Early Review – Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Horror
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Release Date: January 16, 2024
ISBN-13: 978-0062275158
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
“The house seemed to sit apart from the others on Katydid Street, silent and alone, like it didn’t fit among them. For Violet Hart—whose family is about to move into the house on Katydid Street—very little felt like it fit anymore. Like their old home, suddenly too small since her mother remarried and the new baby arrived. Or Violet’s group of friends, which, since they started middle school, isn’t enough for Violet’s best friend, Paige. Everything seemed to be changing at once. But sometimes, Violet tells herself, change is okay.
That is, until Violet sees her new room. The attic bedroom in their new house is shadowy, creaky, and wrapped in old yellow wallpaper covered with a faded tangle of twisting vines and sickly flowers. And then, after moving in, Violet falls ill—and does not get better. As days turn into weeks without any improvement, her family growing more confused and her friends wondering if she’s really sick at all, she finds herself spending more time alone in the room with the yellow wallpaper, the shadows moving in the corners, wrapping themselves around her at night.
And soon, Violet starts to suspect that she might not be alone in the room at all.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an ebook of this through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: I haven’t been reading much middle grade over the last few years, but I always love Ursu’s books and was excited to see a new one release. I really enjoyed this creepy story. It is a sort of middle grade retelling of the “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins, but with real creepy crawlies.
Violet has been going through a lot in the last year. Her mom and stepfather have a new baby and now her family is even bigger than before. As a result her family needs to move to a bigger house. Added in to that is her older sister is in high school now and suddenly not Violet’s friend anymore, and Violet is starting middle school and watching her friend group from elementary school slowly fall apart. It’s a lot. Then Violet starts to get really sick and she thinks she is seeing things in the ugly wallpaper of the new attic bedroom she has in the new family home.
A lot of this book really resonated with me. I loved the creepy old house with the questionable wallpaper and how we get to hear some of the house’s thoughts. I personally just bought a really old house and could really sympathize with all the weirdness of an old house and the work that needs to be done. I could also sympathize with all the family changes Violet is going through. No I am not a middle grade girl, however I am at a time in life when my son is getting very independent and striking out on his own and there are lot of shifting family dynamics. I am also in a weird place where some of my friends are in a similar situation to me, but other friends have small children they are still dealing with. It drives a weird sort of wedge in friendships when some friends are dealing with young kids and other friends are leaving all the “kid stuff” behind. Anyway, this book hit a thoughtful points for me and I really enjoyed it.
The story itself was very well done. Violet is a bit of a loner and a bit odd as well. Watching her go through illness and issues with her friend was hard but also emphasized that change happens and you end up stronger in a lot of ways when you get through it all. I loved the old house and loved the support and love Violet’s family showed to each other even though they were all going through stressful changes.
The side characters were well done and complex. I loved that this ties in long-term illness with some supernatural creepiness, it was all very engaging. I think my only complaint is that the end ties up really quickly and we don’t get a lot of resolution around Violet’s condition (although this was a realistic ending for a chronic illness). I would have liked a little more understanding around what was trapped in the house and why.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really ended up loving this. It resonated with me in a lot of areas and I thought it was very well written. I would recommend to those who enjoy thoughtful creepy middle grade reads. This not only has a fun creepy vibe to it but also addresses serious issues of changes that happen throughout life and dealing with a chronic illness.
