Review by Booklist Review
A strong but heartbroken 12-year-old girl desperately wants to help her deceased grandmother in this paranormal exploration of grief. Eliot Katayama, who is a biracial Japanese American, is struggling to process the death of her beloved paternal grandmother, Babung. Her parents relocate the family from California to Maine, thinking a fresh start will help. Eliot can't help but worry that Babung is alone and scared in the afterlife without her memories, which dementia had stolen before she passed. Desperate to prove that ghosts are real and to reconnect with Babung, Eliot takes on a summer job at the notorious Honeyfield Hall, which is rumored to be haunted. There, she meets another girl of the same age named Hazel. She also finds a skeleton key, which takes her to the Hollow, a spirit world that contains trapped ghosts who have lost their memories. Eliot embarks on a mission to get a message to Babung and develops romantic feelings for Hazel along the way. While somewhat unevenly developed, this sensitively told story is moving and full of heart.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Roseheart, Maine, is the fresh start that Eliot Katayama's parents seek after the death of Eliot's grandmother, Babung. Twelve-year-old Eliot, cued as queer and of Japanese descent, grieves the loss of her confidante, and worries that Babung's dementia means she "has no idea how much she was loved," and may be existing in the afterlife without memories. When Eliot accepts a summer gardening job at imposing Honeyfield Hall, rumored to be haunted, she meets Hazel, a girl her own age, and finds a key whose lock reveals ghosts trapped in the house. To get a message to her grandmother, Eliot agrees to help the ghosts solve a riddle, find their lost memories, and perhaps move on. But Eliot is stymied by a shadowy creature who seems intent on destroying the ghosts' chances. Bowman (the Infinity Courts series) harmoniously splices real-world and otherworldly elements as Eliot moves between realms. Despite repeatedly hollow dictums on grief ("Rainbows come after a storm. Maybe it's like that when you're sad, too"), Eliot's thought processes ("Sometimes I just have so many thoughts in my head that it's hard to separate them into words") and difficulty making friends are handled with sensitivity, and the central theme--being appreciated for who one is--rings true. Ages 8--12. Agent: Penny Moore, Aevitas Creative Management. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--Eliot is a Japanese American girl who is grieving the recent loss of Babung, her grandmother, when she and her parents move from California to Maine. She is determined to find Babung's ghost so she can say goodbye. When she dares to ring the doorbell at the supposed witch's house, Honeyfield Hall, she thinks that this might be the perfect opportunity to find some ghosts (hopefully Babung's). Eliot begins helping out around Honeyfield Hall and discovers a skeleton key that allows her to travel to the Hollow, where ghosts are stuck and unable to travel beyond the veil to be at peace. Eliot, with the help of her crush Hazel, vows to help these ghosts to find their missing memories so they can move on before all of their memories fade and the Hollow collapses. This is a beautiful story that explores grief and friendship with a touch of fantasy. It acknowledges that there is no one way to process grief; Eliot's parents' attempt to protect her from the pain of losing Babung by not talking about her, which contrasts Eliot's strong desire to remember her grandmother. Bowman perfectly captures the struggle of being the new kid in town and trying to fit in when you feel completely out of place. While not a scary ghost story, there are some suspenseful moments, including some unexpected twists and a very satisfying ending. VERDICT A captivating story that will appeal to readers who love a mystery, have experienced loss, or anyone who has searched for friendship in a new place.--Kristin Williamson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lonely girl embarks on a quest to help her late grandmother. When 12-year-old Eliot Katayama's family moves from California to Roseheart, Maine, her parents want a fresh start, but Eliot is still grieving the death of Babung, her beloved paternal grandmother, and struggling with the dementia that stole Babung's memories before she died. Although her parents urge her to move on, Eliot fears Babung is lonely and confused in the afterlife without her memories; she hopes to prove ghosts are real and reconnect with her. Meeting neighbor Mrs. Delvaux and her granddaughter, Hazel, is the opportunity she's been waiting for: Their home is rumored to be haunted, and local kids believe Mrs. Delvaux is a soul-stealing witch. Indeed, Eliot soon discovers ghosts in the house, but why are they stuck there? Why have they lost their memories, preventing them from crossing to the other side? As she attempts to help these ghosts recall who they are, Eliot juggles growing romantic feelings for Hazel, parents who don't take her seriously, and encounters with a fearsome monster, all while continuing to try to reach Babung. Although the novel ends on a satisfactory note, the plot is disjointed at times, and some characters feel flat. Richer details about Babung and Eliot's relationship would have made Eliot's obsessive quest more understandable for readers. Eliot's father and grandmother are Japanese American from Hawaii; her mother is racially ambiguous. An engrossing but somewhat uneven tale about grief, ghosts, and the power of memory. (Paranormal. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
