I really liked the interspersed ghost scenes! They added extra context and character to what would have otherwise been perhaps too much mystery. It let the mystery focus firmly on Charlie and her experience moving to a new community. I would have liked Ben to be a bit more fleshed out, but overall a fun story.

The Curse of the Dead Man Diamond by Christyne Morrell has Charlie thinking that she could quickly return to New York by finding the diamond that has cursed the original family of the house.

Will Charlie take the diamond for her own means? Or will she do the right thing by confronting her past?

Charlie Hess
Steve, Charlie's dad, moved her down to Florida so she wouldn't have to travel around New York City alone anymore. Charlie, though, does want that and will go to any means necessary to move them back, even if that means putting a curse on her own family. She is stubborn at twelve and doesn't want to give Florida a chance.

I like that Charlie knows what she wants, even if she doesn't see the big picture of why her dad moved them to a small town in Florida. The one thing I dislike is that Charlie doesn't try to like Florida or even give it a chance, especially with the other middle schoolers.

The Ghosts
Winklevoss Manor has three ghosts in residence. Ada and Arthur Winklevoss were the owners of the house and the ones who put a curse on themselves by not throwing back the diamond that they found on the beach into the ocean. The other ghost is Guff, who died because he was trying to find the diamond.

I enjoyed reading the chapters dedicated to the ghosts, as it was fun to see what they did.

Five Stars
My rating for The Curse of the Dead Man Diamond by Christyne Morrell is five stars, and I recommend it. Ms. Morrell did an excellent job, as I felt that I was over in Florida with Charlie, trying to find the diamond while learning about the house's original owners.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Curse of the Dead Man Diamond by Christyne Morrell.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

After the death of her beloved grandmother, Charlie's father moves her from her beloved New York City to the humid "outback" in the wilds of Florida. Unwilling to accept this is her new home and life, Charlie wishes, hopes, and schemes to force her father into moving back to NYC. Especially when she is forced into a new school and immediately becomes the target of the school bully and the talk of the town since she lives in the haunted house. Even more furious with her father for this bit of information he neglected to tell her, she is determined to find the cursed diamonds and use the money to move back to the city. But the diamonds are supposed to be given back to the sea or the ghosts will be forever cursed - or worse - cease being altogether.

Wonderful ghost story addition for upper elementary/middle grade students! In line with titles from Mary Downing Hahn and Lindsay Currie, this title is a true, age-appropriate creepy level and not-too-graphic ghost story. It will satisfy the need to be a little spooked, without the nightmares. This is a great title for a state reading award list and I hope to see more from this author!

Too often, I find that ghost stories are predictable and remixes of past tales which make them seem interchangeable; however, Morrell’s ghost story is as unique as her other books, Kingdom of Secrets and Trex. There was much that drew me in: I loved that there were chapters from the ghost’s point of view; I loved that it was more than just a mystery, it was a story of finding home and family; I loved that Charlie is never what is expected; I loved the setting and how it was a character in the story; and I loved how the book hits on so many different emotions, from grief to love. The story is fast-paced and everything comes together in a satisfying way–truly a fun, good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This was a fun little read. Charlie is from New York and has recently experienced a grievous loss that has sent her world into a spiral. She’s moved to Florida to a seemingly haunted house with a legend surrounding it involving a cursed diamond. This book had a good plot, the ghost chapters were extremely engaging. The trouble I ran into was the characters. None of the characters were really likable and it was hard to relate to any of them because of their thoughts and actions. That was definitely a hurdle in finishing this. The writing was good, the grammar good and the plot was engaging. Those characters could’ve been much more likeable.

Charlie just recently moved into Winklevoss Manor which is brimming with secrets. Charlie had no desire to move but when she meets a girl named Sarah she learns that there might be a way to return home. Sarah tells Charlie the mysteries that lie in Winklevoss Manor and about a mystifying diamond that has magical powers. Charlie decides the diamond is her ticket back to her hometown. But when she meets the three ghosts who are trapped in her house, will she use the diamond to help the ghosts or herself?
Rating: 4/5
The relationships between the characters in this book were well developed and riveting to younger readers. Reading this with my daughter she loved how Charlie was able to overcome her fears. The plot was intriguing and age appropriate.

