Finch House
by Ciera Burch (Author)
Encanto meets Coraline in this spooky middle grade story that deals with family ties, fear of change, and generational trauma as it follows a girl who must convince an old, haunted house to release its hold on her and her family.
Eleven-year-old Micah has no interest in moving out of her grandfather's house. She loves living with Poppop and their shared hobby of driving around rich neighborhoods to find treasures in others' trash. To avoid packing, Micah goes for a bike ride and ends up at Finch House, the decrepit Victorian that Poppop says is Off Limits. Except when she gets there, it's all fixed up and there's a boy named Theo in the front yard. Surely that means Finch House isn't Off Limits anymore? But when Poppop finds her there, Micah is only met with his disappointment.
By the next day, Poppop is nowhere to be found. After searching everywhere, Micah's instincts lead her back to Finch House. But once Theo invites her inside, Micah realizes she can't leave. And that, with its strange whispers and deep-dark shadows, Finch House isn't just a house...it's alive. Can Micah find a way to convince the house to let her go? Or will she be forced to stay in Finch House forever?
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Publishers Weekly
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.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV018000 - Juvenile Fiction | Horror
JUV069000 - Juvenile Fiction | Ghost Stories
African Americans
Grandparent and child
Grandfathers
Paranormal fiction
Haunted houses
Novels
