56 Water Street

56 Water Street is a spooky (but not too frightening) mystery for middle grade readers. Derek and Ravine, two ten-year old Canadian friends know there is something strange about house number 56 on their street, but no one ever talks about it. It is only when the two friends tell their parents about seeing lights flickering on and off inside the abandoned house that they learn the truth: nobody else can see 56 Water Street. To everyone else in their neighborhood, it appears to be a vacant lot. Compelled to investigate, Derek and Ravine soon discover that time stands still for them when they enter the premises of the house only they can see and that some entity in the house is desperately trying to send them a message. With the help of a fortune teller from the school fair - who turns out to be a real spirit medium - Derek and Ravine realize that they have a special gift, a sensitivity to the dead who are trapped on earth. The resident ghost of 56 Water Street wants their help to solve her own personal mystery, so that she can finally be laid to rest. Author Melissa Strangway has created a compelling mystery revolving around the tragic end to house number 56 on Water Street, as well as two believable protagonists. Ravine is struggling to deal with a personal tragedy in her recent past, and her best friend Derek wants to support Ravine in solving this mystery, as well as in coping with her own sad loss. The narration is descriptive and vivid, without being dull for young readers. There are a few chilling passages, and the thrill of a long-past mystery waiting to be solved, as well as an uplifting ending. Recommended for young mystery lovers and ghost seekers.

Reviewed by Matthew Feliciano (age 7) for Reader Views (1/08) "56 Water Street" is about a house that is only visible to Ravine and Derek. They are best friends and find it very odd that the house is invisible to everybody else. If they step on the lawn of this house, they disappear and enter the house as it was in the past. This gives them the opportunity to look around and see what it was like a hundred years ago. Derek did research about the families who lived in the house. He and Ravine decided to try to solve the mystery of why only they could see the house. This book started off a bit slow, but quickly picked up pace and got faster. I couldn't put the book down and it kept me wanting more. The kids were just like any other kids and were curious about this house. It made it easy to read a story with regular kids doing interesting things. The book had a ghost who was trying to solve a mystery and wanted Derek and Ravine to help her so she could rest. In some parts of the book, it was scary, but Halloween scary, which means it was fun at the same time. This book was not scary enough to give me a nightmare which is a good thing. "56 Water Street" is a fun book to read about ghosts who haunt old houses.

Found this book to be fascinating. I couldn't put the book down. The storyline was intriguing and kept me on the edge. Highly recommended. Looking forward to more "Derek and Ravine's" sequel.

56 Water Street is the story of two young friends, Derek and Ravine, who have long wondered about the old dilapidated house on the untended property across the street from their houses. In all their 10 years, they have never ventured to even set foot on the lawn, until one day they were intrigued by lights inside that kept switching off and on. This book is obviously intended for juvenile readers but I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I'm in my 50s. The author has managed to create an intriguing plot and each chapter end with the reader eager to get on to the next. The story unfolds nicely and keeps the reader's interest as the two kids try to solve the mystery of this house and its resident ghost. They learn that the ghost needs their help, but it takes some clever digging on their part to figure out what the ghost needs, and how to help. The story involves the very close relationship of Derek and Ravine and the strong bonds between them. Derek is a typical 10-year-old boy, but obviously much brighter than most. And his friend, Ravine, is even smarter than Derek and her sensitive understanding fits in well with her tomboyish outlook. Between the two kids, there is a formidable team who manage to get to the bottom of this mystery. But this isn't just a ghost story; it's the story of friendship, of things lost and found, of sadness and happiness. It is extremely well-suited to juvenile readers. For a first novel, Strangway has created excellent characters and has managed dialogue that sounds real and consistent with the characters. Her ability to tell her story and to drag her reader along from scene to scene is superb. Juvenile fiction or not, I noticed the jacket says this is the first in a series of 'Derek & Ravine' stories -- I am looking forward to the next. In the meantime, lots of my friends' kids are going to be receiving this book as a gift. And I'm pretty sure their parents will read it, too.