lexieb's review against another edition
5.0
This book helped remind me why I still adore middlegrade.
It managed to be cute, sweet, genuinely emotional, and creepy, sometimes all within the span of a few pages. In a YA novel, that'd be almost bizarre; but in here? Not in the slightest. Children have such a fantastic array of emotions, and are so very capricious. They can switch from delighted to horrified to curious within the span of minutes. And they have this honest, black and white view of the world that has always fascinated me more than anything.
At first, this tripped me up. While some of the characters were wonderful and real and intensely likable--Lorelei, Andrew, even Brian, despite his jerkiness--some of them seemed to be flatly evil, with no redeeming traits to speak of. But then I remembered something, something I suppose I'd forgotten in the many months between my last middlegrade read. I remembered that simply because Lorelei perceived these people as purely awful did not mean they were, in actuality, evil incarnate; it was simply how she saw them. Lorelei is not a little kid, but even at her age, children have this tendency to make things out in such a way that the world is easier to grasp. There are blacks and whites, rights and wrongs, but there are no shades of gray.
I'd accepted this, so it came as a very, very pleasant surprise when Nikki Loftin showed me that Lorelei could see the shades of gray, at least a bit.
Even those characters that should be completely despicable, the ones you know you're supposed to hate, root against, hope for their demise, etc., were not the evil, mustache-twirling (hair-twirling, since they're female?) villains that one might find in a middlegrade book for the younger ages. They were terrible, yes, and I was rooting for Lorelei to defeat them, yes, but there were these small moments, these small emotions, that made them so very real, despite the fantastic circumstances.
I adored that. I adored every last character in here, but most of all, I adored Lorelei. She was sweet and troubled and determined and far, far better than most MCs you'll find in YA today. They could learn a thing or to from this girl, this eleven-year-old who loves her family and loves her friend and will do anything to save the people around her, no matter how they may act towards her.
That's not the only thing I was fond of. I liked the writing, simple and smooth; I liked the plot, with its fast, even pacing that rushed me through this in less than a day; I liked the whole concept, completely creepy and completely original. Granted, I guessed the main plot within the first 30 pages, but I do not fall within this book's intended audience. I suspect that for the average 7-12 year old, the plot will be a wonderful mystery.
More than all this, though, the characters made the story. Nikki Loftin has a real talent for creating characters that you can't help but love, and that, that guarantees I will read anything she writes, no matter the genre.
4.5 stars, but I loved the characters enough that it's being rounded to 5.
It managed to be cute, sweet, genuinely emotional, and creepy, sometimes all within the span of a few pages. In a YA novel, that'd be almost bizarre; but in here? Not in the slightest. Children have such a fantastic array of emotions, and are so very capricious. They can switch from delighted to horrified to curious within the span of minutes. And they have this honest, black and white view of the world that has always fascinated me more than anything.
At first, this tripped me up. While some of the characters were wonderful and real and intensely likable--Lorelei, Andrew, even Brian, despite his jerkiness--some of them seemed to be flatly evil, with no redeeming traits to speak of. But then I remembered something, something I suppose I'd forgotten in the many months between my last middlegrade read. I remembered that simply because Lorelei perceived these people as purely awful did not mean they were, in actuality, evil incarnate; it was simply how she saw them. Lorelei is not a little kid, but even at her age, children have this tendency to make things out in such a way that the world is easier to grasp. There are blacks and whites, rights and wrongs, but there are no shades of gray.
I'd accepted this, so it came as a very, very pleasant surprise when Nikki Loftin showed me that Lorelei could see the shades of gray, at least a bit.
Even those characters that should be completely despicable, the ones you know you're supposed to hate, root against, hope for their demise, etc., were not the evil, mustache-twirling (hair-twirling, since they're female?) villains that one might find in a middlegrade book for the younger ages. They were terrible, yes, and I was rooting for Lorelei to defeat them, yes, but there were these small moments, these small emotions, that made them so very real, despite the fantastic circumstances.
I adored that. I adored every last character in here, but most of all, I adored Lorelei. She was sweet and troubled and determined and far, far better than most MCs you'll find in YA today. They could learn a thing or to from this girl, this eleven-year-old who loves her family and loves her friend and will do anything to save the people around her, no matter how they may act towards her.
That's not the only thing I was fond of. I liked the writing, simple and smooth; I liked the plot, with its fast, even pacing that rushed me through this in less than a day; I liked the whole concept, completely creepy and completely original. Granted, I guessed the main plot within the first 30 pages, but I do not fall within this book's intended audience. I suspect that for the average 7-12 year old, the plot will be a wonderful mystery.
More than all this, though, the characters made the story. Nikki Loftin has a real talent for creating characters that you can't help but love, and that, that guarantees I will read anything she writes, no matter the genre.
4.5 stars, but I loved the characters enough that it's being rounded to 5.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. I think that already says a whole lot about the story and what will happen.
For a retelling, I have to say it was masterfully done. I didn't know it was a retelling until much more hints were dropped.
The witches were scary and manipulative, especially one, who made everyone think she was the good one.
The school idea was wonderfully done, kids get food all day long. Beginning with breakfast, ending with snacks while studying... ok they were free to do whatever they want. I can imagine that also lures enough kids. Freedom, Food and Fun, 3 things kids would love to do but schools in general don't give. And then you get this school in your neighbourhood. Wow.
