4.5 stars because it was legitimately a creepy book and had some EXCELLENT spook factors to it! It's not often I put aside other hobbies to do just reading. Not audiobook and chores, or book and background TV, JUST BOOK, JUST READ! I was hooked!

The book is first person POV and that of the child, and the writing reflects that of a child's thoughts, which I liked. It made for quick and easy reading and it was a good choice. Plus, it's nice when the adults believe the child and you see them become absolutely TERRIFIED of the ghostly ghoul after one glance when this poor kid has been "friends" with it for months now. Pish, adults *rolls eyes*.

On the downside, with this being from Bela's POV, the author has to have the adults talking out loud a lot of what they're thinking and usually way more deeply and maturely than you would to an eight year-old. It's usually under the guise of them info-dumping or letting out their stresses to their child while they think she's sleeping, but toward the end of the book it started getting a little too long, and while she wasn't sleeping. There's a reason for it, when you get there, but I was getting a little restless and wanted the dumb adults to stop talking so much. LOL.

Also, a very Stephen King-esque ending!