Middle-Grade Review: Not Quite a Ghost

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail last week that I read right away: Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu, a middle-grade spooky thriller with a twist from a favorite author and a virtual friend for over 15 years. She and I share the same chronic illness, ME/CFS, an immune disorder, and we each reached out to the other at various times, as I explain in this post on my chronic illness blog, Great Books from a CFS Author. I reviewed her first middle-grade novel, The Shadow Thieves, book one of The Cronus Chronicles, in which she cleverly worked her illness into the story of modern-day kids battling Greek gods. My son (a young teen at the time) and I both loved the action-packed, funny series. I later reviewed her middle-grade novel Breadcrumbs (and also reviewed it for Family Fun magazine), which features a ten-year-old girl dealing with real-life issues who meets fairy-tale characters in the snowy woods. I enjoyed it so much, I gave it to my niece for Christmas that year! I also enjoyed The Real Boy, about a young boy who works for a wizard and is dealing with his own challenges. I reached out to Anne recently to see how she was doing and how her health was, and she sent me a copy of her latest middle-grade novel, Not Quite a Ghost. I read it immediately and think it may be my favorite of her novels, which is saying a lot!

Eleven-year-old Violet is going through a lot of changes in her life. Her family has just moved out of their too-small house into an older house that needs some work. Violet's teen sister, Mia, is thrilled to finally have some privacy and gets her first choice of rooms, and their little brother needs to be near their parents. That leaves Violet up in the creepy attic bedroom with the ugly wallpaper all by herself. She's also starting middle school, where her closest friends suddenly seem to change and to want a bigger friend group. Then, in the first weeks of school, Violet gets sick ... and she doesn't get better. Sometimes she feels OK and tries to act normally, leading some friends to think she's faking, and other times, her body just won't work and she can't get out of bed. Spending a lot of time in the attic bedroom, Violet begins to see strange things in the weird wallpaper and suspect that she's not alone up there. She calls on her new friend, Will, who's been researching ghosts, to help her, but is there anything they can do? 

I loved this spooky, unique novel and never wanted it to end! Violet is eventually diagnosed with ME/CFS, the same illness that the author and I share. Both of my sons got it, as well (it has genetic roots), at ages 6 and 10, and it affects millions of other kids and teens all over the world--even more now since long-COVID often develops into ME/CFS. Ursu describes the disease perfectly, with all of its mysterious symptoms, seemingly random ups and downs, dismissive doctors and school personnel, and disbelieving family and friends (though Violet's family is very supportive). I felt seen. If all of that sounds like it might be depressing, it's not! 

Ursu brings her marvelous sense of humor to this novel, and I was often laughing out loud while reading it. And she writes kids so well; young readers will definitely see themselves in Violet and her friends. Plus, there is also that wonderfully creepy supernatural plotline throughout the novel. The suspense and tension crank up as the strange experiences in Violet's attic bedroom increase, and she and Will try to figure out what's happening. Ursu has created a clever parallel to what's happening in Violet's body with the house being unable to expel whatever has "invaded" it in the attic. It's a gripping, original story with a nail-biting climax that is perfect. Like I said, of all of her unique, magical, funny, suspenseful novels, this one is my new favorite.

288 pages, Walden Pond Press

HarperAudio

You can visit Anne's website for more information about her books. And to read about her inspiration for this book and her own illness experiences, see her blog post "On Hauntings" on the Nerdy Book Club blog.

This book fits in the following 2024 Reading Challenges:

 

Monthly Motif Reading Challenge - October - Wicked Good Reads

Alphabet Soup Challenge - N

Diversity Reading Challenge

Literary Escapes - Minnesota

RIP - Readers Imbibing Peril 
 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me  

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.

 

Or get this audiobook from Libro.fm and support local bookstores (audio sample here, too, which showcases the humor in the story).

 

Print and e-book from Amazon.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 
  

Fiction Review: End of Watch

I finished my first Big Book Summer book, End of Watch by Stephen King. This is the third and final book in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. I enjoyed Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers. And my husband has been waiting for me to read this last book, so he and I can watch seasons two and three of the Mr. Mercedes TV show!

