The Secret of Laurel Oaks

The Secret of Laurel Oaks is a ghost story based on stories about The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana.The author’s main purpose for writing this novel is to entertain readers. It is suspenseful, mysterious, and spooky from the beginning to the end.The theme of this book is to not believe all the rumors you may hear. In the book, a young slave girl was accused of poisoning her master’s wife and two daughters. She was hanged for it despite any evidence proving she committed these crimes.This book was written using the rhetorical mode of narration. The narrators of the story alternate between chapters. One narrator is a rebellious teenage girl named Lila from the present day. The other narrator is a teenage girl named Daphne. Daphne was a slave who lived and died on the Laurel Oaks plantation two centuries ago. During Lila’s family vacation to the haunted plantation, Lila would see Daphne and other ghosts around the house. In the next chapter, Daphne describes seeing Lila to the reader.Using the style of narration is effective because it shows differences between modern times and the hard times of slavery. Alternating between narrators allowed the readers to experience a story through different perspectives. For instance, during a tour of the house, Lila looked in a mirror and saw Daphne. Then in the next chapter, Daphne describes how intently Lila was looking back at her in the mirror. Daphne knows she’s a ghost and only a few people have ever seen her. She hopes Lila is the one person she can trust to tell about the secret she’s been keeping for two hundred years.I loved this book and was very intrigued by the ghostly plot. The characters were interesting and even included a wise, talking tree! I did not dislike anything about this book. However, if I could change anything about this story, I would have Lila confide in her parents what she was seeing in the house. She didn't have a very good relationship with them. But all in all, I loved the book.

I was looking for a good NOLA read and this YA book didn’t disappoint. It is told from two sides: modern day Lila and past Daphne. A little spooky because there are ghosts in it. The truth becomes revealed about Daphne’s death in the end.

I loved this book. It was awesome. My friend recommended it to me saying she loved it, so I bought it, read it, and loved it! The chapters change perspective from Daphne who is a slave in the 1800s to Lila a girl in the present trying to solve Daphne's mystery. This book is a mystery novel that is perfect.

I love to read ghost stories and murder suspense books. Loved that they come in within a week!

My daughter loved the book!

This is a very good read for young adults and the young at heart. There are many twists and turns. This is the second book we have read by Lois Ruby and have enjoyed both.

so amazing!

Since mom is giving a presentation at the Biophysical Anthropology Conference on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, her entire family decided to attend. Besides mom, dad, and their two children (fourteen year old Gabe and thirteen year old Lila) leave their home in Albuquerque to stay for a few nights at creepy allegedly haunted (that is what the Smithsonian web site claims) Laurel Oaks B&B.The ghost is Daphne an antebellum young slave accused of murdering her Master Judge Nethercott's wife and two daughters Molly and Alice in 1840 at Laurel Oaks Plantation; Daphne died in the nearby Mississippi. She has never moved on because she is obsessed to know what truly happened on that horrific day when four females died. She believes that Lila is the person she has waited for to help her investigate the murders.The supernatural aspects of the tale has been done a zillion ties, but is somewhat refreshed with non-graphic implications of the uglier realism like molestation and rape on a slave plantation. The story line rotates perspective between the two teen female stars with Daphne's occurring in 1840 and the more fascinating of the two "tales". Young adult fans will enjoy Lila's cold case murder investigation.Harriet Klausner

This is a wonderful story in which Lois Ruby has interwoven the Myrtles Plantation story with 2 siblings from the present day who visit it. It transports you to the 19th century where you get a glimpse of the life of slaves and their families working on plantations and how they were treated. The author also gives you a completely different view of the incidents that occurred.Highly recommended for anyone over 13 years!