megtheelibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"I don't know." But she did, in fact, know.
That's the general theme of this book for me. The number of times I heard "I don't know" followed by some form of Jac admitting she felt like she knew the answer drove me up the wall like I was the skittering Mourner herself. And that wasn't even the worst part of the book.
I admired Jac's determination and instinct at the beginning, when she had other people she needed to protect. But as soon as she was alone in the house, she kept falling for all sorts of obvious tricks! (For example, the spongy wall.) Her behavior was so different between when Hazel was with her and after Hazel left. It was like the author needed Jac to dumb down a little bit so she could show off more house horrors because, until Hazel disappeared, Jac didn't fall for a single trick.
What I did think was interesting was the medical horror content. I think we will have a whole new generation of children terrified of being "eaten" by MRI machines, terrified by the knocking, buzzing, and siren-esque noises. Terrified by the smell of hospitals. Terrified by medical staff. And honestly, I feel like that was a little unfair to our health professionals, but as someone who has had a few MRIs before, the sound descriptions were on. point. I knew it was an MRI before it was even revealed to be one.
But the worst part of all? (This will spoil the ending.)
The descriptions in this book were absolutely terrifying to listen to. I literally had to turn it off when Jac's "mother" started saying "Okay???" over and over again, and start it over in the morning when it was light outside. As far as scare factor goes, this can be terrifying. I have no other word for it. But I spent so much of this story annoyed at the characters.
That's the general theme of this book for me. The number of times I heard "I don't know" followed by some form of Jac admitting she felt like she knew the answer drove me up the wall like I was the skittering Mourner herself. And that wasn't even the worst part of the book.
I admired Jac's determination and instinct at the beginning, when she had other people she needed to protect. But as soon as she was alone in the house, she kept falling for all sorts of obvious tricks! (For example, the spongy wall.) Her behavior was so different between when Hazel was with her and after Hazel left. It was like the author needed Jac to dumb down a little bit so she could show off more house horrors because, until Hazel disappeared, Jac didn't fall for a single trick.
What I did think was interesting was the medical horror content. I think we will have a whole new generation of children terrified of being "eaten" by MRI machines, terrified by the knocking, buzzing, and siren-esque noises. Terrified by the smell of hospitals. Terrified by medical staff. And honestly, I feel like that was a little unfair to our health professionals, but as someone who has had a few MRIs before, the sound descriptions were on. point. I knew it was an MRI before it was even revealed to be one.
But the worst part of all? (This will spoil the ending.)
Spoiler
IT WAS ALL JUST A DREAM. Sort of. The house disappeared, Jac started to forget, and she woke up in the hospital with no clue what was going on. She did change in the end. She learned to appreciate that everyone gets only one life in this world, she finally opens up to Hazel, and her mother got the confrontation she deserved.The descriptions in this book were absolutely terrifying to listen to. I literally had to turn it off when Jac's "mother" started saying "Okay???" over and over again, and start it over in the morning when it was light outside. As far as scare factor goes, this can be terrifying. I have no other word for it. But I spent so much of this story annoyed at the characters.
zombiepond's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mistermipsy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Fantastic representation of trauma as a haunted house, and I love that this was written to give kids with cancer a story about a survivor amongst all the stories that use kids who died from cancer to teach other characters about life
esdeecarlson's review
3.0
3.5 stars
A middle-grade haunted house story specifically for and about survivors of childhood cancer. I like that the book is quite straightforward about its metaphoric qualities; it is in essence providing a blueprint and language for working through a traumatic experience. The scary bits are quite scary, but there’s also a sense of our main character’s agency that is comforting, and like the best haunted house stories, when you really look at the monsters they’re more sad than anything else. The book features several gems of clever wording: the characters must get through the house to beat it, and the question is never “how do we get out” but “how do we move on.”
The author is also very invested in the idea, expressed explicitly in the book, that trauma is elastic. I think this is a perfect way to express trauma’s effects to this and any age group and is well done here.
Some of the meta qualities of the book seem a little odd for the age group; I’m not sure, for example, whether I was meant to appreciate that the house quotes Shirley Jackson. I did, however, really appreciate the ending, and the fact that the ending isn’t too abrupt; we see what Jac takes from the experience and how she decides to move on.
