Skip to main content

The In-Between

Image
By

By Rebecca K.S. Ansari
New York: Walden Pond Press, 2021. Fiction. 313 pgs.

Ever since his parents got divorced and his dad moved to San Diego to start a new family, 12-year-old Cooper is reluctant to let people in. He decides that it is better to be lonely than risk being hurt by someone -- so he pushes his friends, mother, and younger sister Jess, who is diabetic, away. Then one day a new boy named Gus shows up at school and Cooper is able to fall into an easy friendship with him. At around the same time, Jess convinces Cooper to solve the 100-year-old mystery of the Charfield railway disaster that seems to be mysteriously connected to Elena, their strange neighbor across the street. As Cooper and Jess are caught-up in a supernatural web of historical mysteries, they realize that disaster may be approaching their hometown of Chicago -- and they may be powerless to stop it.

This twisty, ghosty, eerie story is a perfectly complex mystery for middle grade readers. This is the type of book that is hard to talk about, because a memorable and surprising twist is one of the best parts of this tale. Middle grade fiction has exploded in recent years with scary stories featuring characters exploring tough psychological issues like grief, loss, and loneliness; and The In-Between falls perfectly in-step with favorites like Small Spaces, or City of Ghosts. A little bit scary and a little bit mysterious, Ansari manages to balance a fast-paced plot with excellent character development and exposition. Readers looking for a scary, well-written mystery with a surprising twist, need look no further.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Fowl Play

By
  Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: A Game of Noctis

By
A Game of Noctis By Deva Fagan New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. Fiction. 310 pages. On the island of Dantessa, social standings and wealth are determined by your place in the Great Game. If you keep on winning, you can reap treasures, power, and security for yourself and your family; but if you lose too many games, you'll be exiled to Pawn Island and a life of servitude. That's what happens to 12-year-old Pia's grandfather. Due to poor vision, he struggles to see the games, but also can't afford new eyeglasses without winning. When his score falls to zero, he is sent away. Desperate to bring him back, Pia joins a ragtag group of misfits to form a team for the annual game of Noctis. The game requires contestants to perform dangerous challenges in front of a live audience, and no one outside the wealthy Diamond District has ever won. Each member of Pia's team, the Seafoxes, has their own reason to compete, but if they're going to win they'll h...
Post a Comment
Read more