Middle Grades Pick: Brightwood

Brightwood
by Tania Unsworth
Algonquin Young Readers
2016
260 pages
ISBN: 9781616203306


Compelling and mesmerizing, Brightwood is a dazzling middle grades read sure to captivate!


Eleven year old Daisy is still waiting for her mother to return to Brightwood. It has been five, or was it, six hours ago that she left? Daisy knows her mother would never go away and not return. Daisy hunkers down in their moldering mansion and awakens to find her mother still missing. It is just the two of them, and Daisy has never left the grounds of Brightwood, not once. Her mother has made it painfully clear that there is nothing out there in the world beyond the gates for Daisy. What can she do now?

There is enough to eat--more than enough. Daisy's mother buys in bulk--everything in bulk. In fact, it is hard to maneuver in the mansion. Even the once grand ballroom is stuffed with boxes and old furniture. Daisy has to clear paths to walk. Keeping her company is her pet rat Tar (aptly named Tar because it is rat backwards) who not only talks but  has a wicked sense of humor. After the first day, Daisy meets a specter of a black and white girl named Frank. Frank has been around the world on expeditions with Daisy's own kooky grandfather. As Daisy begins to panic, Frank is the voice of reason who calms Daisy and talks her through problems.

A stranger shows up and acts like he is right  at home. Daisy is afraid of the newcomer and talks it over with Frank who warns her that the stranger seems to be taking over Brightwood. Daisy looks for clues not only to where her mother could have gone, but also who this newcomer could be and what could he want. When she realizes that the stranger is her mother's cousin--the estranged black sheep of  the family--Daisy goes into defense mode. his words are chilling:  "Nobody  knows you exist."  What are the odds a sheltered eleven year old, a pet rat and a made-up friend defeating a maniacal killer?

Brightwood is everything a story should be! The setting is a creepy, near abandoned mansion located far from help. There is a  missing mother, a scared eleven year old girl who has to rely on herself to save her own life and that of her mother, a family secret, generations of mental illness, strange ancestors, strange family portraits, and rooms full of boxes that hold the clues that will save Daisy and Brightwood.

Cover art is beautiful and evokes a sense of gloominess: the mansion in the background, trees and grass overgrown, the massive iron gate holding Daisy inside the grounds, a girl at the window looking out hoping to see her mother. 

Highly, highly recommended for all middle grades and anyone who gets lost in a great story. I LOVED Daisy! If you know readers 8-up, give them Brightwood. They will love it.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Magical Storytelling Pick: Wink Poppy Midnight

 

Wink Poppy Midnight

by April Genevieve Tucholke

Dial Books

2016

247 pages

ISBN: 9780803740488

 

 

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/14/april-genevieve-tucholke-wink-poppy-midnight-excerpt

 

"Tucholke walks a fine, spine-chilling line. . .  An eerie, tangled story with plenty of questions: Who can be trusted? Who—or what—pulls the strings? . . . The book keeps readers wondering. Nicely constructed and planned, with unexpected twists to intrigue and entertain.”  

—Kirkus starred review

“A dark, unpredictable mystery that . . . shimmer[s] with sumptuous descriptions and complicated psychologies. . . . Occult accoutrements, descriptions of the wild landscape, and a twisting-turning plot create an uncertain atmosphere that constantly shift readers’ perceptions of who is trustworthy.”

 —Publishers Weekly

 

From the author's website:

 

Spring 2016 Kids’ Indie Next List

 

Amazon Editors' Best Books of the month, March 2016

 

A Junior Library Guild Selection

 

Teen Vogue’s Best New YA Books of 2016

 

PureWow's Best of Spring

 

Wink Poppy Midnight is that rare book: equal parts magic, mystery, romance and intrigue. Textured and rich, the prose sings off the pages. Tucholke is one fine storyteller; she pulls you in, makes you believe in magic, throws crazy plot twists at you, adds a few red herrings for spice, plays you like a fiddle and then leaves you breathless, confused and delighted. "Every story needs a hero. Every story needs a villain. Every story needs a secret." (from the inside cover). Readers will not see this story's ending coming, and believe me, there's no way to prepare for it--any of it.

