Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Middle Grade Mystery/Horror
Recommended Age: 14+ (death, psychological horror, trigger warnings for suicide)
Pages: 544
Author Website
Amazon Link
Disclaimer: I received this book through KidLitExchange! Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: 1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute For Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she’s left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.
2017: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room on the top floor of her new home, she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute across the way, where she glimpses a girl in the window. Determined to befriend the girl and solidify the link between them, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's shadowy past.
Told in alternating, interwoven plotlines―Mary’s through intimate diary entries and Ella’s in bold, striking art―Pam Smy’s Thornhillis a haunting exploration of human connection, filled with suspense.
This is probably the most unique book I’ve read in my life. The book is told in duel POV. The present day is told entirely in picture format, the 1982 written version in diary format. I think this format works amazingly well for the book and I was able to connect to both of the girls. The writing was amazing, the plot was intriguing and the pacing was excellent. The world building for both time periods was also detailed and impressive as they were both done in different ways.
However, I do fear that some of the subject material in the book might be a little bit too mature for middle grade kids. The book deals with a lot of heavy topics and while I found it amazing, I do want to caution parents to make sure your child is emotionally mature enough for some of the warnings I listed above.
Verdict: Amazingly unique and dark. Perfect for the young horror fans.
Genre: Middle Grade Mystery/Horror
Recommended Age: 14+ (death, psychological horror, trigger warnings for suicide)
Pages: 544
Author Website
Amazon Link
Disclaimer: I received this book through KidLitExchange! Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: 1982: Mary is a lonely orphan at the Thornhill Institute For Children at the very moment that it's shutting its doors. When her few friends are all adopted or re-homed and she’s left to face a volatile bully alone, her revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.
2017: Ella has just moved to a new town where she knows no one. From her room on the top floor of her new home, she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute across the way, where she glimpses a girl in the window. Determined to befriend the girl and solidify the link between them, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill's shadowy past.
Told in alternating, interwoven plotlines―Mary’s through intimate diary entries and Ella’s in bold, striking art―Pam Smy’s Thornhillis a haunting exploration of human connection, filled with suspense.
This is probably the most unique book I’ve read in my life. The book is told in duel POV. The present day is told entirely in picture format, the 1982 written version in diary format. I think this format works amazingly well for the book and I was able to connect to both of the girls. The writing was amazing, the plot was intriguing and the pacing was excellent. The world building for both time periods was also detailed and impressive as they were both done in different ways.
However, I do fear that some of the subject material in the book might be a little bit too mature for middle grade kids. The book deals with a lot of heavy topics and while I found it amazing, I do want to caution parents to make sure your child is emotionally mature enough for some of the warnings I listed above.
Verdict: Amazingly unique and dark. Perfect for the young horror fans.
More like 3.5 stars really. It was a very captivating story and I really didn’t expect the ending. The illustrations telling half the story was probably my favourite part!
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just gets darker!
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book have two timelines, one in 1982 told in diary form and one present day (2017) told entirely in pictures (silent novel style). I really liked this juxtaposition. The books major theme is child loneliness, with bulling, grief and adult neglect also being explored.
This book was surprisingly creepy (I am adult) and I did NOT foresee the conclusion.
This book was surprisingly creepy (I am adult) and I did NOT foresee the conclusion.
This was a present for my daughter and as soon as she finished it she marched through, placed it in my hands and told me I had to read it because she needed to talk about it.
It's an easy read. The story is split between some diary entries from the eighties and a series of pictures from 2017. It's five hundred pages long but you can get through it in a couple of hours. The two stories intertwine to make a ghost story that is on the one hand very modern in its presentation and its bullying theme, but at the same time, quite old fashioned, almost like an old MR James story.
We compared theories and had an animated discussion. Definitely recommended.
It's an easy read. The story is split between some diary entries from the eighties and a series of pictures from 2017. It's five hundred pages long but you can get through it in a couple of hours. The two stories intertwine to make a ghost story that is on the one hand very modern in its presentation and its bullying theme, but at the same time, quite old fashioned, almost like an old MR James story.
We compared theories and had an animated discussion. Definitely recommended.
Imagine Tracy Beaker but a million times darker and heart-breakingly haunting. Part novel, part graphic. Tense and sad.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Bogens to spor følger en dagbog fra 1982 og en ordløs, tegnet tidslinje i 2017.
På den måde får vi historien om en ung pige på et børnehjem, der plages af en af de andre børn, og en ung pige, der bor alene med sin far - en far, der ofte ikke er hjemme,
Det er en trist og mørk fortælling med de to tidslinjer fint vævet sammen.
På den måde får vi historien om en ung pige på et børnehjem, der plages af en af de andre børn, og en ung pige, der bor alene med sin far - en far, der ofte ikke er hjemme,
Det er en trist og mørk fortælling med de to tidslinjer fint vævet sammen.
very touching and creepy little book , i couldn't put it down. i really liked that one story was in words and one was in pictures because sometimes intertwined stories can get confusing but it helped. also the art style is adorable. now i have to read the secret garden and figure out how to make my own little dolls
fast-paced
I liked it. This story is not perfect by any means, but it is enjoyable and that is enough for me. I don't think this is horror, maybe it could be categorized as grief horror, but it isn't scary in any way, is just sad. The story is about these lonely children who would do anything not to be alone and as I said it is depressing. It had a very special format, half graphic novel and half diary entries. It is definitely unique and towards the end these two parallels intertwine to show the story of those two little girls. I haven't read anything like this before. Overall, I don't regret spending my time with this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is so sad. Poor Mary.