Jade Green

Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Pages: 169 pages
Rate: 10 out of 10


Orphaned fifteen-year-old Judith Sparrow brings two secrets to her uncle's house in South Carolina: one, that her grief-stricken mother died in a madhouse, the other that she has disobeyed the only condition to living in her uncle's home- nothing green is allowed in the house.


Judith can't bear to part with the photograph of her mother in it's lovely green silk frame. Surely this one small defiance will not jeopardize the happiness she finds in South Carolina- with a family at last, and new friends, especially Zeke Carey, the miller's son.


But Uncle Geoffrey's house holds a secret of its own. And Judith's small picture frame, hidden away at the bottom of her trunk, unleashes a powerful force that seems determined to bring that secret into the open. Or is Judith simply following her mother down the path towards madness?


Judith Sparrow's father died while she was young, and her mother recently past away in a mad house. With only one of her relatives willing to take her in, Judith moves down to South Carolina to live with her uncle and her cousin. She is told there is only one condition for living in their home: she may not bring anything green into the house. Judith's mother gave her a picture of her in a green silk frame as a gift and she cannot bear to part with it, so she disobeys her uncle and secretly brings the frame with her, hiding it in the bottom of her trunk. 


All is going well for Judith. She has a job, new friends, and a family. She couldn't be any happier. But then Judith finds out the secret of her new home: Jade Green, a girl that lived in the home three years before, had committed suicide in the house. Judith starts hearing things and seeing things, and cannot tell anybody because she believes it is the green silk frame that is causing the ghost of Jade Green to awaken, and if anybody finds out she disobeyed her uncle's ordered, she might be thrown out of her only home.


I gave this novel a ten out of ten because it was completely amazing. I usually don't read ghost stories because I don't handle scary/horror stuff very well, but I have been trying to talk myself into reading this novel for two years, and I'm glad I read it. It was a quick read that I absolutely enjoyed. Every time something happened that scared Judith, I found myself holding my breath or gasping. I actually threw the book down one time because I was so terrified! The ending was confusing at first, but if you actually think about it for a minute, it makes a lot of sense. I would recommend this novel to anybody looking for a scary-ish young adult novel.