Stonewords: A Ghost Story

Stonewords #1

by Pam Conrad

The first time Zoe met Zoe Louise, Zoe was four years old. Zoe Louise was more than 100. From that day on -- living in the same house, separated by a staircase and a century -- Zoe and Zoe Louise have been an important and permanent part of each other's lives.

Now Zoe is older. And although Zoe Louise never grows up, she is changing in dreadful, frightening ways. Time is running out for Zoe's best friend -- and Zoe is the only one who can help her. To do so, she must travel back 100 years in time and somehow alter the past. But in changing the past, must she also change the present? If she saves her friend's life, will she lose Zoe Louise forever?

1990 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)
1991 Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)
Children's Books of 1990 (Library of Congress)
1991 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1991 Best Juvenile Mystery (Mystery Writers of America)
Parenting Honorable Mention, Reading Magic Award
1995 California Young Reader Award

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Ghosts, Childrens, Young Adult, Mystery, Middle Grade

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

About the author

Pam Conrad (1947-1996) was an author for children. Her book Our House: Stories of Levittown was a Newbery Medal finalist.

Ms. Conrad was born in New York City and graduated from the New School for Social Research.

Reviews

[Erin Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delighted this childhood favorite held up! Tiny Craig adored it too!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another book that I read over and over when I was young. I think I got it from a book fair, and I loved it. The ghost story was creepy enough to give me goosebumps on the 23rd read-through, but not scary enough to give me nightmares.

The cover of the book I had (have, probably, at my momma's house) is of a girl with a skeleton hand, which, come on, tell me what child wouldn't want to read that book? Mmm, time-travel ghost story deliciousness.

I also vividly remember Zoe's relationship with her grandparents. I remember how they loved her, how she loved them, and it reminds me of my Grandma & Grandpa on my mother's side. Something about sitting out in their backyard, lightning bugs, and a half-tamed garden...

This, by the way, is a terrible book review.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book scared me to death in fourth grade, but it was still one of the books that I kept going back to. I reread it earlier this year when I subbed in my old classroom (hi, nostalgia!), and it's a solid read. Creepy, with a well-wrapped up ending, and great for kids 10 - 13 who like a little fear with their recreational reading.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up in my recent quest for middle grade horror (both for nostalgia and research purposes). :)

I think if I'd read this at age 10-11, I probably would have loved it to the point of obsession. It's tightly written and I very much liked the protagonist, a young girl left to live with her grandparents by her flighty (and possibly crazy) mother. As soon as she arrives, her haunting begins...

The plot is appropriately simple for the target audience, but there were still aspects of the mystery that I did not expect. (Always a bonus.) I see that there is a sequel, but for me, she wrapped things up perfectly well.

[QNPoohBear]

Loved this when I was a kid.

[Erin Entrada Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, solid, middle-grade ghost story. I would have LOVED it when I was 9 or 10. There are some really beautiful descriptions, too.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revisiting a book from my childhood. Parts of this really creeped me out as a kid, but it wasn't super scary. It was scary in the 'just right' kind of way.

[Alex (The Bookubus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jeane · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, let me tell you about the story have for this book. In the 6th grade I had the worst teacher ever! Mrs Wolff, I think she got real pleasure out of hating me. I think she even tried to get me out of her class and into another 6th grade class at one point which would have been fine by me, but I digress, so we were assigned to read four of five books out of ten books for various projects and such, and I had read four and was just beginning to read this one, when the deadline to read was up. Instead of letting me finish it she took it away from me and said I would never finish it anyway. Bitch! I was an avid reader! I mean I had already finished all the other assigned books! So over the years I had always remember that happening and what the book was like, but eventually I forgot the name of the book so I could never find it again. Finally I told someone what I did remember about the book and they found out the name for me! So I picked it and was finally able to read it! Now a review of the book: It was good, I think that a young adult reader would certainly get sucked into the mystery. I mean there were some positively spooky things in this book even for me! I also enjoyed the ending. I think that the only draw back is that Zoe Louise was one of the most annoying characters of all time. One of the those characters where you wish you could reach into the book and smack them! Other then that I enjoyed it.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read this in the 5th or 6th grade, and remember it's pleasing red hardback cover (I never kept the dust jackets), it's enticing cream pages, deceptive slimness. It creeped me out, this child- ghost story. I remembered the scene where Zoe Louise stood in the middle of the dinner table, kicking the roast in front of oblivious adults. And the love/repulsion Zoe felt for Zoe Louise, which I also felt. I adored it so much I thought about naming my little girl Zoe Louise. Unfortunately I lent it to someone and never got it back. Well thank you Amazon for restoring my childhood treasure, same red cover and all.

