Essie also begins to notice strange occurrences on the island. Moving to her stepfather’s big mansion on the dreary North Brother Island contributes to her long list of anxieties.

She calls this list “The List of Unspeakable Fears”. Her mother tells her to write down all her anxieties and fears to help her cope and overcome them. Blackcreek runs a quarantine hospital for mostly poor immigrants who have incurable diseases. Ten-year-old Essie and her mother are moving from a crowded tenement in the Bronx to North Brother Island in the East River, where her new stepfather, Dr. This spooky, historical fiction middle-grade novel takes place in 1910 in New York City. Morris County Cooks: historic menus, recipes & food notes.Yet to uncover the truth, she will have to face her own painful history-and what lies behind the red door. Convinced her stepfather is up to no good, Essie investigates. And the red door from her dreams has become a reality, just down the hall from her bedroom in her terrifying new house. Now, something on the island is haunting Essie. Years ago, she watched in horror as the ship General Slocum caught fire and sank near its shores, plummeting one thousand women and children to their deaths. Essie knows the island is plagued with tragedy. That's where Essie's new stepfather runs a quarantine hospital for the incurable sick, including the infamous Typhoid Mary. Her mother has remarried, and they must move from their dilapidated tenement in the Bronx to North Brother Island, a dreary place in the East River. Most of all, she's afraid of the red door in her nightmares.īut soon Essie discovers so much more to fear. She's afraid of the silver sick bell, a family heirloom that brings up frightening memories. She's afraid of cats and electric lights. The War That Saved My Life meets Coraline in this 'deliciously creepy' ( Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade historical novel following an anxious young girl learning to face her fears-and her ghosts-against the backdrop of the typhoid epidemic.Įssie O'Neill is afraid of everything.

The list of unspeakable fears