Toyota Repair: Brakes Noise, rear brakes, rear shoes

Question
I have a very basic mechanical question to ask. I recently purchased a 1993 Toyota Corolla 1.31 Gli, and within weeks of purchase noticed a slight grinding sound coming from the rear as I braked moderately (for example at a stop-street). The previous owner denies knowledge of this, so i'd like to know what is causing it or how serious it is. The brakes seem a bit 'spongy', other than that the car is fine. What do you think it means?  

Answer
could be a number of things. first thing i would do is see how well the parking brake works.. that will tell you if the rear brakes are adjusted. if you can pull the parking brake up more than 1/2 way the rear brakes are out of adjustment or are worn. assuming that the brakes are in adjustment they could be worn out, which would require new shoes and turning the drums.. if that happenes to be, i would also flush the brake system and bleed it, when you replace the rear shoes.. i hope this helped.. one other thing.... it is also possible to have a bad wheel cylinder(s) in the drums.. good luck