elebore's review against another edition
3.0
well this was not refreshing at all. fuck beetle women, man. this and coraline have given me a real distaste for insect women.
completingmytbr's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciated how well-written this book was. I was appropriately disturbed (it is a creepy mystery) and I really enjoyed how the characters developed. This was a fun read that focused on the positives and negatives of wanting people to act how you think they should rather than how they are most comfortable. The book was a cute and easy read.
storytimed's review against another edition
5.0
I went in expecting X-Men but this turned out to be a very classic Roald Dahl-y book about kids being menaced by supernatural beings that are really just a metaphor for conformity
Notes of Coraline with some gross-out kid horror but I did not expect the cannibalism twist (all the meat in the creepy orphanage comes from kids turned into Frankensteiny monsters)
The protagonist was very fun though— an academic Mean Girl who completely conforms to the rules of their snooty rich neighborhood
Love the children's fiction mean girl renaissance
Notes of Coraline with some gross-out kid horror but I did not expect the cannibalism twist (all the meat in the creepy orphanage comes from kids turned into Frankensteiny monsters)
The protagonist was very fun though— an academic Mean Girl who completely conforms to the rules of their snooty rich neighborhood
Love the children's fiction mean girl renaissance
meganmreads's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! It was wonderful and fun and spooky. A perfect middle grade book that adults can enjoy as well. It’s the kind of book that wants to be read aloud. I can picture an English teacher reading this to her students. The illustrations, including the cover, were wonderful and captured the essence of the story quite well. I’d like to see this book become a movie, actually.
I can’t really explain what it was specifically that made me love this book so much. It was a light story, but also deep and mysterious at the same time. It’s a story that I want to share with others. It’s delightfully spooky, but not gory or too dark for children. I feel like it is on par with Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas and Matilda and things of that nature, while also being unique. And I’m a huge fan of spooky stories that aren’t gory and gross and I find less and less of that these days, so I enjoyed that aspect, too.
Victoria was an interesting character. She’s sort of like Hermoine –always good in school and smart and a bit know-it-all-ish. She’s annoying, but in a way that made her likeable. She was sharp and she had a lot of faith in herself, which I liked. She’s the kind of girl who always does the right thing, which is precisely why she finds herself in the predicament she was in!
I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this story. I would definitely recommend it to others. It’s the kind of story I want to share and own a tattered copy of. My copy is far too new looking!
I can’t really explain what it was specifically that made me love this book so much. It was a light story, but also deep and mysterious at the same time. It’s a story that I want to share with others. It’s delightfully spooky, but not gory or too dark for children. I feel like it is on par with Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas and Matilda and things of that nature, while also being unique. And I’m a huge fan of spooky stories that aren’t gory and gross and I find less and less of that these days, so I enjoyed that aspect, too.
Victoria was an interesting character. She’s sort of like Hermoine –always good in school and smart and a bit know-it-all-ish. She’s annoying, but in a way that made her likeable. She was sharp and she had a lot of faith in herself, which I liked. She’s the kind of girl who always does the right thing, which is precisely why she finds herself in the predicament she was in!
I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this story. I would definitely recommend it to others. It’s the kind of story I want to share and own a tattered copy of. My copy is far too new looking!
serenalawless's review against another edition
5.0
I have been so eager to get my hands on this book for so long, and it did not disappoint! Reminiscent of Gaiman's CORALINE, this book is all at once incredibly creepy and wonderfully endearing. It's the perfect book for clever, curious children, and those same children in grown-up form! CAVENDISH is an absolute treat of a book, and I only wish I could give it more stars. I've a feeling it will be very popular, and I for one will be gifting it to little children, filling their heads with adventure and nightmares! Love love love! <3
angelita_hns's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thearosemary's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls was a wild and creepy adventure. Despite being a middle-grade novel, this book still made me cringe at the horror, yet it had the light-hearted humor for young readers.
Legrand has a lovely writing style. The setting was built so beautifully and thoroughly, I felt like I was there, inside of the moving house with bugs swarming the dark halls.
The character development throughout this book was done very well. I particularly enjoyed seeing Victoria grow through the story, and the reflections she made and stated.
Overall, a good, spooky book with wonderful illustrations and a great storyline.
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls was a wild and creepy adventure. Despite being a middle-grade novel, this book still made me cringe at the horror, yet it had the light-hearted humor for young readers.
Legrand has a lovely writing style. The setting was built so beautifully and thoroughly, I felt like I was there, inside of the moving house with bugs swarming the dark halls.
The character development throughout this book was done very well. I particularly enjoyed seeing Victoria grow through the story, and the reflections she made and stated.
Overall, a good, spooky book with wonderful illustrations and a great storyline.
allisonsmith120's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Minor: Vomit
jerolium's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So good, it gave Coraline and so dark and twisty. I want this to be a movie.
forsidious's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very Coraline inspired so it's a fun spooky mystery. The biggest downfall of this book is that the main character, Victoria, could not be more unlikeable. I understand this is to set up for her developing more later on in the book, but it's so bad I almost DNF'd it halfway through. I only pushed through because she was compared to the bad guy, which I hoped would lead to interesting development, which to be fair it did. I feel like some of the mysteries could have been better explained or developed towards the end, but overall it was a fun ending. The epilogue is horrific though and I wish I hadn't read it - it felt so cliche and I just groaned. The actual story's ending was good enough. Probably the best part for me was the descriptions of the environment - I think that alone would make it a very fun read aloud book.