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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
Little physical violence
Language
None
No profanity is noted in the Kirkus review
Sexual Content
None
No romantic or sexual content is noted in the Kirkus review
Substance Use
None
Not mentioned in the Kirkus review
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Two threads carry the unease: Amanda's occult ceremonies and ordeals, which she imposes on younger children, and the resentment inside a newly blended family
What this book is about
Eleven-year-old David's father remarries and Amanda arrives with a caged crow, a set of ceremonial ordeals and a serious interest in the occult. Kirkus describes her as 'heavily into the occult,' leading the younger children through an initiation into her circle, and notes the poltergeist disturbances that follow — 'smashing and clattering,' and a mysterious head rolling down the stairs — around the old house's headless cupid carving. Kirkus calls the book 'judiciously grounded,' with an 'ambiguous ending' that satisfies and initiation sequences it finds amusing rather than sinister. The other real current is blended-family resentment, which escalates once the father leaves town.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Occult rituals and an initiation imposed on younger children
Poltergeist activity with an ambiguous explanation
Blended-family resentment
Grounding limited to the Kirkus review; no Common Sense Media entry was found for this title
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