Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Narrated by Gary Tiedemann. James and Ava's family move to Oregon from Texas. Their parents are excited about the move; the kids less so. Then mysterious letters show up for James. The kids also learn from the neighborhood kids that nothing bad ever happens in the town they live in. It turns out to be true, but the tranquility comes at a deadly cost...and James may be the next sacrifice. For me, the story didn't really pick up until James and Ava find themselves trapped by a neighbor.

MY goodness, this was a good book. I absolutely loved it. My favorite YA book I have read over the last few years. If you like magic realism and mythology this book is for you.

***Contains Light Spoilers***

Very slow to get started. The mystery doesn’t get introduced until 30%, and it was never clear exactly what the Keeper wanted James to do. The first letter just told James to explore his new house. Like, ok? And? Things are introduced and then never mentioned again (the secret room under their living room). The dialogue was weird because no one used contractions. The plot reminded me of Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall, but messy and mediocre.