Honestly, for me the toughest part of the book was Jac’s mother, a woman clearly deeply wounded by watching her child survive cancer and who makes Jac manage her emotions for her. Jac must school her expressions, emotions, and reactions, because there is only room for one emotionally vulnerable person in their house and that’s her mom. While I appreciate that this is a very real thing that many children go through, I wish it had been addressed similarly to other issues Jac has, a little more honestly. The narrative is very kind to Jac’s mother and I wish it acknowledged a little more how unfair it is of her to put her emotional wellbeing entirely on her child’s shoulders instead of finding outside sources of support.
I don’t think this book is just for kids who’ve survived cancer; I think it would be useful for any middle-grade reader, because the language and metaphors used are appropriate for addressing a variety of traumas. It would make an excellent selection for school libraries.
A middle-grade haunted house story specifically for and about survivors of childhood cancer. I like that the book is quite straightforward about its metaphoric qualities; it is in essence providing a blueprint and language for working through a traumatic experience. The scary bits are quite scary, but there’s also a sense of our main character’s agency that is comforting, and like the best haunted house stories, when you really look at the monsters they’re more sad than anything else. The book features several gems of clever wording: the characters must get through the house to beat it, and the question is never “how do we get out” but “how do we move on.”
The author is also very invested in the idea, expressed explicitly in the book, that trauma is elastic. I think this is a perfect way to express trauma’s effects to this and any age group and is well done here.
Some of the meta qualities of the book seem a little odd for the age group; I’m not sure, for example, whether I was meant to appreciate that the house quotes Shirley Jackson. I did, however, really appreciate the ending, and the fact that the ending isn’t too abrupt; we see what Jac takes from the experience and how she decides to move on.
Honestly, for me the toughest part of the book was Jac’s mother, a woman clearly deeply wounded by watching her child survive cancer and who makes Jac manage her emotions for her. Jac must school her expressions, emotions, and reactions, because there is only room for one emotionally vulnerable person in their house and that’s her mom. While I appreciate that this is a very real thing that many children go through, I wish it had been addressed similarly to other issues Jac has, a little more honestly. The narrative is very kind to Jac’s mother and I wish it acknowledged a little more how unfair it is of her to put her emotional wellbeing entirely on her child’s shoulders instead of finding outside sources of support.
I don’t think this book is just for kids who’ve survived cancer; I think it would be useful for any middle-grade reader, because the language and metaphors used are appropriate for addressing a variety of traumas. It would make an excellent selection for school libraries.
abooklikeyou's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the first spooky middle grade to ever make me cry.
Jac is approaching the 5-year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis and is hoping to be declared NED or "no evidence of disease." Having cancer has definitely left Jac with trauma, as she is always scared that she may be experiencing symptoms again. Around this same time, a house appears at the end of the road, seemingly out of nowhere. When Jac and her best friend, Hazel, are dared to go inside, Jac must not only face what's in the house, but the terror insider her as well.
It says something about a book that can really pack a punch with being extremely atmospheric and creepy but also deeply moving and emotional. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my favorite spooky middle grade books aren't the ones that are just scary for the sake of being scary. My favorites are the ones that weave in real-life fears and experiences and teach you how to be brave through them. I'm here for the life lessons, the hope, and the motivation to live life, even when it can be scary. And this book does just that.
I do feel like there was a bit of the lull in the middle for me, which is why I didn't give this one a full 5 stars, but I teared up at the beginning and had a good little sob by the end. I look forward to reading more books from this author!
Jac is approaching the 5-year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis and is hoping to be declared NED or "no evidence of disease." Having cancer has definitely left Jac with trauma, as she is always scared that she may be experiencing symptoms again. Around this same time, a house appears at the end of the road, seemingly out of nowhere. When Jac and her best friend, Hazel, are dared to go inside, Jac must not only face what's in the house, but the terror insider her as well.
It says something about a book that can really pack a punch with being extremely atmospheric and creepy but also deeply moving and emotional. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my favorite spooky middle grade books aren't the ones that are just scary for the sake of being scary. My favorites are the ones that weave in real-life fears and experiences and teach you how to be brave through them. I'm here for the life lessons, the hope, and the motivation to live life, even when it can be scary. And this book does just that.
I do feel like there was a bit of the lull in the middle for me, which is why I didn't give this one a full 5 stars, but I teared up at the beginning and had a good little sob by the end. I look forward to reading more books from this author!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Medical trauma, Medical content, Chronic illness, and Bullying
ipushbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
andreareads's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75