Middle schoolers are so going to enjoy reading this story.. Mystery, the supernatural, sisters in different time periods, odd book,,,, Good October read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This middle grade horror novel is a spooky and atmospheric read for kids who liked Small Spaces. It follows Fiona, whose family has just relocated to be closer to her sister Arden's competitive figure skating gym. Fiona is resentful that everything revolves around Arden, and bitter that they aren't close like they once were. She finds a mysterious book at her local library that tells the story of another pair of sisters and becomes hooked. The story tells of a terrifying creature lurking in the woods -- which just may be the woods near her house. This is a spooky, quick read.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this book going in, but dang it was creeeepy! I really enjoyed it. Not only did it give me goosebumps at times, but it guarded its plot twists pretty well, and I was surprised at several of the twists. At its heart, this book is about siblings—the difficulty of being siblings as well as the joy of it.

A fantastic kid's ghost story. Written so well!! This is the kind of story that had me on pins and needles to find out what would happen next. Just how Fiona wanted to pick up the mysterious vintage book she finds in the library to finish reading, that's how I felt about Long Lost. It has just enough of a creepy aura to be compelling but not scary. Although the story is predominantly about sisters, I think boys would enjoy the story too for all the thrills, chills, and adventure. I could read it all over again!

I am catching up on NetGalley reviews and so glad I started with this one. I'm not usually big on ghost stories but I was a bit sucked in by the cover of this one and the story does not disappoint. Deliciously spooky but largely a story about family and loyalty and the complicated relationships between siblings. I read it in just over 24 hours (something I don't do often and haven't done recently). I hope I can add it to my library collection because I have a lot of kids clamoring for scary books.

This was so good! It was the perfect slightly spooky read to kick of October.

Fiona is a very relatable main character who often feels overshadowed by her sisters ambitions. As a reader, I found the sisters parents EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. I almost had to stop reading the book they bothered me so much. They showed extreme favoritism for Fiona's sister, and it was awful to read. Despite the parents, I liked the stories exploration of sister relationships.

I really liked the way the story is divided into a current plot line, and the plot unfolding in the past in the book Fiona is reading. As a librarian, I love a book that makes a book a main element of the story. This story also made the library a fantastic and important setting. Delightful.

I'm excited to recommend this one to everyone looking for something a little scary.

Long Lost is a mystery but also a coming of age story of a tween who feels uprooted and struggles with sibling issues. While trying to solve a historical mystery of two siblings that she found in a book, she also sorts through some of her issues with her sibling.There are ghosts, there is ice skating, there is a mysterious local folklore creature in the woods, and there is a mysterious book that has a mind of its own!

This book is highly recommended for any kids who like spooky mysteries. The story made you want to keep reading to find out what happened next!

If you’re like me you are desperately craving that cozy, Fall weather and looking to fill that TBR with spooky reads, then I have a middle grade book that is just so satisfying.

Long Lost by Jacqueline West includes all of the necessary prerequisites for a particularly lovely spooky story; a haunted house turned library, a tragic disappearance and family secrets, a small town with quirky folks, sisterly angst, and a propulsive, heart-pounding tale within the story.

11 year-old Fiona is upset that her family has moved to a weird small town so that her prissy, perfectionist, figure-skating older sister can be closer to her practices. Her only solace…the town’s library, once a rambling mansion now filled with restless spirits.
The book that draws her attention has none of the usual library markings, in fact it isn’t meant to exist. She soon finds herself immersed in the true story of an unsolved crime, and she must quickly put the pieces together before she becomes the next victim.

My favorite aspect of this book is the story embedded within. Having a real mystery woven into a fictional story, connects you in a unique way to the plot. Both were so expertly written I found myself quickly turning the pages to find out what happens next. West provides the quirky small town of Lost Lake with such a fantastic atmospheric quality that I felt like I was in an eerie mist throughout. Plus, I’m just never going to dislike a book where the main protagonist loves going to the library, and discovering a mysterious book that’s not meant to be there…well, that’s just icing.