 

Wink is a masterful storyteller who believes, truly believes--to the depths of her being--in fairy tales. Poppy is a mean girl; the girl who seemingly has no heart. She cares nothing for any one and she only acts in her own self-interest. She's a true sociopath. She plays with both Midnight and Wink, toying with their hearts and heads until Wink can bear it no more. Wink convinces Midnight of a plan to bring Poppy down a notch or two.

When their plan goes off the rails, Poppy disappears. Both Wink and Midnight feel guilt, but Wink knows Poppy is still playing a game with them. Wink knows Poppy like she knows herself. Midnight once loved Poppy, and he still smells her perfume in his room. Is she a ghost? Is he seeing things? If she's alive, why won't she come back?

Someone is pulling the strings and someone is lying, but whom? Is it Poppy manipulating others into thinking she is dead? Or is it Wink, the pixie storyteller? Everyone loves Wink, but with her intelligence and creative, whimsical mind, could she be the mastermind for murder? Or is it someone else behind the scenes? Someone Poppy used to love?

Minor characters are drawn into the mystery and add to the suspense. Wink's younger siblings think Poppy has drowned, and Wink might even believe it.

After a chilling séance, an accidental fire burns down the spooky Roman Luck House and the kids escape, everyone except Midnight. Wink fears Midnight is dead, but (spoiler alert) someone or something pulled him from the house. Only Midnight knows what really happened but he's not talking--he has too much to lose.

Heroes and villains are never truly heroic nor truly evil. Sometimes it's hard to tell the good from the bad--unlike most fairy tales where ugly ogres and cackling witches are bad and beautiful princesses and handsome heroes are always good. Wink needs her fairy tales to make sense of her life and she is such a lyrical storyteller, she has all the other kids  believing in fairy magic and heroic quests. When they listen to Wink, they believe in princesses and witches.

Wink Poppy Midnight will haunt you long after you have finished reading. The only thing missing for me was a more gothic setting. This book could have gone southern gothic or gothic romance, but it didn't. Perhaps that is the way the author intended.

Cover art captures magic elements of Wink's stories: a snake, a full moon, a spider's web, an owl, an apple, flowers, a butterfly.

 

Highly, highly recommended for mature readers. Mature situations. Poppy is quite a seductress.

 

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

 

 

 

 

Spooksville PIck: The Howling Ghost (book 2)

The popular "Spooksville" television show  can currently be seen on the Hub Network which received the Parents' Choice Approved Seal. Young readers will be thrilled to read Christopher Pike's books in the new packaging. First released in 1995, The Howling Ghost will appeal to another generation of thrill seekers, ghost hunters and fans of things that go bump in the night.

Here is the earlier cover:

Here is the new cover from Aladdin:

The Howling Ghost

(Spooksville, book 2)

by Christopher Pike

Aladdin

2014

128 pages

ISBN: 9781481410533

Middle grade readers are in for a real treat when they discover Christopher Pike and his Spooksville series. The Howling Ghost is a quick read and a book I would recommend in a second for any reluctant reader. The cover art is nothing short of spectacular! A ghostly, scary hand reaches out of the stormy sky beside a lighthouse where the waves are threatening a small boy who stands periously close to danger. His sister seems to attempt to get his attention from her vantage point on the rocks. This cover will have this book jumping into shopping carts and baskets for good reason! 

Newcomers to Spooksville, Cindy and Neil are out near the old lighthouse. Neil begs to go near the water and Cindy relents. She climbs to a rock to get a better look of the shore and water. Suddenly, a giant ghostly hand descends from the sky, the water begins churning like a tidal wave and then there's that unearthly noise. Neil is grabbed up and taken to???Cindy doesn't know. One minute Neil is right there, the next he has vanished into thin air. Town police rule it a drowning, but Cindy knows the truth.   No one will believe her.  That is until Sally, Adam and Watch come to the rescue of the new damsel in distress. 

