Whistler in the Dark

By Kathleen Ernst

Book Overview

In 1867, a twelve-year-old girl faces danger and disaster when she moves to the Colorado Territory with her widowed mother, who is hoping to start a newspaper Emma Henderson¿s mother has changed since her father died fighting in the Civil War. First, she starts wearing an embarrassing bloomer costume¿trousers under a short skirt. Then, she forces Emma to move to the far-off Colorado Territory so she can be editor of a newspaper! When Emma hears someone whistling her father¿s favorite tune as they prepare to leave Chicago, she knows it¿s a bad omen. The hardscrabble mining town of Twin Pines is very different from Emma¿s former home in the city. Instead of having a house of their own, she and her mother must live in a boarding house. Worst of all, it¿s clear from the moment they step off the stagecoach that someone doesn¿t want them there. A troublemaker tries hard to sabotage the newspaper, and Emma continues to hear eerie whistling in the night. Is it the ghost of her father? With the help of her new friend Jeremy, Emma sets out to solve two baffling mysteries.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584854855
• ISBN13: 9781584854852
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: American Girl Publishing Inc
• Length: 161 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Great historical mystery

My Daughter has every American Girl book and Mystery. They are fantastic for elementary school age girls. Lots of history in each one.

One of the Best Mysteries I've Ever Read

I like this book because of the way Emma Henderson feels about how her mother dresses, and because of all the mystery! I recommend this book to whoever loves mysteries and\or has read any other American Girl History Mysteries.

One of the Best Mysteries I've Ever Read,

I like this book because of the way Emma Henderson feels about how her mother dresses, and because of all the mystery! I recommend this book to whoever loves mysteries and\or has read any other American Girl History Mysteries.

Whistler In The Dark Is A Great Historical Mystery Book!

Whistler in the Dark is a great historical mystery book about a twelve-year-old girl, Emma Henderson, who is sad because her father was killed in the Civil War, and her mother has no time to spend with her. When her mother decides to wear a Reform Dress and move to Colorado to start a newspaper, Emma is even more upset. But her troubles become even worse when they arrive in Twin Pines. The gold rush town has no houses, no schools, and no other girls Emma?s age. Someone also doesn?t want the newspaper to succeed and sends them a threatening note, dumps their ink, and does awful things to try and scare them off. Emma is also scared because a ghost-like figure has followed them from Chicago and, each night, goes by her window at the boarding house and whistles a tune that her dead father used to whistle all the time. At the end of the story, Emma figures out who is trying to scare them away from Twin Pines, and who is the secret whistler. Emma also learns to admire her mother for going West where she could be more than just a mother. I read this book for my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Maull (who rocks!) The book was a little bit scary at one point, but it was still really a great book. I loved learning about how women couldn't wear pants or do a lot of jobs other than be a mom or wife! My grandmother read the book and loved it, too. So I recommend this book to all girls of all ages!