Read-alike: [b:Serafina and the Black Cloak|23507745|Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, #1)|Robert Beatty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420158894s/23507745.jpg|43111795] by [a:Robert Beatty|9886850|Robert Beatty|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1497123548p2/9886850.jpg] ( )

This book is on the scary side for kids, so be sure that you read it first and make sure your kids are age appropriate for it. ( )

Nice little non-graphic horror story ( )

Two Irish orphans find work as servants to the Windsor family, who have moved to an old creepy house in the sourwoods. Trying to make the best of the situation, Molly cleans the house and Kip minds the stables and gardens. However, there is a sickness pervading the household and a gnarly tree abutting the house. Despite Molly's cheerfulness and wisdom through storytelling, everyone in the house suffers from bad dreams caused by an evil spirit and the tree's magic secret, which make leaving near to impossible. The Irish dialogue was weak at points, but I enjoyed the book's tension and especially Auxier's afterword explaining his inspirations for the story. ( )

Children's middlegrade fiction (scary adventure). Reviewed from uncorrected ARC. I'd love to see kids reading this instead of goosebumps, but probably few would pick it up because of its length (perhaps if you give them a taste with a little reading aloud). There are definitely scary bits, and violent deaths that happen out of sight, so I think the middlegrade distinction is appropriate. ( )