I highly recommend baking some cookies, drinking some pumpkin spice coffee, and giving yourself an afternoon of reading. Long Lost is quick, and delightfully spooky. I also highly recommend Last Things, which I read this time last year.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I adored this middle grade mystery. It had the right amount of spookiness for my kids at the library while still having a positive message and happy ending. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This scary ghost story is based around two pairs of sisters, in different time periods. Fiona and Arden live in the present and they have just moved into an old house in a different town so they can more easily reach Arden's figure skating training. Fiona is very resentful. The other two sisters are Margaret and Evelyn, who lived a long time ago. Their family had moved to the town and built a big fancy house, but when Evelyn disappeared, the rest of Margaret's family grieved so hard there really wasn't any room for living. Fiona untangles the mystery with the help of Charlie, Pixie, and Arden. This is a very compelling story to read and I was sorry when it was over. My students love scary stories and I think they're really going to love this one.

A small town library, housed in an old mansion, hides a book with no barcode, no call number, and no ending. When Fiona finds this book, she is determined to know the whole story. Long Lost is about moving to a new place and finding where you belong. It’s about ghosts and solving long dead mysteries. But most importantly, Long Lost is about sisters and the unique relationship sisters have.

Fiona is not happy about moving away from her home, her friends, and everything she knows and loves. And it’s all happening because of her older sister Arden. Arden is a talented figure skater, but because of that she has to train at a special gym that is 2 hours away from home. So, the family moves to Lost Lake where Arden will be closer to the skating gym, giving the entire family a little more free time. But Fiona doesn’t care about any of this. All she cares about is that she is now stuck in a town with nothing to do, no friends, and where everybody looks at her strangely. Fiona’s one bright spot is the library, in particular a book she found there called The Lost One. This book tells the story of two sisters, Hazel and Pearl, who did everything together, until one of them went missing. The problem is, The Lost One is missing it’s ending. This does not work for Fiona, so she is determined to solve the mystery of The Lost One and hopefully learn the rest of the story along the way.

The library in Lost Lake was a highlight for my librarian heart. A historic mansion that has been converted into a library is exactly where I would love to spend most of my time, not unlike Fiona. It made for a delightful setting for this book. The story told in The Lost One was also very intriguing, as well as heart wrenching. I could see why Fiona was so determined to finish the book. The storyline of The Lost One, as well as the portions of the book where Fiona is either searching for the book or trying to solve the mystery of the book are the best parts of Long Lost. But, this story is not just a paranormal mystery. It is also about family dynamics and sibling relationships.

The relationship that Fiona has with her sister Arden is not a good one. Fiona blames Arden for just about every possible thing that has gone or could go wrong in her life. While Fiona’s frustration is mostly misplaced, it does make sense for a girl her age, since Arden is the easiest and most obvious person to blame. It makes Fiona’s character a little less sympathetic as the story goes on and it becomes clear that Arden is struggling just as much as she is. But the least likable characters in this novel are Fiona and Arden’s parents. It was a little unbelievable how much they disregarded Fiona’s feelings and tried to constantly buy her acceptance of this difficult situation with pizza, or ice cream, or the promise of a pet dog, while also constantly blowing her off and making her give up the few things she actually wanted to do. Still, as I said before this story is mostly about the relationship between sisters, and it was satisfying to watch both pairs of sisters (Fiona and Arden, and Pearl [Margaret] and Hazel [Evelyn]) evolve and do so in a parallel way despite each sisterly story taking place in different eras.

I highly recommend this novel for fans of the paranormal and anyone who loves libraries and the power of story. This would also be a great introduction to paranormal books for the middle graders who are just starting to explore this genre but are not quite ready for the scares you would typically find in it. Once you begin Long Lost, you’ll feel just like Fiona, unable to stop until you discover how it ends.

