4.5/5 Stars for this beautiful middle grade debut about overcoming obstacles, being brave, and having the willingness to try again.

I loved how this book blended a variety of folklore to create its monsters, and how real the lovable characters fighting them felt to me as a reader. Oftentimes when reading middle grade books, I find that the characters feel more archetypal than they feel realistic, but this cast was diverse, nuanced, and reminded me of people that I have known in my life. Similarly books for middle grade readers have a tendency to get heavy handed with the directness that the prose provides the theme to the reader (which makes sense given that these books are part of a child's path toward comprehending more complex texts as they age) but here I felt that the author had a good sense of balance between directness and allowing the reader to come to understand the themes of the story through the plot. 

The action was enjoyable, the universe was interesting, and overall this is a great spooky read. I would recommend this book for children who enjoy books like What Stays Buried, The Otherwoods, The Agony House, and general spooky stories. 

I would also recommend this book for its diversity as it hits on many topics of disability, family types, race, gender expression, and religion in a way that is digestible for children. It would be a great addition to any library, classroom, or child's bookshelf.