★ 12/01/2022
Gr 5 Up—Jac has been in remission from her childhood cancer for almost exactly five years—but just as the anniversary approaches, so do frightening symptoms and a mysterious house that Jac has never seen before but feels inexplicably drawn to. When Jac and her friend Hazel enter the house on a dare, they learn it is no ordinary house, and there may be no way back out. This horror novel with some fantasy elements deeply explores the trauma caused by disease and grief, and its impact on those we love, as well as healing through facing our experiences. Readers will be gripped not only by the terror of a truly haunted house, but also the brutal honesty of Jac on her path to becoming whole. Most characters are cued as white. VERDICT Highly recommended; not only for those who have experienced trauma, but for those who love them as well. A gripping, poignant addition to juvenile fiction collections.—Emily Beasley
2022-05-10
A tale of survival, friendship, and the strength that comes from overcoming fears.
Middle schooler Jac is dealing with the fallout of a real-life nightmare: childhood cancer. But it’s not just the fear of recurrence that she has to handle, but the reality of surviving and carrying the burden of her mom’s constant worry. When Jac discovers a large house that wasn’t there before looming at the end of a street in her suburban New Jersey neighborhood, she worries it’s a hallucination, which could mean a recurrence of her illness. But after her best friend, a boy named Hazel, sees the house too, her sense of adventure takes over. Provoked by a couple of bullies who dare them to enter and then follow them inside, Jac and Hazel explore the house and are met with surprises—like a key with Jac’s likeness on it—that suggest her connection to this strange and terrifying place is personal. Before long, the kids realize they are trapped inside. Shocks follow with every new door they open as they search for an exit and discover ever increasing frights. Delightfully nightmarish visions chase Jac, offering the feel of a thrilling game with twisted and terrifying imagery, as she navigates the house, seeking to understand her connection to this unusual place in this emotionally resonant story. Characters seem to default to White.
Offers a hauntingly truthful view of secrets and strength. (Paranormal. 8-12)
"Readers will be gripped not only by the terror of a truly haunted house, but also the brutal honesty of Jac on her path to becoming whole. VERDICT Highly recommended; not only for those who have experienced trauma, but for those who love them as well. A gripping, poignant addition to juvenile fiction collections." — School Library Journal (starred review)
★ "Plenty of imaginative frights to creep out even the most fearless young connoisseur of scary stories. Through Jac, Malinenko also offers a vital corrective to narratives of disease and disability still commonplace in children’s literature. At once an inventive and satisfying haunted house story and a powerful exploration of coming to terms with and beginning to heal from trauma, This Appearing House is a triumph." — BookPage
"Employing haunted house tropes, Malinenko’s (Ghost Girl) ominous telling explores layers of anxiety . . . a strong third-person voice accurately evokes the feeling of long-bubbling uncertainty as well as familial and personal fear amid recovery." — Publishers Weekly
"Children still emerging out of their own traumatic experiences of a global pandemic, life interrupted, and severed social connections may find Jac’s pain particularly resonant; there is nothing to do except go through it . . . [H]er emergence as a girl who understands that life waiting for doom isn’t her only option is hard won and meaningful." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"This Appearing House is a wise and terrifying story that stares into the heart of fear and faces the nightmares within. This important book is sure to be a friend to anyone who's ever felt defeated, scared, and alone. A gripping mystery that keeps the reader hungry for more. In This Appearing House, Ally Malinenko proves that the most horrifying stories are born from our most frightening truths." — K. A. Reynolds, author of The Land of Yesterday and The Spinner of Dreams
"This Appearing House is as beautiful as it is spooky, with unnerving surprises around every corner. Malinenko paints a heartfelt tale of a girl who's defied fate, already faced worse than monsters, and knows the only way out is through. A smart, chilling house of haunts." — Hailey Piper, author of The Worm and His Kings
Praise for Ghost Girl: "A girl who delights in the macabre harnesses her inherited supernatural ability. The creepy supernatural current continues throughout, intermingled with very real forays into bullying (Zee won’t stand for it or for the notion that good girls need to act nice), body positivity, socio-economic status and social hierarchy, and mental health. This debut from a promising writer involves a navigation of caste systems, self-esteem, and villainy that exists in an interesting world with intriguing characters . . . Warning: this just might spurn frenzied requests for Frankenstein." — Kirkus Reviews
"Zee is a likable character, and readers will root for her . . . This is a chilling story that will delight upper elementary readers who enjoy truly creepy books." — School Library Journal
". . . Raising themes of body positivity and feminism, debut author Malinenko writes an atmospheric tale that is rife with chilling moments and an affecting exploration of grief . . . " — Publishers Weekly
