I will be 49 next month. So why am I reading a Middle Grade book?

1. I got an advanced copy from NetGalley.
2. I am an unapologetic Paul Tremblay fangirl, so I would have read it anyway.
3. I am extremely curious about what a PT Middle Grade book would be like, and if he intends to emotionally-devastate young minds.
4. I need to see if it’s finally time to get my nieces and nephews into reading PT.

It was really good! Maybe I need to get into Middle Grade books because they are really quick reads. And you know I love me a quick read.

I’ve always liked how PT writes kids… I’m talking to you, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock. So I knew that part of it would ring true. It’s also pretty creepy. Not ambiguous/emotionally-devastating like his adult stuff. But I thought it was pretty sophisticated (if that’s the right word) for that age group. Like, actually intelligent and challenging. (Not that I have other MG books to compare it to.)

On a personal note, this kid had transient tic disorder which I guarantee I had as a kid. I remember a teacher bringing it up to my parents. Never saw anyone about it, but eventually it went away. There’s a lot of good stuff here about loneliness and the struggle of being a kid. And the relationship between Casey and his sister was great.

I hope this gets traction with The Kids… and leads them to more PT when they’re old enough to handle emotional devastation.

Oooo. This is a fun one. I got Coraline vibes from it. Although it's middle grade, it's still crazy creepy. My elementary aged daughter loves scary stories so I'll share this one with her in a couple of years.

I did find some typos (missing words) throughout, but I know it's uncorrected.

Thanks for the ARC! Will review on goodreads and my Instagram @stressiereads this week!

A fun, quick read! Like a souped up Goosebumps book (complimentary). I know ambiguous endings are Paul Tremblay’s thing so I wasn’t sure how the ending would go in a middle grade format. I was very pleasantly surprised! (No spoilers for you.) I loved this, it was very Growing Things vibes.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.