Finch house

Review by Booklist Review

Micah isn't ready for change. Her mom is moving them an hour away from Poppop's house and the familiarity of their town--including the elusive Finch House, an old, run-down mansion Poppop makes her promise to stay away from. Micah finds herself biking near Finch House one day close to the move, but it's no longer run-down; a new family has moved in, and a boy her age, Theo, is hanging out in the yard. She learns from Theo that the house isn't quite what it seems--it's haunted by whispers and childlike shadows--which sparks an argument with Poppop over what secrets he might be hiding. But after Poppop disappears, his truck left in front of the Finch House, Micah has no choice but to go inside. She quickly discovers the secrets of the home (including a challenging racial history) and a magic that's holding on to her great-aunt, the first of many children the house has taken. Pitch-black tunnels, twisting plots, and untrustworthy relatives will tingle the spines of readers intrigued by ghost stories, and an unexpected ending sets up the potential for a sequel delving further into the magic behind the haunted Finch House. Burch's debut is cohesive, fast paced, and thoughtful about the racial challenges of the past and how they may haunt the present.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Having lived most of her 11 years with her beloved grandfather, Poppop, Michaela "Micah" Robinson resists her family's upcoming move to a home an hour away. Frustrated with packing, she goes for a bike ride and discovers that Finch House, a long-abandoned Victorian that Poppop declared off-limits, has been renovated and bought by a new family, including a boy named Theo. When Poppop arrives, he looks strangely terrified and tersely demands that they leave, frustrating Micah with his unusual lack of candor. Later, she learns that Finch House was the last place Poppop saw his sister, who went missing when she was not much older than Micah. After Poppop vanishes the next day, Micah and Theo search to no avail, and a hot chocolate break inside Finch House soon turns terrifying. Micah hears her grandfather's voice, then becomes trapped in the house--an ever-shifting realm with ties to the past. Deftly utilizing a haunted house framework to explore the weight of intergenerational trauma, debut author Burch's chilling tale recalls the sinister atmospherics of Coraline, while its thought-provoking ending enhances spare, poetic storytelling. Micah and her grandfather are Black; Theo cues as white. Ages 8--12. Agent: Patrice Caldwell, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Sept.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--7--An impending move means Micah will be an hour away from her beloved grandfather, Poppop, with whom she's lived most of her 11 years. Micah will specifically miss "networking" with Poppop--what Mom calls "digging through other people's trash." Out one last time seeking possible treasure, Micah unintentionally arrives at Finch House where Poppop has always vehemently forbidden her to go. She finds the Victorian newly restored and occupied by Theo and his family. Mom reveals Finch House has history--which includes a great-aunt who went missing. Naturally, Micah's curiosity sends her seeking (dangerous) answers. Versatile Abbott-Pratt animates intrepid Micah's need to know with rousing aplomb, then effortlessly shifts to embody Micah's supporting cast with warmer tones for Mom, slightly gruffy for Poppop, and just-enough-creep for Finch House. VERDICT Abbott-Pratt spiritedly creates an eerily haunted fun home.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Micah must convince an old, haunted Victorian house to release its hold over her and her loved ones. Eleven-year-old Micah has lived most of her life in her grandfather's house. Now she and her mom are preparing to move an hour away. Not only does Micah worry about Poppop being alone, she'll also miss their weekend trips going through other people's trash in search of possible treasures. Biking through the streets to avoid packing, Micah notices the run-down and abandoned Finch House, which has a mysterious and sinister past. Though Poppop has forbidden her to go near it, she finds herself drawn to the place. To her surprise, Finch House has been renovated, and a boy named Theo tells her he and his family have moved in. Poppop arrives to collect Micah and is inexplicably terrified, abruptly ordering her into his truck. When Poppop goes missing a day later, Micah's instincts lead her back to Finch House. Torn between keeping her promise to stay away from Finch House and searching it for Poppop, Micah accepts Theo's invitation inside, where she learns that not only is it haunted, she is trapped! More than a mere ghost story, the brilliantly woven, engaging tale that unfolds is one of local disappearances, hidden family secrets, and trauma. Readers will be hooked as Micah attempts to escape Finch House's grip. Micah and Poppop are Black; Theo is cued white. A supremely successful, atmospheric tale of horror. (Horror. 