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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Oooh, so creepy!
Victoria is a girl who likes to have everything just SO. She gets all A's, her calendar is neatly filled up with extracurriculars each evening, and she only really has one friend. Lawrence might be more of a project than a friend. He's a strange boy who loves music above all else and Victoria has taken him under her wing. But when Lawrence mysteriously disappears, Victoria becomes concerned. Everyone in the town of Belleville is acting strange and Lawrence is not the only kid who's gone missing. Victoria's investigation leads her to the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, the creepy old house on her street where the orphans live (or that's what Victoria has always been led to believe, anyway). There she'll find horrors beyond her imagination, but she just might have what it takes to bring her best friend home.
This book is so creepy and atmospheric from the very start. There are small illustrations of bugs crawling throughout the text, adding to the ambiance. There are definitely some bits that are pretty intense and even a bit gory, so I'd recommend this to fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark who are looking for a more literary experience.
Readalikes:
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz because it's also very atmospheric, although not as scary.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz because it's a bloody, dark adventure story.
Victoria is a girl who likes to have everything just SO. She gets all A's, her calendar is neatly filled up with extracurriculars each evening, and she only really has one friend. Lawrence might be more of a project than a friend. He's a strange boy who loves music above all else and Victoria has taken him under her wing. But when Lawrence mysteriously disappears, Victoria becomes concerned. Everyone in the town of Belleville is acting strange and Lawrence is not the only kid who's gone missing. Victoria's investigation leads her to the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, the creepy old house on her street where the orphans live (or that's what Victoria has always been led to believe, anyway). There she'll find horrors beyond her imagination, but she just might have what it takes to bring her best friend home.
This book is so creepy and atmospheric from the very start. There are small illustrations of bugs crawling throughout the text, adding to the ambiance. There are definitely some bits that are pretty intense and even a bit gory, so I'd recommend this to fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark who are looking for a more literary experience.
Readalikes:
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz because it's also very atmospheric, although not as scary.
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz because it's a bloody, dark adventure story.
4.5 Stars.
Wonderfully, wonderfully creepy and something to rival Coraline. And I love Coraline. The two books are very similar, with the scary parent figure and the many skittering bugs and a seemingly alternative dimension/world. When it comes to Coraline, she sought out change; she wanted to have the awesome Other Mother until things turned sour. With this story, Mrs. Cavendish is never desired. She's mysterious, so people don't know how true horror until it's too late. Plus, she never lures kids in with niceties. She's evil from the start, but you have no choice but to tough it out. Her home is a trap, and you are spirited away there without consent. Gets worse when you factor in that 99% of the adults in town are totally complacent (well, manipulated). Victoria is one of a kind in that she somewhat chooses to go to the Home. After her only friend, Lawrence, is abducted, she knows in her gut that he's with Mrs. Cavendish. So she seeks out the terrible place, swallows all fear and infiltrates the lair.
Among all the fantastic creepiness, this is a great book about friendship and fighting for your friends. It also has an underlying theme of accepting and liking who you are, even if people call those characteristics flaws. Victoria is very academic. She's all about the grades and being the top of the class and being correct. True, this can make someone very self-centered and annoying, but it also makes her dedicated to things she loves -- and it transfers to her saving of Lawrence. Mrs. Cavendish seeks to fix these "wrongs" in the children of the town, and her teaching methods are far from orthodox. These kids are practically tortured out of their interests. Until Lawrence's love of music proves very difficult to break...
This was a fantastic adventure through your worst nightmares. Even if the kids tried to go with the flow, the damage is deep, and coming out of the Home in one piece is not an option (especially for the gophers). And the ending only proves that some people will still strive for their ideas of perfection despite setbacks, and start a whole new generation of fear. So stick close to your true friends, and be strong in your beliefs. Even if it is just aiming for straight A's or memorizing that concerto. And beware of butterscotch candies.
