Something Upstairs
Encyclopedia
Something Upstairs is a young adult horror fiction novel written by Avi
first published in 1988
.
to Providence
, Rhode Island
. He lives in a house
of past events, built in 1789. Kenny's room is in the attic
. One night Kenny awoke to a noise in the old slave room. When he looked inside, he saw a ghost trying to get out from a stain on the floor, moving a little box full of books out of the way. Once the ghost
was out he started hitting each and every side of the attic, trying to escape. When Kenny and the ghost see each other face to face, the ghost does not speak, and flinches away and disappears when Kenny raises a shoe in defense. The noise returns again the following nights. Kenny finds out that the ghost's name is Caleb, and was a past slave of the owner of the home Kenny is now living in. Caleb also tells Kenny that he is stuck there until someone helps to set him free. Kenny travels back in time with the help of Caleb and goes on a great adventure to find his murderer. In the end Kenny and Caleb find out that his murderer was Pardon Willinghast, a mysterious man working in the local library that helped Kenny research about his house. Kenny shoots Willinghast and returns home in his bed. He soon finds that Caleb had escaped from the attic. In the very end, he tells Avi that he is still searching for Caleb because he doesn't know if he was freed or not, so he continues to look for him in the nearby houses.
Edward Irving Wortis
Edward Irving Wortis , better known by the pen name Avi, is an American author of young adult and children's literature. He is a winner of both the Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal.- Biography :...
first published in 1988
1988 in literature
The year 1988 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Margaret Atwood - Cat's Eye*J.G. Ballard - Memories of the Space Age*Iain M...
.
Plot summary
Something Upstairs is about a twelve year old boy, Kenny Huldorf, who tells a story to Avi when he visits his school. He moves from Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. He lives in a house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
of past events, built in 1789. Kenny's room is in the attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
. One night Kenny awoke to a noise in the old slave room. When he looked inside, he saw a ghost trying to get out from a stain on the floor, moving a little box full of books out of the way. Once the ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
was out he started hitting each and every side of the attic, trying to escape. When Kenny and the ghost see each other face to face, the ghost does not speak, and flinches away and disappears when Kenny raises a shoe in defense. The noise returns again the following nights. Kenny finds out that the ghost's name is Caleb, and was a past slave of the owner of the home Kenny is now living in. Caleb also tells Kenny that he is stuck there until someone helps to set him free. Kenny travels back in time with the help of Caleb and goes on a great adventure to find his murderer. In the end Kenny and Caleb find out that his murderer was Pardon Willinghast, a mysterious man working in the local library that helped Kenny research about his house. Kenny shoots Willinghast and returns home in his bed. He soon finds that Caleb had escaped from the attic. In the very end, he tells Avi that he is still searching for Caleb because he doesn't know if he was freed or not, so he continues to look for him in the nearby houses.
Characters in Something Upstairs
- Caleb: A slave boy in the 18th century. He haunts Kenny in the 21st century and he wants Kenny to solve his murder. He and Kenny Huldorf adventure out to seek who murdered him.
- Kenny: ProtagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the story. He is from Los Angeles, and he moves to Providence, where, in his room, he is haunted by a ghost, who turns to be Caleb. He has a keychain that allows him to go back to the time to investigate what happened how Caleb died. Caleb wants Kenny to find his murderer by taking him back to the time of his murder. Caleb keeps reminding Kenny that he is just a memory not a "ghost"
-
- Pardon Willinghast: AntagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the story. - Avi: He tells the story of Caleb and Kenny in the first and last chapter.
- Daniel Stillwell: Caleb's owner
- Pardon Willinghast: Antagonist
Awards
- YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 1999
- Rhode Island Children's Book Award, 1991
- Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award, 1992
- California Young Reader MedalCalifornia Young Reader MedalThe California Young Reader Medal is an award given annually to books nominated and voted on by children in California. The medal was established in 1974 and encourages recreational reading...
, Middle School/Junior High, 1993 - ALAAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
Notable Recording, 1992 (Recorded Books, Inc.) - Best Books of the Year, Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, 1989 - Nominated, Best Juvenile Mystery of the Year, Mystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of AmericaMystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
, 1989