Mystery of the Empty House

Secret of the Old Post-Box is the kind of mystery I would have loved reading when I was a girl and can still enjoy now. Pat Harrison, eleven years old, has lived in New York City, but her family has moved back to her father's hometown of Haven, 32 miles away. Pat doesn't know a lot of things that the local children know about the American Revolution and local events. This gives Ms. Sterling a chance to explain a number of things to readers (and amuse older readers with Pat's confusion).

The Harrisons live across the street from a colonial house that used to belong to descendants of the original builder, but it will be sold in August to pay for back taxes [property, presumably]. I don't care if most of the locals are 'a bunch of show more rock-ribbed, rugged individualists, who wouldn't help their own grandmas;' I am personally offended that the town isn't rallying to help out the widow and children of a soldier who was killed in the Korean War. The Paines have already had to move out. The oldest boy, Nat, is extremely prickly about the loss of their ancestral home. He also looks down on girls now that he's in junior high [middle school], which Pat doesn't appreciate. Johnny and Sam Paine aren't much better, in Pat's opinion.

Jim Gray, the boy across the street from Pat, has more modern ideas about the acceptability of girls as ball players. Barbara Thomas, who is Pat's age, is no more a 'girly girl' than Pat herself. Go, tomboys! (Barbara's father is the person who made that snark about other locals after he tried to get them to help out the Paines.)

There's rumor that a treasure is still hidden in the old Paine house. If it can be found, the family will be able to keep their home. The children start searching, but a mysterious light coming from the old house one night suggests someone else might be searching for it, too!

I enjoyed the mystery, the information about the American Revolution and George Washington's spies, and finding out a not-at-all heroic definition of 'cowboy' that dates from New York state during that revolution (see chapter 11).

The illustrations are nice. I'm glad I found this book. show less

This was a Weekly Reader Book Club favorite for my family. After we all got older we searched so we each could have our copy. My sister recently reread it with her son and they loved it.

From cover: "Look!" cries Pat. "There's a light in the empty house!"

"Impossible," says Barbara. "That place has been deserted for ages." But there IS a light...moving past the darkened windows. Someone--or something--is prowling there in the dead of the night. "Come on," whispers Barbara. "We're going to find out what's going on--before it's too late!"