 

I won't give away any spoilers of the first two books, so this will be a bit brief. This third book continues the story of Bill Hodges, a retired police detective in Ohio, and his now-business-partner, Holly Gibney (who also makes an appearance in King's The Outsider). Together, they solved the case of the Mercedes Massacre in book one and the stolen manuscript in book two, but now a suspiciously odd string of suicides brings them back into an active police investigation. This final book of the trilogy comes back to the story of Brady Hartsfield, the evil but brilliant computer genius who was the vile “Mercedes Killer” (not a spoiler—you know from the start of book one who Brady is) and who is now paralyzed and in the hospital.

 

It was gripping and super-suspenseful, as are all of King’s novels! The first two books were mostly straight-up mystery/thriller stories, but this third one brings in some of that King creepiness with some supernatural phenomena. After I finished reading the book, we started season two of the Mr. Mercedes TV show, but it was highly annoying to me to find out they switched books two and three in the TV series so that season two is about book three (that’s why someone had warned me to finish reading the full trilogy before embarking on season two of the TV show). And they killed off of a beloved character who’s alive in the books! It’s probably best to wait a bit longer after reading a book to watch its TV or movie adaptation. In any case, the TV show is still good, even though it’s annoying me. And all three of the books were excellent with that can’t-put-it-down compelling character for which King is famous.

 

400 pages, Gallery Books

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 

Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

 

Or you can order End of Watch from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Middle-Grade Review: Follow Me

My very last creepy read for the fall was a middle-grade novel, Follow Me by K.R. Alexander, that I listened to on audio. It was a spooky ghost story, and the perfect way to finish the dark reading season!

Tamal has just moved into a big house on a hill overlooking a small mill town. He and his parents moved from NYC and are happy to have more room and a quieter place to live. The house comes with rumors of ghosts, but don't all old houses? Anyway, Tamal's father loves those "ghost catching" shows on TV and thinks it is all good fun. Tamal's two new friends from school, Max and Lela, are eager to come to his house. During dinner, they fill Tamal and his parents in on all the spooky stories they've heard about the house: that the wealthy mill owner built the house on top of the town graveyard, that ghosts of children haunt the house, and more. His dad loves hearing the stories, but before they've even unpacked, Tamal sees a ghost: a little girl dressed in old-fashioned clothes, holding a teddy bear. Paranormal events quickly ramp up, as Tamal digs into the house's history, searches the house and the graveyard, and tries to keep his two new friends safe (and himself, too). 

The tension increases quickly, as Tamal learns more of the house's history and encounters more ghostly apparitions. The story is suspenseful and delightfully creepy. My one problem was with the audio production. They chose an adult narrator (I think perhaps because his accent matched what they were looking for for Tamal) whose overdone little kid voices were like nails on a chalkboard to me. Maybe that's just me, but you can listen to the audio sample and make up your own mind. I still listened all the way through because the story was compelling, but personally, in this case I'd go for the print book. It's a wonderfully spooky ghost story, not for 'fraidy cat kids but perfect for middle-graders who enjoy a little scary stuff. It looks like the author has written a bunch of paranormal ghost stories, so if you have horror-loving kids who like to get spooked, check him out.

224 pages, Scholastic

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can purchase Follow Me from an independent bookstore, either locally or online, here:

 

You can also buy through indie bookstores using Bookshop.

Or you can order Follow Me from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Fiction Review: The Haunting of Hill House

Although I read dark and creepy books throughout September and October for #RIPXV Challenge, I saved one in particular for Halloween week: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. This was the first Jackson novel I've read, and it was the perfect choice for the season--the ultimate spooky haunted house story!

