins don’t get along, but they know something is not right. This ghost is more than a pesky nuisance. The authorities claim he’s safe to be around, even as his mischievous behavior grows stranger and more menacing. It’s almost like he wants to scare the Roosevelts out of their home – and no one seems to care!

Meanwhile, Eleanor and Alice discover a dangerous ghost in the house where Alice was born and her mother died. Is someone else haunting the family?

Introverted Eleanor and unruly Alice develop an unlikely friendship as they explore the family’s dark, complicated history. It’s up to them to destroy both ghosts and come to terms with their family’s losses.

Told from alternating perspectives, thrills and chills abound in Dianne K. Salerni’s imaginative novel about a legendary family and the ghosts that haunt their secrets.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Thirteen-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt and her 14-year-old cousin Alice could not be more different. Eleanor is practical and meek, while Alice is reckless and brash. And in this alternate version of 1898 New York City, ghosts are definitely real, and hauntings are an accepted part of life. When a haunting “erupts” in the home of the girls’ beloved Aunt Bye, they resolve to overcome their differences and team up to investigate and hopefully eradicate the ghost. Their sleuthing leads to a shocking discovery that forces them to confront family ghosts, both literally and figuratively. The Roosevelt family is known for its many celebrated, larger-than-life personalities, and it is refreshing that Salerni centers these charismatic female characters. But the plot hinges on the alteration of the true circumstances of the deaths of Theodore Roosevelt’s mother and first wife, a tragedy that is somewhat cheapened when retold as a ghost story. Nevertheless, the supernatural phenomena associated with the haunting are chilling, and the protagonists’ plucky bravery is undeniable. Fans of presidential history will likely appreciate the novel’s hint at a budding romance between Eleanor and Franklin, but true history buffs may be dismayed by Salerni’s deviation from the truth. VERDICT A unique premise that doesn’t quite live up to its potential, though it may appeal to ardent fans of historical fiction and ghost stories.-Dana West, Roosevelt H.S., Seattleα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“The concept for this story is totally bizarre—but this book is a delight! Alice and Eleanor are sympathetic and charming characters, and Salerni develops their personalities, fashion, and physical attributes so they are easily recognizable to readers of history. . . . An immensely fun read.”—
Historical Novel Society
 
“Salerni skillfully incorporates facts about the extended Roosevelt family . . . into a lively and inventive ghost story/mystery/historical fiction mashup. . . . Although the novel is engrossing right from the start, tensions build very quicky to a thrilling,
Ghostbusters-esque climax”
—The Horn Book

“A spooky, fast-paced, and inventive tale. Salerni expertly blends fact and fiction, providing a glimpse of Eleanor and Alice Roosevelt’s childhood that is so compelling, you almost wish the ghost parts were true.”—Erin Bowman, Edgar Award–nominated author of 
Contagion and 
The Girl and the Witch’s Garden

“This mix of history and fantasy creates a nifty setting for a middle-grade mystery”
  —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Dianne K. Salerni