Sally believes everything that is weird can and does happen in Spooksville. She can't explain why things happen, they just do. Sally tells Cindy not to worry--the kids will find Neil and figure out what is really going on. A trip to the haunted lighthouse turns into a harrowing adventure and escaping the ghost's wrath becomes the most important part of their mystery. The kids decide they need to know who the ghost is to figure out what the ghost wants with Neil.

Any fan of the t.v. show will tell you it's all about the chemistry of the characters. It is the same for this book. Sally is no-nonesense, fearless, faithful and snarkily funny. She will have you grinning with her quick barb; Watch and Adam are seemingly clueless but loveable nonetheless. 

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)





Ghostly Pick: Unraveling Isobel--A Must-Read

Unraveling Isobel
by Eileen Cook
Simon Pulse
2012
304 pages (according to publisher's website)

Available January 3, 2012 (date from publisher's website)

Read Chapter One here

Clever, creepy, creative, and seductive, Unraveling Isobel is my new favorite ya title. Full of Gothic appeal and details--a creepy, moss-covered mansion fallen into disrepair bulging with dusty antiques hand-crafted by dead ancestors, portraits of said dead ancestors peering down from its ancient walls, a step-father who reeks of disdain and old money, a mother who is so in love with wacktastic step-father that she can't even see what a horse's patooty he is, and a hot and sexy step-brother--all part of Isobel's new life.

Her mother met Richard, the new step-father, on the Internet and married him after only three months of dating. She moves Isobel to a small island off the coast of Washington state--it's Isobel's senior year and she can't believe how ignorant and self-serving her mother is acting. She doesn't care that Isobel has to leave her home, her school, and all her friends. She wants only her own happiness with not a care for her daughter.

Weird things happen the first night at the mansion. A ghost of a child appears to Isobel and she finds a puddle of sea water on the window seat of her room with a bit of slimy seaweed. Isobel knows that Richard's first wife and young daughter drowned last year. She suspects that Evie is trying to reach out to her, but can't figure out what the child-ghost is trying to tell her. Isobel enlists the help of Nathaniel, her hot step-brother. Soon, there's passionate and scintillating sparks whenever they're together.

At school, mean, but popular girl, Nicole befriends Isobel--but she has an ulterior motive. By being friends with Isobel, she gets to see Nathaniel--who she has had her eyes on for some time.

Evie appears to Isobel and Isobel really isn't afraid of her--she's more afraid that she may be going a little crazy; her dad suffers from schizophrenia, after all. She knows that it is an genetic disorder and can sometimes be passed on to the next generation. Is Evie for real, or is Isobel "losing" it?

Isobel visits the library to get some answers about the girl's drowning and befriends one of the librarians, Mandy. She helps Isobel find articles about the mansion and tells her about two girls who vanished there some years ago. They were never found, but Isobel discovers their secrets.

Unraveling Isobel is delightful gothic romance. Isobel has a great teenage voice dripping with sarcasm, hyperbole, and funny metaphors. It is a clever ghost story--as enthralling as it is entertaining. I was spellbound and speechless when Mandy's true identity becomes known! This is a must read for fans of gothic romance, ghost stories, and anyone who enjoys a vulnerable, yet strong, heroine.

There are two things I have some trouble with: One is the depiction of the older librarian--so typical of the old-school librarian--nearly Nazi-like behavior and demeanor--an old lady who likes things tidy and silent. We all know today's librarians are much more fun (if I do say so myself). Secondly, the cover does not have much teen appeal. Girls may not pick up this book unless they hear about if from a friend or a blog.

Highly, highly recommended grades 9-up. Some language, some kissing. Isobel call's her new step-dad "Dick" since his name is Richard and he truly lives up to his nickname. Isobel knows her mother and new step-father are having a passionate romance, but she can't stomach imagining her own mother ever having sex. Pretty funny stuff-sheer teen-age angst.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.