The Secret of Laurel Oaks — Content Guide for Parents
Found in this book
- ViolenceSupporting
- Scary contentCentral
- Race & cultureSupporting
- Sexual contentBrief
Not found
- Religion
- Climate
- Gender roles
- Gender & orientation
Couldn't confirm
- Profanity
- Profanity: The sources do not say anything about swearing in the book's language.
Content themes
Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.
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Summaries and source quotes for every theme.
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Religion
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
A haunting historical mystery based on real life events, told in the alternating points of view of a contemporary girl and a 19th century slave accused of a horrible crime.
When Lila and her family visit Laurel Oaks Plantation in Louisiana, her parents and brother scoff at the claim that the house is haunted. But secretly, Lila suspects there are ghostly presences willing to communicate with her, and her alone. One spirit eager to tell her story is Daphne, a slave girl at Laurel Oaks in the 1840s, who was blamed for the poisoning deaths of two girls and their mother. Daphne's spirit senses that Lila is the very person she's been waiting for, the one who can prove her innocence so her spirit can rest at long last. Shifting back and forth from Lila's world in the present to Daphne's world in the past, the true story of what really happened that fateful night finally comes to light.
Laurel Oaks is a thinly disguised version of the legendary Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana, which is on the Smithsonian's list of the ten most haunted places in America. This middle grade novel was inspired by the author's visit to the plantation and her experiences there.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Secret of Laurel Oaks appropriate for a 7-year-old?
The 1840s storyline includes the poisoning deaths of a mother and her two daughters, a slave girl's ear being cut off as punishment, and repeated assaults on her, described without much graphic detail. This is a ghost story set in a haunted plantation house, with spirits, unexplained happenings and a Horror label.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have violence?
Found (Supporting): The 1840s storyline includes the poisoning deaths of a mother and her two daughters, a slave girl's ear being cut off as punishment, and repeated assaults on her, described without much graphic detail.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have scary content?
Found (Central): This is a ghost story set in a haunted plantation house, with spirits, unexplained happenings and a Horror label.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have religion?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have race & culture?
Found (Supporting): Half the story follows Daphne, an enslaved girl in the 1840s South, and shows the harsh treatment of enslaved people.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have profanity?
Couldn't confirm: The sources do not say anything about swearing in the book's language.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have climate?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have sexual content?
Found (Brief): The book refers to repeated sexual assaults on Daphne, a slave girl, without describing them in detail.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have gender roles?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does The Secret of Laurel Oaks have gender & orientation?
Not found in the sources we checked.
