Ghost of a Hanged Man - Hardcover

Vande Velde, Vivian

3.54

166 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761450157 ISBN 13: 9780761450153

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp/Ccb, 1998

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In the summer of 1877, when famous outlaw Jake Barnette is about to be hanged for three train robberies, two dozen bank hold-ups, and sixteen murders, he threatens to return from the grave for one final revenge, and strange things begin to happen all over town.

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About the Author:

* Vivian Vande Velde is the author of many popular novels about ghosts, mystery and the occult. She lives in New York, USA.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6-When the infamous outlaw Jake Barnette is sentenced to be hanged in the summer of 1877, no one pays attention to his threat of coming back and killing the men who brought him to justice and their families as well. The following spring, a "tinker" woman predicts danger for the town. Soon, the river floods for the first time ever and several coffins come up out of the wet ground of the cemetery, including Jake's. Still, 11-year-old Ben and his little sister aren't too worried-even when Zandra, a gypsy girl, gives them each a less-than-favorable tarot reading. After all, their father is the sheriff. Suddenly, the foreman of the jury that convicted Jake dies of seemingly natural causes. Then Judge Wade falls down a flight of stairs and breaks his neck. People try to blame the town's misfortunes on the gypsies. Before leaving, Zandra seeks out Ben and warns him that if he doesn't rebury Jake, the consequences will be dire-if it isn't already too late. There is no remove-the-rubber-mask-and-reveal-the-human-culprit ending here. Jake really is a malevolent apparition come back from the dead to seek revenge and Ben and his family are saved only by the spirit of his dead mother. This unsettling novel has many appealing elements: an evil ghost, a Wild West setting, and a young male narrator who demonstrates courage in the face of danger, but knows it's okay to be afraid.
Carrie Schadle, New York Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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