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lyss_reads's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
lanidon's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure I'd really recommend this to a child. As it says on the cover, this is a ghost story, but all the ghosts are alive and wishing they were dead. The discussions of suicide may be too much for a younger reader
I don't think the conclusion of the story really landed for me, but the setup was very intriguing. I wish we got to see the mom get with her cute doctor because that was one of the sweetest parts of the book. It's not a great sign though if the best parts of a middle grade are about the adults
I don't think the conclusion of the story really landed for me, but the setup was very intriguing. I wish we got to see the mom get with her cute doctor because that was one of the sweetest parts of the book. It's not a great sign though if the best parts of a middle grade are about the adults
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Blood and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death, Medical content, and Death of parent
kb_sherman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
emilyrainsford's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
4.5/5
I really enjoyed this story! A lot more than I expected to!
12 year old Alice's mum gets sick of her dad's shite and packs them both off in a train to go care for an old lady in a big old creepy house. When Alice falls asleep in her bed there, she wakes up to a girl sleeping beside her - it must have been just a dream, but it felt so real? After some exploring, Alice finds a giant dollhouse in the attic that's an exact replica of the house she's staying in, and every time she falls asleep, she seems to fall into this dollhouse world in the past with the girl in her bed. What's happening to her? Is it magic or is she losing her mind??
This story kept me intrigued the whole way through. I am a huge wuss when it comes to scary stories and it definitely had some creepy moments! I'm definitely glad I didn't read this as the sensitive child I was, and if my 9 yo read this, she'd have nightmares for years! As an adult though, I really liked the read. I was compelled to find out what was happening. I can really vividly imagine this as an awesome and pretty creepy movie. It probably won't be for everyone, but I really liked the weird and freaky climax scenes.
The whole idea of "if I go to sleep, I might actually die" though is 100% NOT something I'd give to a kid to read, so I'm not sure really who the target audience is meant to be... maybe kids made of tougher stuff than me and mine lol.
As an aside, I got such Biff and Chip nostalgia from this, with the replica dollhouse and dolls found in the attic. If you know, you know. Possibly showing my age as an 80s/90s kid there!
I do agree with another reviewer about feeling a bit iffy about the portrayal of the girls with developmental delay/disability in this story. I understand from the author's note that they were inspired by a real life person, in consultation with her mother, so I guess she tried to do things the right way there. But the whole idealising of the disabled girls as blissfully happy felt a bit off to me. It felt a bit like an able bodied person using the disabled as their "inspiration" rather than seeing them as a fully rounded person with challenges and complexity, a feeling only compounded by the whole "guardian angel" thing.
Aside from that, I did really enjoy this read, I found it unique and compelling.
I really enjoyed this story! A lot more than I expected to!
12 year old Alice's mum gets sick of her dad's shite and packs them both off in a train to go care for an old lady in a big old creepy house. When Alice falls asleep in her bed there, she wakes up to a girl sleeping beside her - it must have been just a dream, but it felt so real? After some exploring, Alice finds a giant dollhouse in the attic that's an exact replica of the house she's staying in, and every time she falls asleep, she seems to fall into this dollhouse world in the past with the girl in her bed. What's happening to her? Is it magic or is she losing her mind??
This story kept me intrigued the whole way through. I am a huge wuss when it comes to scary stories and it definitely had some creepy moments! I'm definitely glad I didn't read this as the sensitive child I was, and if my 9 yo read this, she'd have nightmares for years! As an adult though, I really liked the read. I was compelled to find out what was happening. I can really vividly imagine this as an awesome and pretty creepy movie. It probably won't be for everyone, but I really liked the weird and freaky climax scenes.
The whole idea of "if I go to sleep, I might actually die" though is 100% NOT something I'd give to a kid to read, so I'm not sure really who the target audience is meant to be... maybe kids made of tougher stuff than me and mine lol.
As an aside, I got such Biff and Chip nostalgia from this, with the replica dollhouse and dolls found in the attic. If you know, you know. Possibly showing my age as an 80s/90s kid there!
I do agree with another reviewer about feeling a bit iffy about the portrayal of the girls with developmental delay/disability in this story. I understand from the author's note that they were inspired by a real life person, in consultation with her mother, so I guess she tried to do things the right way there. But the whole idealising of the disabled girls as blissfully happy felt a bit off to me. It felt a bit like an able bodied person using the disabled as their "inspiration" rather than seeing them as a fully rounded person with challenges and complexity, a feeling only compounded by the whole "guardian angel" thing.
Aside from that, I did really enjoy this read, I found it unique and compelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
Train accident, head injury, parental divorce