Product Description

Allie Nichols is being pursued by a ghost.Her friend Karen calls Allie a liar and doesn't want to hear "stuff like that." But her old pal, Dub, listens eagerly as Allie tells him about the voice that guides her down a steep cliff side, the girl she imagines who begs, "Help me," and a terrible nightmare in which that girl falls to her death. Who is that girl? Is she the ghost? And what does the ghost want from Allie?

01 Nutmeg Children's Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Grds 4-6),00-01 William Allen White Children's Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Land of Enchantment Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 3-6), 00-01 Sequoyah Children's Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Young Reader's Choice Award Program Masterlist, 00-01 South Carolina Book Award Masterlist(Grds 3-8), and The 2000 Texas Bluebonnet Award

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #708305 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-31
• Released on: 1999-10-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-An imaginative and adventurous sixth grader makes a connection with the ghost of the victim of an unsolved murder and puts her own life in jeopardy to find the killer. Strange events begin when a calm, unknown voice prevents Allie from panicking and falling from a dangerous cliff while fossil hunting. Then, an old journal mysteriously appears in her mailbox. Allie often feels a presence nearby and dreams of a girl falling from the cliff. She then discovers the grave marker of an 11-year-old girl who was missing and presumed dead in 1994. Because of her reputation for telling stories, Allie cannot convince anyone to believe her except her longtime friend and fellow fossil hunter, Dub. Driven to pursue the mystery, Allie finds an old diary that provides her with facts about the girl's death. Foolishly, she reveals what she knows and endangers her own life. Tension builds throughout the story. A contemporary murder and ghost make the threat immediate and the danger real. Allie is a compelling and well-drawn character. She is determined and unsure of herself, foolish, impetuous, and brave. The dynamics of adolescent relationships add depth to the story. Fans of ghost stories by Betty Ren Wright and Mary Downing Hahn will find this excellent book difficult to put down.
Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-6. A tense opening scene draws children right into this beautifully crafted thriller: Allie Nichols hangs by a thread on the side of a steep cliff in Fossil Glen. Readers have nothing to worry about, though, because Allie is guided safely down by a reassuring voice belonging to the ghost of a young girl who died in the glen four years earlier. It seems Allie has been chosen to avenge the girl's murder, which was made to look like an accident by a greedy real-estate developer, the boyfriend of the girl's mother. As she did in her historical novel The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker (1996), DeFelice does a splendid job of unfolding the complicated plot, dispensing information in just the right amounts, and making connections. Very little time is given to characters and events that don't advance the story, resulting in an expertly paced, dynamic page-turner that never gives readers the chance to become distracted or lose interest. It's another fine title from a fine author. Lauren Peterson

From Kirkus Reviews
While this novel's basic plot elements--a ghost out for revenge, a sinister real-estate deal, a child who knows about a murder, but no one believes her--have been worked over numerous times, DeFelice (see review, above) gives it unusual warmth, with vivid characterizations. Allie, 11, stuck on a cliff while fossil-hunting, hears a ghostly voice with life-saving instructions to help her down. A series of strange events and apparitions ensues, culminating in Allie's discovery of the diary of Lucy, a girl who was murdered by her stepfather-to-be for interfering in his shady business plans. No one except her friend Dub believes Allie, and her parents and some sneering friends worry that she can't always tell the difference between her imagination and reality. But one person knows that Allie isn't lying, and that's the killer. From an affectionate younger brother and geeky, loyal best friend, to a gifted and empathetic teacher, Allie is surrounded by strong secondary players; DeFelice, working in a more contemporary setting than some of her previous books, deftly combines the supernatural aspects of the piece with subplots about a class project and Karen, a scornful sixth grader who gets her comeuppance. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Excellent book - for older kids
I read this because it was the book my son selected from the 6th grade reading list. It was an excellent book - successfully combining elements of 6th grade life with an extraordinary unusual experience. However I think maybe 5th grade is about the youngest I would recommend it for. The way the ghost had met her end and the subsequent threat to the story's heroine are disturbing. I liked the way the story dealt with the 'friends', the Machiavellian life of the average 6th / 7th grader - but without making this the main focus of the story.

Ghost of Fossil Glen
This was an awesome book by Cynthia Defelice. Our class thought this was an exciting book and it was as if Allie was on a mission.We could picture the setting in our heads, since we live near Glen's very similar to that one in the book. We did not want to stop reading as we went along.We recommend this book to everyone because we liked it. Cynthia Defelice kept us in suspense.

Barbara's Review
I liked the book. It was exciting and you never know what's going to happen next.
Allie Nichols is eleven and is in the sixth grade. She is stuck on a ledge about 100ft. up. She hears a soothing voice and trusts it right away, and lets herself slide. She only has a few cuts and her hands were raw. She tells Karen and Pam about the voice but they think she's a liar. Her friend Dub listens intently with great interest. She hears the voice more and in one of her dreams she witnesses the first part of Lucy's death. Lucy is the ghost that is haunting her. She had died four years previously. Later she finds Lucy's diary in her new desk that once belonged to Lucy. That's when she finds out about Gag-me. (Raymond Gagne) She thinks that he had murdered Lucy. Did he really murder Lucy or was her death really an accident?
The type of person who would like this book is some one who likes mysteries, ghost stories, or both. It's a really good book.