Wonderfully, wonderfully creepy and something to rival Coraline. And I love Coraline. The two books are very similar, with the scary parent figure and the many skittering bugs and a seemingly alternative dimension/world. When it comes to Coraline, she sought out change; she wanted to have the awesome Other Mother until things turned sour. With this story, Mrs. Cavendish is never desired. She's mysterious, so people don't know how true horror until it's too late. Plus, she never lures kids in with niceties. She's evil from the start, but you have no choice but to tough it out. Her home is a trap, and you are spirited away there without consent. Gets worse when you factor in that 99% of the adults in town are totally complacent (well, manipulated). Victoria is one of a kind in that she somewhat chooses to go to the Home. After her only friend, Lawrence, is abducted, she knows in her gut that he's with Mrs. Cavendish. So she seeks out the terrible place, swallows all fear and infiltrates the lair.
Among all the fantastic creepiness, this is a great book about friendship and fighting for your friends. It also has an underlying theme of accepting and liking who you are, even if people call those characteristics flaws. Victoria is very academic. She's all about the grades and being the top of the class and being correct. True, this can make someone very self-centered and annoying, but it also makes her dedicated to things she loves -- and it transfers to her saving of Lawrence. Mrs. Cavendish seeks to fix these "wrongs" in the children of the town, and her teaching methods are far from orthodox. These kids are practically tortured out of their interests. Until Lawrence's love of music proves very difficult to break...
This was a fantastic adventure through your worst nightmares. Even if the kids tried to go with the flow, the damage is deep, and coming out of the Home in one piece is not an option (especially for the gophers). And the ending only proves that some people will still strive for their ideas of perfection despite setbacks, and start a whole new generation of fear. So stick close to your true friends, and be strong in your beliefs. Even if it is just aiming for straight A's or memorizing that concerto. And beware of butterscotch candies.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was pretty much as I expected. It didn't haven't any shocking twists and turns (though the epilogue was SPOT ON! I loved it!) I would recommend this book for someone in the middle grade reading level. It's a good story, I've just read it before, you know? Still good, still enjoyable, just not for me. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
A very well-written debut novel, with strong hints of the social system portrayed in the Stepford Wives and a sprinkling of the minions from Despicable Me.
However, I suspect that it may be way too creepy for the average 12-year old, and I strongly recommend some parental guidance, especially with the 'parents forgetting their children' aspect of the story
However, I suspect that it may be way too creepy for the average 12-year old, and I strongly recommend some parental guidance, especially with the 'parents forgetting their children' aspect of the story
Real rating: 2.8/5
If you've ever read Coraline before, you'd know that there are are WAY too many similarities between that book and this book to ignore. The whole way, I was like... (￢_￢;)
Let's get one thing straight. Coraline is a masterpiece of delicate horror for children and adults and is one of my favourite books of all time.
It is iconic. Just the right amount of creepy and clever and UNIQUE. Neil Gaiman took that torch and ran with it, bringing us deeper and darker into his Other World without trying too hard. We just ended up there, all lost and scared and eager to lap up the incredible movie that followed the novel afterwards. I strongly suggest that if you truly wanted the experience that this book tried and failed to elicit, you should read Coraline instead. Heavens know I still want to dress up as her for Halloween.
THIS BOOK IS NOT CORALINE.
THIS BOOK made me go:
It was so obvious that the author was definitely inspired by Coraline and the Other Mother because I found myself sighing the whole way reading the damn thing. Sure, it was creepy in some parts but most of it felt like a pale shadow of what I've already known. The bootleg version of my favourite movie, if you will. I wasn't impressed with the main heroine. The only reason I probably kept reading was because of Lawrence, our music boy version of Wybie from the Coraline movie. I wanted him to get out of the House at least. Victoria could rot there for all I cared.
A list of things you'll find in this book:
1. Lots of bugs. And a creepyOther Mother sorry, OWNER of a children's home called Mrs. Cavendish! She also happens to have lots of bugs crawling all over her and she's a bug too! She also has a gardener named Mr Alice who worships her because she made him...and she lives in a creepy house that breathes, moves and changes all the time. She's also very fond of puppets and spies on people using bugs!
HMMMM WHERE HAVE I READ THAT BEFORE, I WONDER?
