In Virginia Hamilton's Edgar Awardwinning novel, teenager Thomas Small and his family must uncover the haunting historical legacy of their Civil Warera houseShortly after moving into an old, spooky home, thirteen-year-old Thomas Small and his family start hearing strange noises. The house has a past, and when Thomas discovers a hidden passageway that may have been part of the Underground Railroad, the family realizes the house has a history as well. To find out all there is to know about the House of Dies Drear, Thomas must explore secret roomsand the secrets of lives lived centuries before, lives that tell the story of America's troubled early years.