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youraveragedave's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Even though this is a middle grade book, it takes a unique look at trauma and facing your fears that can apply to both kids and adults.
As someone who went through lots of medical testing and lots of unknowns this book felt like a lived experience by this author. We find out in the Author's Notes that Ally did experience a breast cancer diagnosis.
The premise of Jac's trauma and fears being a haunted house is really great. And her final confrontation has so many great pieces of advise for the reader to pick out. Her building this strong house so no one could hurt her, it's not living just existing... that rings so true
Also looked her talk with her mom at the hospital after about just being a kid and that not every headache or fall means the disease is back. I've felt this with my own condition, is this pain just a sore muscle or a new issue popping up?
I think the only issue I had was the character names... Generally Jac (Jack) is a masculine name and Hazel is a feminine. Flipping this is fine, but for a split second each time I heard one name followed by an unexpected him or her I was jarred out of the story a little. That's on me though and it doesn't take away from the book or the themes within.
As someone who went through lots of medical testing and lots of unknowns this book felt like a lived experience by this author. We find out in the Author's Notes that Ally did experience a breast cancer diagnosis.
The premise of Jac's trauma and fears being a haunted house is really great. And her final confrontation has so many great pieces of advise for the reader to pick out. Her building this strong house so no one could hurt her, it's not living just existing... that rings so true
Also looked her talk with her mom at the hospital after about just being a kid and that not every headache or fall means the disease is back. I've felt this with my own condition, is this pain just a sore muscle or a new issue popping up?
I think the only issue I had was the character names... Generally Jac (Jack) is a masculine name and Hazel is a feminine. Flipping this is fine, but for a split second each time I heard one name followed by an unexpected him or her I was jarred out of the story a little. That's on me though and it doesn't take away from the book or the themes within.
prickettmb's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jessicaaaa9625's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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.
jessethereader's review
3.0
(3.5) This was a really unique take on facing your fears & unravelling trauma. I do feel like it would've had a stronger impact on me had I found myself caring for the characters. It also felt a *little* cheesy at times, but I also recognize the fact that I'm not the target audience.
nathiyafaith's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
2.0
nomadtla's review against another edition
5.0
Trauma is scary
This book is a insightful reflection on trauma and how it changes us, forces us to grow, and ultimately teaches us to live every day to the fullest. A wonderfully uplifting book.
This book is a insightful reflection on trauma and how it changes us, forces us to grow, and ultimately teaches us to live every day to the fullest. A wonderfully uplifting book.