Book Review: The Curious Tale of the In Between

A perfect book for a younger child with a higher reading level and a spot-on middle grade read  is found in Lauren DeStefano's debut middle grade novel, The Curious Tale of the In-Between. Her three main characters are mature, independent and thought provoking individuals. They each have felt loss--one of them even having lost his life. The protagonist, Pram, short for Pragmatic, is born the morning her mother hangs herself from a tree. It is this gift of being born from the dead that allows Pram the ability to see and hear ghosts.

I was enthralled by the bit of creepy followed by the depth of emotion found in this story. Death can be a taboo subject and it is difficult for those ages 8-12 to understand the seven stages of emotions surrounding loss. Both Pram and Clarence have lost a parent and want to find them. It is in their search to find the lost, they meet Lady Savant: an evil woman who collects spirits to give her longevity. It is Pram's ability to see into the Spirit World that Lady Savant wants for herself and it is one Pram will have to defend. The children have to confess to the adults what they have been searching for allowing difficult discussions to ensue. I was comforted to know there weren't any lose ends with the initial losses in this novel. It does look as though the children will continue to look for Pram's father in another upcoming novel.

You can find the full review at Books and What Not