Reviews

This Appearing House by Ally Malinenko

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.

bailey_story's review

4.0

the last 10% ✨✨

lurieta's review

5.0

This book was equal parts tender, anxiety inducing, unsettling, terrifying and had me crying by the end. I loved how the book explored Jac's trauma after her cancer diagnosis as a young child and facing down her own mortality as she grew older. This is a book that I want to put in every kids hands, especially those who have been or are sick and have had to face fear, anger and the challenge of being vulnerable to a world that has hurt you. I needed this as a chronically ill adult, and will be thinking about it a lot even after I have left the story.

This book goes to show that kids are ready for Horror, for hard topics and to feel seen and acknowledged in stories they read.

malgamma's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sammi7393's review against another edition

4.0

This is a new addition to my classroom library. The story was interesting and spooky enough my middle schoolers will enjoy it, while also sneaking in some bigger lessons through Jac and her story.

em_harring's review against another edition

5.0

This is such a great middle grade read. It's got some great spooky moments, but it also has a lot of heart, and discusses some pretty heavy topics (illness, more specifically

Spoiler

cancer

) in a way that's so perfect for young readers. I loved the way it handled trauma and grief and how those were incorporated into the horror.

The author's note is also fantastic. I'm excited to check out more by Malinenko.

jessaguestwriter's review

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

egumeny's review

5.0

This was really, really good, and I'm honestly not sure how anyone let Ally be this creepy in a kids book. (The teeth! The skittering shrieking woman!) A lot of passages really hit home for me, too; it's an excellent exploration/explanation of chronic illness and the way a person can't really ever get rid of their past or find a way out from the looming threat of a potentially devastating future. The best we can do is not get caught up in it, not the ghosts drag us down with them.

lala_tour's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

rachelmcg2004's review

2.0

I’m sorry. It was beautifully atmospheric, with a gorgeous ability to show not tell…but that’s also where this fell flat for me. It showed everything and almost refused to tell the reader exactly what was going on. Most likely, this was the point of the author, but for me it just didn’t work. Maybe I’ll pick it up again later to try again?