Long Lost checked all of my middle grade (and really any grade) book boxes: family dynamics, sisters, friendship, a mysterious book, small town weirdness, suspense, library love -- all twisted up in a wonderfully paced historical mystery with some legit scary bits.

Kids are going to love this. Recommended for ages 10+.

* Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the eARC to review.

4.5 Stars

Long Lost is a tale of sisters — two sets from two time periods. And while their circumstances are different, their lives parallel each other in multiple ways. These familial connections are at the heart of this novel, influencing each of the characters’ choices.

Equally important is the mystery Fiona stumbles upon. The novel she discovers is dark and atmospheric. And as that world bleeds into the “real” one, Long Lost becomes a page-turner.

I often recommend Jacqueline West’s Books of Elsewhere series, which follows a girl who travels into paintings. Though those books and Long Lost have different subjects, they both give off that ghost-story tingle that middle-readers love.

Long Lost is a fast-moving read that never feels forced or too convenient. There are enough twists to keep even the best sleuths entertained. It should appeal to a large cross section of readers.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to review this title.

The story-within-a-story element of Long Lost brought me back to my childhood hiding in a closet with The Chronicles of Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time. I got cozy and devoured this book. The story took me to another place and time, where anything could happen.

There was just enough of a supernatural element to keep me guessing about what was real and what wasn’t. This book was wonderfully atmospheric, consisting of a long-buried mystery, a new town, a mysterious library and an even-more-mysterious book, and delicious spookiness that’s just the right amount of scary lurking at the edge of every page, made this a perfect gem of a middle-grade novel. Best read by candlelight or in the deep green of an old wood preferably with a graveyard nearby for maximum shivers!

I highly recommend Long Lost if you want a ghoulish story that will keep you reading until you can't keep your eyes open anymore. It's not just a good read; it's a GREAT read. I could not put this book down!

I LOVED Long Lost. It was exciting and fast paced. It had just the right amount of creepiness and suspense to keep me reading long past when I had planned to stop for the night. While this is a novel geared toward middle grade readers it is so well written and the characters are so relatable that I would recommend it to anyone. The resolution—not of the ghost story, I won’t mention that and give anything away—but of the family difficulties was sweet and well crafted. This would be a great book for anyone who feels overshadowed in their family as in the end our protagonist gets a look at her sister’s life from her point of view and realizes it isn’t all coming up roses for her either and the sisters pull together in the end.

But really, what’s not to love about a creepy library, a half-written book, and a mysterious old town? This book is worth the read.

I received this book from NetGalley in return for an an honest review.

This was a really enjoyable book, and it was hard to put down! Fiona is a likeable and relatable main character, dealing with a major change in her life due to her older sister's aspirations to be an Olympic figure skater. Fiona is understandably grieving the move and resentful of her sister. She stumbles on a strange book at the town library and a spooky mystery unfolds. There were parts that were genuinely a little scary, but nothing graphic or too scary for a middle grade reader to handle. I also liked that the story, while having its mystery at the center, also focuses a lot on the relationships between sisters. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely keep a copy in my classroom library.

This is a good entry level mystery with creepy elements and a ghost story. I really enjoyed the writing and the spooky elements. There were multiple stories to follow, the main character, the ghosts, and the mysterious book. I recommend this for readers of all ages. It touches on sibling relationships and their struggles, the difficulties of moving and fitting in, and growing up.

This was a really intriguing mystery/ghost story, all about relationships between sisters. Anyone with siblings can probably identify with something in this tale of multiple sets of siblings' rivalry—and love.

An engaging mystery with just a hint of the supernatural. I enjoyed the story immensely. I am obviously not the target audience, and it's not going to be a new favorite. However, it was nicely paced and dealt with sister relationships very well. If there were more stories set in this town I would definitely pick them up. I would recommend this for young readers.

Most importantly, an excellent amount of ghosts. ;)