8-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Chapter Onechapter one Micah was, she reassured herself, faster than a garbage truck. She had to be, or she'd woken up early for nothing. Besides, she wanted that bookshelf. Sitting on the curb in front of a small white house, it was the most colorful thing on the snow-covered street--bright purple with yellow and pink flowers painted down its side. It matched the new bedspread her mom had bought her perfectly, which meant it would look great in her new room. If she managed to outrun the garbage truck. "Wait!" she yelled as it came to a stop. The garbage woman, dressed in a bright yellow vest, making her the second most colorful thing on the street, frowned at Micah as she stopped too. It took all her balance to keep from toppling over into the nearest snow pile as she leaned over to catch her breath. "Sorry." She panted. "One sec. I just need..." She gestured into the air as if what she needed--breath, energy, more sleep--could be found in it. "I don't have all day, girl," the garbage woman said. She looked more confused than annoyed, but Micah didn't want to give her time to cross that line. She straightened up quickly, readjusting her coat. "Right! So, um." She bit her lip. She didn't know how to say "Don't take the trash even though that's your job because I want it." This wasn't usually how networking went for her and Poppop. Usually, they were up early enough to beat the garbage trucks, or they came the night before garbage day, when all the things on the curb were newly banished from whatever houses they'd been in. But she'd begged him to bring her out this morning. Anything to avoid packing up the rest of her room. Anything to spend a little more time with him. She'd spent most of the eleven years she'd been alive living at his house: going networking, or "digging through other people's trash," as her mom liked to tease, on weekends and riding shotgun in his pickup truck after school. And now she was moving a whole hour away. But she couldn't tell the garbage woman all that. Not when she looked ready to toss her in the back of the truck along with everything else. Instead, she blurted out, "I like trash." The garbage woman nodded slowly. "So, do you want future career advice, or...?" "No! I mean, no, thank you." She pointed to the bookshelf. "I just want that particular bit of trash. For my room. Please." Laughing, the garbage woman walked around and hefted the bookshelf onto her shoulder. Micah's heart sank. She'd run all the way down the street and made a fool of herself in front of a stranger for absolutely no-- "I gotta get back to work," she said, "so tell me where you want this thing to go." Once the bookshelf was successfully in the bed of the truck and the garbage woman was back in her own, Micah leaned her seat as far back as it would go and squeezed her eyes shut. She waited for the truck to rumble to life beneath her. She peeked an eye open when it didn't to find Poppop smiling down at her. "It's gonna get pretty cold if we just sit here, you know." He chuckled. "Didn't think you'd mind, what with how eager you were to leave the house this mornin'. Up before the sun, even." She yawned at the reminder, and his smile widened. Out of anyone's smile, Micah was pretty sure Poppop's was her favorite. She liked the way it made his eyes crinkle at the edges and how his one gold tooth always seemed to catch the light. Today, though. Today it made her sad. In just a week she'd only get to see that smile through the phone or after an hour in the car. She couldn't even ride her bike back to see him because it was so far. She wouldn't be able to tease him every morning about his growing bald patch or nag him to wear his reading glasses or remind him to take his meds. If she and her mom were gone, who would do those things? Micah blinked back tears. Her hand drifted automatically to her wrist, twisting the silver bracelet that had belonged to Nana until she felt the heart-shaped charm rub against her skin. She hadn't eaten breakfast, and her stomach ached with the reminder. "Turtle." Poppop's voice was soft. The kind of soft that meant they were going to talk about things, probably her feelings. But she didn't want to talk. Not about the move, anyway. "Do you think breakfast water ice is a thing? Because if Tina's is open, we should go there next. I think they have that weird hot chocolate flavor I've been wanting to try and--" "Phones exist, Turtle." "What?" "Phones." He beeped the horn softly. "And cars. And your room at the house is always yours." He reached over to pull her seat up until they were sitting face-to-face. "It's just time for you and your mom to have your own space now, is all. Change makes growth." She frowned. "Maybe I don't wanna grow." He laughed. "It happens whether or not you want it to, Turtle. Embracing it usually makes it a little easier." When she kept quiet, he took her hand. "What's the worst you think will happen if you move?" "I won't see you. Or spend time with you. And without us or Nana, you'll be..." Tears filled her eyes faster than she could blink them back. She looked down at their clasped hands. "You'll be alone." Poppop squeezed her hand. "Just more change. More growth. Besides." He smiled. "Just gives me a reason to visit my favorite granddaughter often." She couldn't help but laugh. "I'm your only granddaughter." "Exactly why you're my favorite. Now, how about we go get some hot chocolate water ice and leave our worries for a later day?" Micah grinned. "Okay," she agreed. "But then I wanna see if I can catch up to any more garbage trucks. If I keep practicing, I think I can get pretty good at it." Excerpted from Finch House by Ciera Burch All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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