A pen, a free book, and bones supposedly from a human body set the tone for an evening filled with middle schoolers, parents and the curiosity of local residents. The special event, sponsored by Black Diamond Historical Society, included a visit with children’s author, Peg Kehret, in addition to a trip to a cemetery.
Gretchen Nelson, event host from King County Library Services, spearheaded back and forth conversation as she questioned kids about the book titled, ‘the ghost’s grave’. “Who was your favorite character?” Nelson asked. Josh, the main character, was mentioned immediately. Josh was a curious seventh grader with unique writing talents who could make a reader of any age laugh as they turned each page. Mr. Stray, a hungry stray cat who visited Josh at his treehouse, was called a favorite character as well. But there was also Josh’s deceased Aunt Florence, disguised as her alter ego – a screaming peacock. Why would an author create such a weird character?
When asked what served as inspiration for her book, the author shared several key moments in her personal life. When she visited a cemetery located outside a coal mining town, she found an entire row of graves that all had the same death date. Her investigation revealed a mine catastrophe had killed them all. The book’s primary location was a treehouse where Josh spent most of his time. It was based on the author’s own backyard treehouse, just as the cat, Mr. Stray, was similar to her real-life cat. As to the peacock, Kehret’s neighbor had a peacock with the loud and eerie scream she described so well.
The 210-page book begins with Josh’s encounter with ‘Aunt Ethel’. He was sent to spend his entire summer vacation with an 82-year-old woman he had never met. As they enter Aunt Ethel’s home, a bat is flying around the room. After a flurry of weird but comical events, Aunt Ethel grabs a shotgun and hits her mark. As to the author’s inspiration for this encounter? When Peg Kehret, the author, moved into a new community, she went out walking. A neighbor guy introduced himself while revealing he had just shot a bat in the kitchen. “This was a fun book to write!” Kehret joked. One could describe her children’s novel as fiction based on fact.
Audience involvement was a key factor in the museum’s event and the host kept it moving with curious questions directed at the youngsters. She called for a raise of hands to share personal experience, perhaps encounters with the unexplainable, a ghost. “What is your cure for loneliness” she asked the kids in reference to Josh meeting Willie, a lonely ghost. Would you want to meet a ghost? What advice would you give to Josh? One child appropriately responded, “Lock the door when you are alone.” The audience, did indeed, have stories to tell; especially the tale of resident ghost, Abigail Benson, who apparently haunts the Black Diamond Museum as well as the Antique Store.
A mom in the audience raised her hand. She said that ‘the ghost’s grave’ was the first “chapter book” she read with her kids where they begged her not to stop reading; they did not want me to put it down!” she exclaimed, “a book with no pictures and they didn’t want me to stop reading.”
“This book is magical,” declared Keith Watson, Immediate Past President of Black Diamond Historical Society. “Let’s head up to the cemetery now.”
