Book Review and Giveaway: THE HOUSE IN POPLAR WOOD

Middle Grade Minded recently received an ARC of THE HOUSE IN POPLAR WOOD by K.E. Ormsbee.

I immediately flung my digital hand up in the air because I am a sucker for any books that take place in the woods because

1) the woods can be creepy
2) the woods can be magical
3) the woods can be soothing

My money was on number 1, though it turns out K.E. Ormsbee managed to include 2 and 3 as well!

What it's About:

For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, Lee and his mother have served Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement. But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she'll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something's gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie's might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood. Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is a story about a boy's desire to be free, a girl's desire to make a difference, and a family's desire to be together again.

What I thought of the book:

I really liked this book!

I liked the twins' friendship and their longing to be a real family with their parents.

I liked the fact that Death and Memory were real characters, not only known to the children, but also to the rest of the nearby town.

I liked that there was an unbreakable pact, because I am fascinated by how authors come or don't come up with creative ways to break the plot.  K.E. Ormsbee handled this VERY well.

And I loved the character of Essie Hastings, whose dogged determination to make things right for both her family and the Vickery family is both poignant and at times hysterically funny.

I highly recommend this book!

About the Author:

Visit her website here.

Follow her on twitter: @Kathsby

or on instagram: @kathsby

or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keormsbee


How would you like to win the arc? Leave a comment below! All comments submitted by November 3rd at midnight will be put in the draw to win the ARC!

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