THE CURSE OF THE DEAD MAN’S DIAMOND by Christyne Morrell
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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review.
While still grieving her beloved grandmother’s death, twelve-year-old Charlie faces another emotional upheaval when her father abruptly moves their little family from their New York City apartment to a dilapidated house in coastal Florida. Charlie is desperate to escape her swampy new life in a creepy, creaky Victorian mansion.
And that’s before she learns about the curse.
A new classmate, Sarah, tells Charlie that the couple who built the house found a diamond on the seashore, washed up from a wealthy man’s burial at sea. Now, after their tragic deaths, these ghosts are trapped inside the mansion, and Sarah wants nothing more than to free them by finding the cursed diamond and returning it to the sea. Charlie agrees to help Sarah search for the diamond because she has a secret plan of her own: to sell the diamond so she and her dad can afford to move back to New York. But as the ghosts begin to make their presence known and school bullies thwart Charlie and Sarah at every turn, Charlie starts to wonder whether her plans will ever come to fruition–and if they did, whether the devastating consequences to the ghosts and her budding friendship with Sarah would be worth the reward.
Morrell has produced another quirky, speculative middle grade novel which will delight readers as much from its character depth as its transportive adventure. As Charlie struggles to untangle the mystery of the missing diamond, her relationships with friends and family get caught under the magnifying glass, forcing her to come to terms with her own past before she can commit to a vision of the future. This book would make a great addition to any public or school library collection as well as an excellent pick for a middle grade book club!
Susan the Librarian 