*Thank you to Christyne Morrell, Random House Children's | Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: A quick read

Twelve-year-old Charlie (Charlotte) moves to Florida with her dad and hates that she has to leave their little New York home. The Winklevoss Manor might be huge but is filled with dirt, unwanted items, and ghosts. Soon, Charlie finds out the house is cursed as well.
Ada, Arthur, and Gruff are three ghosts living in the Manor (and not by choice). They are stuck inside for stealing a dead man’s diamond which is still somewhere in the house.
Charlie, struggling to settle in a place and dealing with bullies, tries to find the diamond. Selling it would allow them to move back to NY. However, things are hardly that simple.
The story comes from Charlie’s first-person POV and third-person POVs of the ghosts (Ada, Arthur, and Guff).

My Thoughts:
This is a fast-paced book that combines many elements like ghosts, greed, bullying, loss, regret, mourning, etc. I think it would have benefitted from some illustrations of the interiors of the house, the diamond, Charlie, and a couple of important scenes.
Charlie is a flawed character with typical thoughts and actions of a pre-teen. She is not easy to like but we also cannot help but feel sad for her. Her arc is quite decent and realistic.
The father is present but doesn’t really make an impact (this seems to be a common element in MG books). Surprisingly, another older character does better despite having only four scenes or so.
The chapters alternate between the MC’s POV (present) and the ghosts’ POVs (present and past) which provide the backstory and their thoughts about the current developments.
While Ada and Arthur are easy enough to read, Guff is exactly the kind of ghost you want to avoid. His antics induce laughs and frowns. An annoying ghost but very much true to the character.
The mystery isn’t that well-developed but should work for the kids. A few reveals come together in the climax. I’d have it if these were spaced out a little more.
The difficulties of relocating to a new place, making new friends, being guilty, etc., are well done. The bullying track is decent too but we don’t have a definite ending. In fact, the ending is not neatly tied up and leaves space for interpretation or a sequel (not sure we need one but let’s see).
Florida is known for being a vibrant setting. However, since the MC hates the place, we don’t get much of the good stuff.
The ghostly aspects and the explanations are well done. I enjoyed these details (and would have liked to know more about the whys and hows of the curse).
To summarize, The Curse of the Dead Man's Diamond is a quick entertainer with ghosts, a secret diamond, and a girl determined to go back to her home no matter what. It’s a decent read but doesn’t exactly stand out (the cover and title are fab though).
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children's (Delacorte Press), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

What a perfect book to kickstart spooky season. It has so many amazing tropes that are great for middle grade books. Haunted mansions, mischievous ghosts, new found family and of course curses.

Our protagonist Charlie moves from New York to hot and sunny Florida with her lawyer dad. He is excited to leave rush hour behind and enjoy the low key life their new house promises. Unfortunately for Charlie, her new home is a towering Victorian mansion called The Winklevoss Manor. It is presumably to be very, very haunted and cursed. Charlie didn’t care much for the mansion at first but slowly becomes curious about what happened to the previous owners and starts her own investigation with a very unique set of locals.

I was just so invested from page one, I loved that we get to know the ghosts very well and they definitely are the stars of the book in my opinion. That ending was incredible, loved all the characters and their backstories and I highly recommend if you love mystery and new found family.

I think this is a fun book. It looks at grief and loss through the lens of Charlie being forced to move from New York to Florida. Charlie feels loss and guilt for her actions before leaving New York, and she thinks that by finding the Diamond allegedly lost in the house that she can get back home. Ada and Arther are also super strong characters who are dealing with their own guilt. Can they find a way to communicate and help each other out?
I think this book beautifully handles the loss of a loved one and guilt that we might carry once they are gone. Thank you so much to Random House Children and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

When moving into a haunted home the last thing you expect is to actually find ghosts and to find yourself on the hunt for a cursed diamond! Twelve year old Charlie has moved from NYC to Florida, and she's moved into a haunted house: Winklevoss Manor. What Charlie doesn't know is that her new house is actually haunted by three ghosts who are cursed because they tried to steal a dead man's diamond. Yet this interests Charlie because if she can find the diamond it'll give her family enough money to move back into the city! Charlie will have to lift the curse while dealing with three ghosts and a school bully who just won't leave her alone. This was an okay middlegrade novel, I was hoping for something a bit spookier for spooky season but it just kind of felt a bit meh to me. It didn't pique my interests as much as I had hoped, and by no means is this a bad book it just wasn't the book for me. I love a cozy spooky middlegrade novel but this one just missed the mark a bit for me. I do however think other middlegrade readers will enjoy this and should add this to their autumn tbr!