Honestly, if you wanted to copy something, you could have at least not taken everything from the main source? I literally had to highlight several parts that sounded directly from Coraline such as the hallway between fireplaces that felt like a living throat, spirits whispering, cold winds and creepy bird hybrids that try to eat children (」°ロ°)」
2. Victoria Wright, the main protagonist. She's very unlikeable and she doesn't give a shit if you don't like her. Honestly, IDK if she's even normal because I found her irritable, angry, neurotic, perfectionist personality to be really annoying and high-strung. I like that she isn't afraid to ask questions and challenge others but this book does such an awful job handling her personality. She is constantly obsessed with being the leader, the top of the class. Her catchprases include "That's illegal" and "I guess xxx was never top of the class before". The Beldam (just gonna call her that from now coz that's obviously her) calls Victoria a threat but how tho? Girl can't even handle getting a B in her music report card. SMH.
3. Cannibalism! But you see it coming a mile away and it's such a cheap trick that I was like, "bruh. Even I could have seen what the kids were eating in their meals"
4. Children getting turned into Mike Wazowski if they misbehave
5. Cheap plot twist at the end where you will most likely uncover the villain's ending and her true form before you read it
6. No history whatsoever about the threat. NONE. We don't know why Mrs. Cavendish exists other than to make children "perfect" and abuse them I guess? She has no motive and no personality other than that. It's a hilarious caricature because you can't expect me to just think an immortal being with the ability to manipulate the minds of others with magic puppets and embed people's souls into trees is interested in making children burp less and become less fat??? Like, WTF. Coraline's Other Mother had a real motivation and a semblance of a backstory and that made her terrifying. She wanted something to "love and to eat". Mrs. Cavendish...apparently just wants to create perfect children?
7. Magic trees and humming save the day. Not kidding.
8. "Your parents don't care about you!" "Put her in the hangar!" "Children are to be seen not heard!"
9. Victoria insisting over and over that "this is not real! This house surely can't be moving around magically!" Like, girl, you trapped with the Beldam. This is obviously no ordinary house and you're still too stubborn or dumb to get that??
10. Really weak friendships that just appeared out of nowhere to make Victoria seem like she's "growing! And making new friends who can help her become less cold!" Yeah, she legit made fun of the same people in the first few chapters tho.
11. Lots of creepy smiles but it's not even creepy because it's overused and overdone.
I can imagine Claire Legrand pitching this story to her editors like:
Claire: Okay, guys. I just watched the movie Coraline and I wondered...what if I write a book where...WYBIE is the one abducted and even though Coraline thinks he's annoying, she goes after him and she saves him and they end up having a cute relationship when they grow up six years later?
Editors: Okay, cool. But you gotta change the names and the settings tho.
Claire: *reveals orphanage layout plan that makes no fucking sense* no problem. Also, the MC has to be really backhanded with her compliments but she's also super smart and different and the Other Mother is scared of her!
Editors: We might get copyrighted if you use that name for the villain. You got any other names?
Claire: *looks at cavendish banana in fruit bowl* Y-e-a-h
My verdict: The story tried to be a scary cool banana split but it split in the middle. (눈_눈)
Do yourself a favour and get Coraline instead of this. Malaysians, remember that we should get the gold disc and not the purple disc, DVD R! Get your kid to read Coraline if they pester you for scary stories because it'll scare them to death and they'll love it. Thanks!
If you've ever read Coraline before, you'd know that there are are WAY too many similarities between that book and this book to ignore. The whole way, I was like... (￢_￢;)
Let's get one thing straight. Coraline is a masterpiece of delicate horror for children and adults and is one of my favourite books of all time.
It is iconic. Just the right amount of creepy and clever and UNIQUE. Neil Gaiman took that torch and ran with it, bringing us deeper and darker into his Other World without trying too hard. We just ended up there, all lost and scared and eager to lap up the incredible movie that followed the novel afterwards. I strongly suggest that if you truly wanted the experience that this book tried and failed to elicit, you should read Coraline instead. Heavens know I still want to dress up as her for Halloween.
THIS BOOK IS NOT CORALINE.
THIS BOOK made me go:
It was so obvious that the author was definitely inspired by Coraline and the Other Mother because I found myself sighing the whole way reading the damn thing. Sure, it was creepy in some parts but most of it felt like a pale shadow of what I've already known. The bootleg version of my favourite movie, if you will. I wasn't impressed with the main heroine. The only reason I probably kept reading was because of Lawrence, our music boy version of Wybie from the Coraline movie. I wanted him to get out of the House at least. Victoria could rot there for all I cared.
