The concept of this book feels great at first. The description makes it feel like a cozy fantasy adventure but the story has some very strong adult themes. The story deals with a kid not trusting that their parent is being truthful with them ( completely justified at that age) but then the child runs away and joins a group of runways and for a lot of the book has no idea that a family member is even looking for them. Then she stumbles upon a group of cannibals?! Really in a middle grade novel? I just don’t know that the idea of cannibalism is something that should ever be normalized enough to be included in a kids book. Especially as later in the book the girl goes to the group to ask for their help. Overall this is not something I would recommend to others as is. I would definitely say this needs some major revision and story plot changes.

A wonderful book for middle schoolers. Suspenseful enough to keep me reading and I finished the book in one day. The chapters were written well and the pace of the book was well thought out. I can see myself recommending this book to many students. I was rooting for the MC the entire time and the side characters were flushed out. Suspenseful, nature, mystery, reflective, adventurous are all great words for this book.

Asterwood quickly draws you into its mysterious and exciting tale. Madelyn is curious about her true family history, believing she was adopted as a baby. When she meets a child in the woods outside her house and makes a friend for the first time in her life, she follows this child to a strange yet familiar land. Madelyn finds that while she does not recognize anyone in this magical land, she is well known to all. This book is perfect for those who love found families, magic, and just enough spookiness. Two scenes in this book were eerie enough that I will remember them forever, but not too scary for middle grade readers. I truly loved this book and will absolutely share it with my children.