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Book Review: Are You In The House Alone? by Richard Peck

Are You In The House Alone? by Richard Peck

Puffin, 2000

ISBN: 0141306939

Available: New and Used

 

Editor’s note: Are You In The House Alone? was first published in 1977. I first read it in 1985, and our review of it is one of the earliest we published. While it is dated, given current events, it seems eerily relevant, and even more terrifying.

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    This is probably the first young adult novel to deal frankly with rape and its aftermath. Gail, a high school junior living in a charming New England town, is getting obscene notes and phone calls. She doesn’t want to think about it, her best friend pretends nothing is happening, and when she finally tells a guidance counselor she isn’t taken seriously. Isolated and terrified, she opens the door one night to let her boyfriend in and is surprised by her stalker, who happens to be her best friend’s boyfriend and the son of the wealthiest family in her small town.

    The chief of police tells Gail he will not arrest the boy, and a sympathetic lawyer explains that pressing charges would mean an attack on her personal life. Gail decides not to press charges, and returns to school. Another girl with an identical raincoat is then attacked on her way home and is left in critical condition.

     This story shows that the rapist is not the only monster. Every person who turns a blind eye to Gail’s situation, from her best friend to the chief of police, shows an ugly side that should horrify anyone who has ever needed to tell a terrible secret.  Richard Peck, a brilliant young adult author, is effective at creating Gail’s world and is able to express the horror of her situation without getting graphic.

Contains: sexual situations, violence

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on October 3, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard

A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard

Titan Books, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1785656408

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

Alice Blanchard drags the readers into the darkness with A Breath After Drowning. This psychological thriller dives down into the characters’ psychology, their trauma, and the deep pits that therapy and grief can dig, in a story that is as close to perfect as it can be in the thriller genre.

Our protagonist is child psychologist Katie Wolfe, whose sister was brutally murdered. Henry Blackwood sits on death row for the murder, yet his family remains in town. The opening chapters, which involve the suicide of a tortured teen, will rip a wound in the reader’s mind that is never given a chance to heal. Almost immediately afterwards, Katie is given another case, a teen whose troubles might lead Katie into waters too deep and black for her to survive. Every character seems to be tied somehow to Katie’s past: either the murder, or her turbulent upbringing. How she teams up with the retired detective who still lives with the case is worth the price of the book itself.

To reveal more would give away one of the many serpentine plot twists that deepen as the story unfolds. Blanchard chisels characters that darken with each layer.

Reminiscent of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, with the rawness of Stephen King’s suspense novels, this one’s highly recommended for anyone craving a thriller that will leave a scar. Blanchard is definitely an author to follow.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on October 3, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: I See A Monster: A Touch and Feel Book by Laurie Young, illustrated by Daniel Mahoney

 

I See A Monster: A Touch And Feel Book by Laurie Young, illustrated by Daniel Mahoney
Piggy Toes Press, 2006
ISBN: 1581174837
Available:  Used hardcover

This incredibly cute lift-the-flap touch book follows a young boy in a monster costume as he goes through out his house seeking out friendly looking monsters. The monsters are hiding behind various objects and the readers have to unfold the page to see the whole monster. The monsters all have a patch of a unique fabric that young readers can touch and explore. The surprise of the last layout is a mirror that makes the child a part of the story! The book is a fun one to share with the toddler in your life, with its variety of fabrics, interactive fold-out pages, and peekaboo mirror, as well as gentle, funny illustrations by Daniel Mahoney. The monsters are friendly and silly, an entertaining and engaging way to introduce the wonderful world of monsters to your little one. Libraries considering this book will want to be aware that the fabrics are not well attached to the pages, so the book might easily be damaged after a few uses. Parents, however, will definitely want to share this book with their own little monsters.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on September 24, 2018 by , Reply
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