I loved the main character, I also felt so sorry for her, for the burden she was carrying was way too big, and I don't understand why her dad never talked more to her. Though ok, I guess he was too busy with Molly (more about her later). I was cheering throughout the whole book for our main character, saying she should continue to fight, and Oh No not go to the dark side (they do have cookies, but deadly ones). And the ending, how she fought, how brave she was, I loved that. Go girl!
Then we have various side characters, which I didn't all like. Andrew was ok, but it was a bit up and down for me. At times I really liked him, at other times I just wanted to smack him hard.
And Molly, oh dear lord Molly. She was truly and absolutely a (sorry for my language) bitch who didn't like/love kids. She even locks up our main character, gives no food, no thought that maybe it might go bad. Seriously, how did Dad marry her? I know love makes blind, but this is a serious case of blindness.
In overall this was a super wonderful, magical and lovely book. It brings up grieving, how to cope, that not everything is what it seems and much much more. I would really recommend it to everyone!
For a retelling, I have to say it was masterfully done. I didn't know it was a retelling until much more hints were dropped.
The witches were scary and manipulative, especially one, who made everyone think she was the good one.
The school idea was wonderfully done, kids get food all day long. Beginning with breakfast, ending with snacks while studying... ok they were free to do whatever they want. I can imagine that also lures enough kids. Freedom, Food and Fun, 3 things kids would love to do but schools in general don't give. And then you get this school in your neighbourhood. Wow.
I loved the main character, I also felt so sorry for her, for the burden she was carrying was way too big, and I don't understand why her dad never talked more to her. Though ok, I guess he was too busy with Molly (more about her later). I was cheering throughout the whole book for our main character, saying she should continue to fight, and Oh No not go to the dark side (they do have cookies, but deadly ones). And the ending, how she fought, how brave she was, I loved that. Go girl!
Then we have various side characters, which I didn't all like. Andrew was ok, but it was a bit up and down for me. At times I really liked him, at other times I just wanted to smack him hard.
And Molly, oh dear lord Molly. She was truly and absolutely a (sorry for my language) bitch who didn't like/love kids. She even locks up our main character, gives no food, no thought that maybe it might go bad. Seriously, how did Dad marry her? I know love makes blind, but this is a serious case of blindness.
In overall this was a super wonderful, magical and lovely book. It brings up grieving, how to cope, that not everything is what it seems and much much more. I would really recommend it to everyone!
wiseowl33's review against another edition
4.0
Who doesn't want to run in the halls at school? Loved this story! It was just the right amount of creepy to funny with adventure mixed in! Very enjoyable! Will highly recommend it to my kids at school!
lindacbugg's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
This is one of those times I wish GR had 1/2 point ratings. But I want to read her next book so that's saying something :)
This is one of those times I wish GR had 1/2 point ratings. But I want to read her next book so that's saying something :)
shimin_mushsharat's review against another edition
3.0
A little creepy, witchy book for young readers. I honestly didn't like it very much. This book has quite a lot of dark, gloomy parts which could make you feel all sorts of sad and frustrated. It talks about how adults don't pay any heed to kids, unkind stepmothers and neglected illnesses. There was also a subplot about handling grief which was really depressing. I'm not really into melancholy books so it just didn't work for me.
debrichmond's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the characters, obviously Lorelei. The writing is good, and I enjoyed the infusion of foreign languages. I would have enjoyed a little more of an ending with some more resolution to the family issues. I think my students will enjoy it, especially the more horrifying elements.
couillac's review against another edition
2.0
While I think the premise is intriguing and will make a good hook for book talks (a modern Hansel and Gretel tale), I found this title to be difficult to get into. The protagonist is hard to pin down age-wise - she has childish interests but her reflections are often much more mature than your typical kid. A few chapters in, I still struggled with placing her. Additionally, the author struggled with consistency in tone. Sometimes, the story had a sense of a twisted fairy tale, but then something more emotionally charged and complex would come up, like Lorelei's grief over the loss of her mom, which was jarring and didn't fit with the more darkly whimsical aspects of the book. These comments about Lorelei's deeper feelings were also just dropped in now and then rather than being integrated more fluidly with the story. The magical aspects, like the school's emphasis on food, are intriguing and fun to read, but as a whole, the book doesn't flow very well. I think it will spark the interest of some middle grade readers, but I'm afraid they will be put off by the writing.
kelseyreadingstuff's review against another edition
4.0
Described as Coraline meets Hansel and Gretel, so how could I resist? This book definitely didn't disappoint. It reminded me a little bit of Dahl's Witches (which is fantastic) and the only reason I put it down is because I had to go to work. Will definitely recommend it the next time I'm working in the Kid's Department!
hsquared's review against another edition
3.0
This retelling of Hansel and Gretel is full of adventure, though the writing is at times weak.
purplepages's review
4.0
The blurb said something about this book was a Hansel and Gretel retelling. But I believe, that I got more than that.
This book was so good plot wise and character wise. I just had a little problem with how perfectly it ended up, how easy it was. But other than that, this book is highly enjoyable and on some parts, hilarious.
Full review to follow.
This book was so good plot wise and character wise. I just had a little problem with how perfectly it ended up, how easy it was. But other than that, this book is highly enjoyable and on some parts, hilarious.
Full review to follow.