The International House of Dereliction

Starred review from May 29, 2023
An indefatigable 10-year-old resolves to help the restless spirits haunting the house next door move on to the afterlife in this wholesome ghost story by Davies (The Bridge Battle). In what her mother promises will be the white-cued family’s last uprooting for a while, Alice Cannoli-Potchnik and her loving parents move into a run-down house on the edge of the college campus where her mother lectures. While exploring the new neighborhood, Alice is drawn to the condemned abode next door. After fixing the residence’s damaged hearth—an easy feat for handy Alice, who’s helped her father fix up their last 11 homes—she finds herself in the company of several ghosts, all with unfinished business preventing them from passing on. But Alice’s mission to assist her ghostly neighbors is jeopardized when a demolition crew arrives to tear the house down. Spurred by Alice’s ferocious determination, this cleverly plotted genealogical mystery delves into the specters’ history as much as Alice’s own, culminating in an exhilarating sequence of events that proves Davies’s uncanny balance of whimsy and excitement. This mesmerizing Monster House–flavored tale is packed with oodles of heart. Ages 8–12.

June 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 Alice, a bright, curious 10-year-old, lives with her mother, a college professor, and her father, who excels at repairing and renovating old houses. Fixing up one home after another, he has taught Alice his skills. Now she's ready to take on a new challenge of her own. Unburdened by school or even homeschooling expectations, she follows her inclination and secretly begins to work on the once-stately, now-dilapidated mansion next door, which has been condemned. She hopes to save the building, but as she secretly works on the fireplace tiles, chandelier, and the like, she becomes equally determined to help the ghosts who are destined to haunt the house unless they can complete certain tasks left undone when they died, decades or centuries ago. In this original novel, Davies shares her lively imagination and her gift for making even home renovation entertaining for young readers. While the house is truly haunted, this isn't a horror story; the main character acts out of kindness rather than fear. It's an unconventional ghost story with an unusual heroine and a satisfying conclusion.

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Starred review from May 1, 2023
A project-oriented child has her work cut out for her in a long-abandoned house with several resident ghosts. No sooner does 10-year-old Alice discover that the derelict house next door has a heartbeat and is somehow aware of her than she knows what she must do. First, fix up at least the living room--a task of which she is perfectly capable, having assisted her father in refurbishing the last 11 houses they have lived in. Second, help the four ghosts she meets resolve the "Unfinished Business of the Heart" that's kept them from moving on. This proves considerably more difficult--but with Alice's being "a rare old soul with more flint and steel in her small body than most people might have guessed," it's not impossible despite obstacles ranging from a furious poltergeist to righting the shocking, shocking wrong of an overdue library book. Davies really cranks up the climax with the unexpected arrival of a demolition crew, but by that time the cast has already made this a magically immersive experience. Only the stony of heart could fail to fall in love with clever, competent, resolute Alice or, for that matter, the supporting cast that includes her adorable parents and a host of unfailingly interesting ancestors. On their way to the poignant, satisfying close, thoughtful readers may find some new insight into what Goodnight Moon is actually about, too. The cast reads White. Final art not seen. Well cast, well told, but mostly just terrific. (Paranormal. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 27, 2023

Gr 3-5-"Lemonade War" series creator Davies has constructed a heartfelt story for middle graders, featuring a girl, some rundown houses, and some needy ghosts. Alice Cannoli-Potchnik is a combination of her brilliant professor mother and her practical house-inspector father. The family has been forced to move all over their college campus because they can't resist the urge to renovate, eventually perfecting their way out of each house. They make the decision to refuse updating a dilapidated house to resist moving again, but Alice fulfills her urge by working on the ramshackle International House next door. Spending days woodworking and tiling, she becomes aware of a group of ghosts residing in the home, each with unfinished business Alice vows to help resolve. Military defeat, unrequited love, and an unreturned library book plague the beings, preventing them from becoming "Settled Ones." Through research and action, Alice facilitates each ghost's transition. The final entity she discovers is Fury, who exists in the attic as a terrifying specter. Fury has the most heartbreaking story of all. Alice discovers her to be the matriarch of the Potchnik family, and finds a unique way to set her free. Spotlighting a tenacious main character and lots of action, the story has appeal across ages and genders. Eager readers will find rich vocabulary deliciously sophisticated. The supernatural element is appropriately "spooky" content for those inexperienced in the genre. VERDICT A great pick for younger readers seeking a challenge.-Deidre Winterhalter

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