[Kathy V · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter read and re-read this book when she was about 11 years old. She kept telling me about the two "Zoe's" and how fantastic the story was so I decided to read it too. I was totally caught up in the story! The ghost story combined with time travel really appealed to me - but more than anything else, Pam Conrad (may she rest in peace) knows a child's heart - and ultimately, it is her themes of friendship and love, coupled with longing and loss that makes this book extraordinary.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE YOU GoodReads, for putting this in my recommendations. I read this book as a kid but had almost completely forgotten about it until today. I'm giving it four stars based on my memory of reading it more than once. I couldn't get enough of ghost stories back then, and this was a good one from what I remember. I also have this book to thank for my ability to correctly pronounce the name Zoe. Hilarious blast from the past, love it.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, well-written young-adult ghost story.

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was obsessed with this book when I was a kid, and I'm happy to say it completely holds up.

[Sydney Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Stonewords: A Ghost Story" by Pam Conrad is a very well written and cliffhanger filled book. I absolutely loved it! The author leaves you wanting to read the second book because the first on was so good.
The main character is named Zoe, and so is her mysterious friend. They are both really good friends. Zoe, the main character, explains what happened during the time period of her life as if she is reflecting on everything that happened. As in "The ghost was in my life right from the beginning,". This shows that Zoe is telling her story. This is what made the book so interesting to me. Zoe wasn't just telling the story, she was trying to piece everything together. The author also leaves most of the chapters with cliffhangers, forcing you to keep reading because you know you can't just stop there.
The author wrote this book using cliffhangers, making you want to keep reading, but she also wrote it in a way that most authors don't. She wrote it as the main character reflecting and trying figure things out about her life, informing the reader of every detail that happened during Zoe's life. That's what makes this book so great.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars because it was sort of tough to follow but also because the writing was actually quite descriptive and mature for a weird obscure YA novel from the 90s’.

[Jamie Dacyczyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spooky little book that I probably would have loved when I was about ten or twelve years old. I almost think I HAVE read this book before; most of it was unfamiliar, but there was one vivid scene (furniture jammed into the ceiling of a playhouse) that I've definitely read before. This may have been one of a bajillion school library books that I read when I was a kid, and have just forgotten everything except that one scene. Who knows?

[Jen Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite, comfort read. Despite being a children’s book, the prose is vivid, beautiful, and —towards the end—still surprisingly scary.

Pam Conrad was a very talented writer.

[Samantha Siwert · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m 29 years old but still get the urge to re-read the books I was obsessed with in elementary school. this was one of my FAVS and I still like it even now. guess i’ve always been a ghosty girl

[Emily Orozco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stonewords: A ghost Story by Pam Conrad was a chilling story about a girl named Zoe and the life of her and her ghost friend, Zoe Louise. Zoe is a strong and brave girl. So, they've been great friends since Zoe was at least four. They have some fights sometimes but, that is only because they did not understand each other. Those fights didn't matter, they were good friends, so good that as Zoe got older, she noticed Zoe Louise would not visit her as often and wanted to do something. "As Zoe gets older, Zoe louise starts to slip away." Zoe saw less and less of Zoe Louise, Zoe really needed to do something. So she decided to go and change the past? Read to find out. I really did love this book. This book was written so well(with much detail, like a picture in your mind)and this ghost story I loved because of that. This was a nice, short book and I recommend this book to anyone who would love a good ghost story. 100% Recommended.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite novels as a child. I first read it in 4th grade, and then again many times after that. Though it is so deliciously creepy, in the end, it is really a story about friendship and family. And ghosts. And going back in time. For the age that is meant to read this novel, it has just the right amount of complexity. Conrad's writing is also quite beautiful. The main character, Zoe, is genuine and easy to relate to. I haven't read this novel in a few years, but it has always stuck with me.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a kid. I need to find it and read it again.