A list of things you'll find in this book:
1. Lots of bugs. And a creepy
HMMMM WHERE HAVE I READ THAT BEFORE, I WONDER?
Honestly, if you wanted to copy something, you could have at least not taken everything from the main source? I literally had to highlight several parts that sounded directly from Coraline such as the hallway between fireplaces that felt like a living throat, spirits whispering, cold winds and creepy bird hybrids that try to eat children (」°ロ°)」
2. Victoria Wright, the main protagonist. She's very unlikeable and she doesn't give a shit if you don't like her. Honestly, IDK if she's even normal because I found her irritable, angry, neurotic, perfectionist personality to be really annoying and high-strung. I like that she isn't afraid to ask questions and challenge others but this book does such an awful job handling her personality. She is constantly obsessed with being the leader, the top of the class. Her catchprases include "That's illegal" and "I guess xxx was never top of the class before". The Beldam (just gonna call her that from now coz that's obviously her) calls Victoria a threat but how tho? Girl can't even handle getting a B in her music report card. SMH.
3. Cannibalism! But you see it coming a mile away and it's such a cheap trick that I was like, "bruh. Even I could have seen what the kids were eating in their meals"
4. Children getting turned into Mike Wazowski if they misbehave
5. Cheap plot twist at the end where you will most likely uncover the villain's ending and her true form before you read it
6. No history whatsoever about the threat. NONE. We don't know why Mrs. Cavendish exists other than to make children "perfect" and abuse them I guess? She has no motive and no personality other than that. It's a hilarious caricature because you can't expect me to just think an immortal being with the ability to manipulate the minds of others with magic puppets and embed people's souls into trees is interested in making children burp less and become less fat??? Like, WTF. Coraline's Other Mother had a real motivation and a semblance of a backstory and that made her terrifying. She wanted something to "love and to eat". Mrs. Cavendish...apparently just wants to create perfect children?
7. Magic trees and humming save the day. Not kidding.
8. "Your parents don't care about you!" "Put her in the hangar!" "Children are to be seen not heard!"
9. Victoria insisting over and over that "this is not real! This house surely can't be moving around magically!" Like, girl, you trapped with the Beldam. This is obviously no ordinary house and you're still too stubborn or dumb to get that??
10. Really weak friendships that just appeared out of nowhere to make Victoria seem like she's "growing! And making new friends who can help her become less cold!" Yeah, she legit made fun of the same people in the first few chapters tho.
11. Lots of creepy smiles but it's not even creepy because it's overused and overdone.
I can imagine Claire Legrand pitching this story to her editors like:
Claire: Okay, guys. I just watched the movie Coraline and I wondered...what if I write a book where...WYBIE is the one abducted and even though Coraline thinks he's annoying, she goes after him and she saves him and they end up having a cute relationship when they grow up six years later?
Editors: Okay, cool. But you gotta change the names and the settings tho.
Claire: *reveals orphanage layout plan that makes no fucking sense* no problem. Also, the MC has to be really backhanded with her compliments but she's also super smart and different and the Other Mother is scared of her!
Editors: We might get copyrighted if you use that name for the villain. You got any other names?
Claire: *looks at cavendish banana in fruit bowl* Y-e-a-h
My verdict: The story tried to be a scary cool banana split but it split in the middle. (눈_눈)
Do yourself a favour and get Coraline instead of this. Malaysians, remember that we should get the gold disc and not the purple disc, DVD R! Get your kid to read Coraline if they pester you for scary stories because it'll scare them to death and they'll love it. Thanks!
Beautifully designed and definitely creepy in bits, but the resolution felt a little too slap dash and unsatisfying. Which, actually I frequently find to be an issue with scary books - so much effort goes into creating atmosphere that logic and meaningful resolution falls by the wayside. Although, honestly it probably wouldn't bother me so much at target-audience age.
This exquisitely creepy fantasy-thriller will appeal not just to middle-school audiences, but to anyone who has endured and survived that awkward period called adolescence. It starts out in a normal, everyday world with our heroine very much in control of her own life and well on her way to getting control over every one else's, then she and the reader both are drawn gradually but inexorably into a dengerous, grotesquely hideous nightmare. The illustrations greatly enhance the atmosphere of the text. For maximum effect read it at night, just as you're falling asleep, but leave the lights on!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Slavery, Vomit