Dr. Montague is a scholar with a PhD who studies supernatural occurrences, though much of his work incurs only derision from his colleagues. He comes up with a plan to look for the most haunted house he can find, and invite people to stay there who have previously experienced some sort of paranormal event. That way, he can document and report on psychic phenomena with solid corroborated evidence. He sends out a dozen letters, but in the end, only two people accept his strange invitation. Eleanor is a timid young woman who has spent her life taking care of her thankless mother, who recently died. Her older sister now controls every aspect of Eleanor's life, so she is filled with joy and excitement to be on her own for the summer, as she drives to Hill House. Theodora (Theo) is Eleanor's opposite: full of confidence and girlish enthusiasm, pretty and playful. The two young women bond as if they were at summer camp together. Finally, the family that now owns Hill House insists that a family representative be present, so a young man named Luke joins the group. This is Luke's first visit to the infamous house, though he stands to inherit it some day. He joins in with the party atmosphere, bantering with the girls. That first night, in front of a fire, Dr. Montague fills them in on the dark history of the house, though they could each feel its inherent evil as they drove up, saw it, and entered it for the first time. The group spends their days acting like they are on summer vacation, and their nights ... well, you'll have to read it for yourself to find out!

I'd heard this is a wonderful spooky classic, but it surpassed my expectations. Shirley Jackson has a real talent for not only telling a good (scary) story but also for her beautiful writing. She brings the characters and setting to life with her words, and lightens the dark, ominous tone with a great sense of humor. The more I think about the novel, the more I realize what a brilliant piece of fiction it is; I just picked up my copy to check back for a detail and came across a passage in the middle that, having now finished the book, I realize is a perfect, chilling foreshadowing. The story is every bit as scary and suspenseful as I'd been told, with a growing tension right from the beginning. The ending took me by surprise but was perfect when I thought about it. I loved reading The Haunting of Hill House, especially at the end of October, and I can't wait to read more of Jackson's books and short stories. And now I want to watch the Netflix adaptation, too!

182 pages, Penguin Classics

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

 

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, of Dr. Montague choosing his candidates, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can purchase The Haunting of Hill House from an independent bookstore, either locally or online, here:

 

You can also buy through indie bookstores using Bookshop.

 

 

Or you can order The Haunting of Hill House from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Teen/YA Review: Bent Heavens

In the mood for some fast-paced sci fi, I recently listened to Bent Heavens, a teen/YA novel by Daniel Krauss. It was a twisty, dark, action-packed story with plenty of unexpected surprises.

Liv Fleming is just trying to get through her last year of high school, so she can move on and go to college. She's been through a lot. Two years ago, her father went crazy in a very public way and then disappeared shortly afterward. He showed up in a public park, naked, and raving about alien abduction. As her school's high school English teacher, he also directed a very strange version of Oliver Twist, all about aliens. So, the whole town knows. Before he disappeared into the woods and never returned, his passionate insistence on the dangers of aliens convinced Liv and her childhood best friend, Doug, to help him build traps all over the Fleming's overgrown backyard. Even though he's been gone for two years, Liv and Doug trudge out there every Sunday to check and maintain the traps (and an impressive homemade weapons arsenal in the shed), just like her dad taught them. Doug is still committed to this routine, but Liv is ready to move forward ... until the Sunday when they actually find something in one of the traps. The creature is like nothing they've ever seen before, but it does match some of her dad's lunatic ravings. Does this mean her dad was telling the truth the whole time? And could this thing know something about her dad and what happened to him? Could her father still be alive? Liv and Doug must decide what to do next.

This is a rollercoaster ride of a sci fi thriller and also quite an emotional ride as well, with Liv's complicated feelings about her dad and her guilt that she hadn't believed him. The plot is original and super twisty, and I was constantly surprised. However, the story is quite violent and sometimes brutal, which was hard to listen to, even though the audiobook was very well done and gripping. All in all, it's a unique premise and well-written, but you have to be prepared for a dark ride.

304 pages, Henry Holt and Company
Macmillan Audio

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, a flashback to Liv's dad's sudden naked appearance in a park, and/or download it from Audible.

You can purchase Bent Heavens from an independent bookstore, either locally or online, here:

You can also buy through indie bookstores using Bookshop.

Or you can order Bent Heavens from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.