Release Date: September 17,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Charlie’s beloved gran has recently passed, and now Charlie and her father have moved across the country to the small town of Casaluna, Florida. Not only does Charlie miss her grandmother, but Casaluna is about as different from New York City as a place can be. Soon after the move, Charlie discovers that the creepy old house they have moved into is haunted in a frightening and tangible way, and there is only one thing that can set the ghosts free. With the help of a new friend and an open mind, Charlie must find a way to soothe the spirits in order to find her own sense of peace.

This engaging middle grade novel is a superb blend of a coming of age story and a ghost story, just in time for the Halloween season. Told from the alternating perspectives of Charlie and the posthumous Ada Winklevoss, the story provides readers with a wealth of information that helps support the narrative as Charlie experiences it. Charlie speaks in the first person, so readers are able to see into her mind and understand her thoughts and behaviors on a deeper level. Because Ada’s segments are in the third person, they stand out from the primary narrative while feeling like a ghost story to the reader. Together, these elements provide a robust foundation to the tale, including several motivations for the characters involved in it.

The spookiness of the ghost story will appeal to readers who appreciate the adrenaline rush that comes from not knowing what is coming next, and it is well balanced with the contemporary exploration of Charlie’s identity and experiences. Short chapters and excellent storytelling maintain the momentum of the plot, and fans of Morrell’s other works will find this to be an entertaining addition to the collection. Themes of friendship, bravery, grief, and hope emerge throughout the novel, and all readers will find something to connect with as the narrative unfolds. This is a high quality addition to library collections for middle grade readers, especially those who relish stories with strong characters and a spooky undercurrent.

This is a tough one for me to review. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book. The plot is solid, if a bit standard for middle grade. the mystery, of where the diamond is hidden, is not overly obvious. The characters are fine, and I liked that they weren't easily slotted into good guys and bad guys.. But style-wise, it just doesn't mesh with me. It's heavy on the similes and adjectives, and my taste runs to a cleaner, faster prose. The end result is that it felt padded to me, but I want to recognize that's a personal thing, not a universal one.

This is a great middle grade mystery and my students will love this one! Charlie moves from NYC to Florida into Winklevoss Manor and quickly realizes it's haunted! She meets three playful ghosts, Ada, Arthur and Guff, who got cursed for stealing a deadman's diamond. Charlie is desperate to go back to NYC so she decides to help them look for the diamond. This was such a fun MG read, the characters are strong and it's really funny too.

It's a good twist on your usual ghost story and I appreciated that the author didn't have the ghosts suddenly appear to Charlie. They did the typical ghost things that we expect, not the kiddy version. It was a good mystery but it went a little too quickly. Could see a kid getting wrapped up in it

I loved this book. Truly loved it. Being from Florida, I immediately related to the main character about the state. I loved the writing style of this author. So relatable. Highly recommend it for anyone.

Morrell has produced another quirky, speculative middle grade novel which will delight readers as much from its character depth as its transportive adventure. As Charlie struggles to untangle the mystery of the missing diamond, her relationships with friends and family get caught under the magnifying glass, forcing her to come to terms with her own past before she can commit to a vision of the future. This book would make a great addition to any public or school library collection as well as an excellent pick for a middle grade book club!

This book is a great read for pre-teens who are learning about their changing environment. This book touches on making friends, dealing with bullies, grief, and so much more. I really enjoyed this story and think so many young readers will be able to relate to the story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This middle grade novel was an interesting and quick read. It dealt with issues of real vs. superficial friendships, bullying, grief and loss, starting over, single parent homes, and other themes. I enjoyed the storyline - a family moves to a home in a superstitious small-town in Florida that happens to be haunted by three ghosts cursed by their greed over a diamond. The 6th grade protagonist, Charlie, decides that finding the cursed diamond will be her ticket back to NYC, where she grew up. One of the ghosts, Ada, finds a way to communicate to assist her on her quest. However, if Charlie succeeds, it may mean that the three ghosts disappear and aren’t going to be able to break the curse and move on from the home. Overall, I enjoyed the book and think that middle grade students would as well. There are brief references to the use of an Ouija Board and speaking to a local medium. There was no bad language, no substance or alcohol use, and no romantic interests (other than the father having a crush on one of Charlie’s teachers). Overall, it was an enjoyable read with good lessons.

The arc digital font was a bit of a hindrance due to its' small size, and it took longer to get through. Other than that the story was really good. Ada and Arthur tried to outsmart a curse when they picked up a diamond from the sea, Guff tried to steal it and fared no better, All lost three lost their lives and now haunt Winklevoss Manor. Enter Charlie and her dad...will they succumb to the diamond's curse or finally give peace to the ghosts?