[Annie Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my all time favorite book when I was younger! I checked it out from the Highgate Elementary School library more times than I could count! Perhaps it's time for a re-read many years later :)

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ghost/time travel aspects of this story, and the ending was pleasantly satisfying. I found the storyline with the mom less interesting and pretty underdeveloped. I also didn't particularly like the main characters; Zoe Louise came off as bossy and spoiled (which she probably was, but it made me wonder why Zoe liked hanging out with her so much), and Zoe seemed incredibly slow to catch on to obvious plot points. I don't mind people being incredulous at the thought of ghosts, but the idea that the possibility doesn't even occur to her for that long? Stretches believability a bit.

One note about the writing: it is very lovely in some places, but the author is a compulsive simile abuser. Everything is like something else, and a lot of times, those comparisons don't really make a lot of sense, especially in the narrative voice of a pre-teen girl. The words definitely felt like they were overpowering the story occasionally. Overall though, it was a decent read, if not particularly creepy.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reread from my childhood. Man, I loved this book. I used to check it out from the library at least once per school year (until my dad bought me my very own copy at the book fair--remember those???). I remember it being rather scary when I first read it at eleven years old, but beautifully written. So, with the covid pandemic rampaging, I decided to give it a reread and see how well it's held up.

I'm glad to report it's held up beautifully. The writing is as lush as I remember, and it's still scary. The characters and plot are as well-drawn they were when I read it all those years ago. And, of course, I still love Oscar the Pug (I mean, come on, how can you not?).

I can't wait to read this to my future child once they arrive. Hopefully they appreciate this wonderfully-written tale as much as I did.

[Karolina Walichiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

moving. the writer captured a lot of the loneliness of the main character, who was abandoned by her mother, when she burrows into her grandmother's good-smelling laundry and delights in the fireflies in her yard, which feels welcoming and home-like, at the same time being strange and new. at the same time, she befriends a ghost-girl whose idyllic family and life in that same house was cut short, leaving her to haunt the place where she had died in a house fire. as the main character gets terrifying visions of the traumatic event that let her piece together the mystery of what happened there, it leads her to appreciate the patched-together family she does have a bit more, and even allows her to let go of resentments she has toward her own limited relationship with her mom and her status as a foster child.

[Thirteen Orange Ivy Designs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I’m not the target audience for this book but that didn’t stop me! Our librarian recommended The Tub People for my little kids and she was right, they loved them. So, I requested every Pam Conrad book I could find and they loved all of her kids ones. Then I saw she did novels for younger teens and I decided I needed to check them out since I really enjoyed reading the kids ones to my kids. I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed this. What a fun, kind of creepy but not scary, story. I didn’t fully understand the last paragraph if I’m honest (so if anyone wants to explain it…) but otherwise I really liked it and I’m going to read the next one!

[KitReine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid, and bought it at the book sale thing they had in schools I liked it so much. I remembered a lot of it, but the exact way Zoe Louise died, for some reason I didn't. I'd thought she'd drowned trying to run to her day, who was bringing the pony. Anyway, I still love this book, and understand why it stuck with me. Being a kid that grew up on The X Files, Twilight Zone and etc, it had an amazing time travel aspect to it, combined with good characters, and compassion and a first friendship.

[Hope Irvin Marston · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this 1991 Edgar Award book autographed a copy to me at a writers conference in Chautauqua, NY, in 1995. Since I couldn't recall the story line, I decided to read it though it was written for middle-readers. Unfortunately, I had a time following the story line. I prefer real world settings, and my octogenarian brain couldn't remember "who was on first"with two girls with the same name, living a century apart, interacting with one another.

Hope Irvin Marston, author of THE WALLS HAVE EARS: A BLACK SPY IN THE CONFEDERATE WHITE HOUSE

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good, short read. It’s about a girl who lives with her grandparents and grows up with the ghost of the girl who lived there a hundred years ago. It’s a time travel ghost story that includes themes of abandonment and forgiveness. I bought this for one dollar at this cool old book store downtown, amid copies of reader digests and airplane magazines, and I wasn’t expecting the writing to be so good. Pam Conrad was an excellent writer and I was sad to see she passed away from breast cancer six years after this book was published. She was very talented.