First this book is due in August 2018, but please go to your Independent bookstore and preorder! Second, this book has a lot of holes in it for the adult reader such as stereotypical characters, too many coincidences and characters maybe not as contemporary as one is used to. However, this might explain why it reminded me of books I loved as a kid (about age 8 to 10). It has a classic feel. Third, despite all that, I do recommend this book to the younger reader who likes any or all the following: realistic fantasy, spooky thriller or mystery. And, finally, I enjoyed this book (spoiler) the cliffhanger ending notwithstanding.
Josie, her sister and their mom move from the hustle and bustle of Chicago to her Grandmother’s place in the country. While Josie loves her grandmother, her rules are a little strange. School is not great, but after making a friend, Josie thinks things will be okay. That is when things really start getting strange.
It is a straight forward story, you know the “good guys” will win and the “bad guys” will lose. You know that the grandmother is not completely crazy and the fact the rules are broken is no surprise. However, the child reading will wonder “what will happen next” and this will be a page turner for them. It is a short novel (officially over 200 pages, but larger print and short chapters make it less) so that might have helped with some of the holes had it been longer. Younger readers (on the 8-9-year-old side) might find it a tad scary, but the 10 to 12 aged children should be fine.
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