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Charlie and the Grandmothers
Author:
Towell, Katy
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Class:
Fiction
Age: 8-12
Language: English
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LC: PZ7.T648
Grade: 3-7
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ISBN-13: 9780375868603
LCCN: 2014038891
Imprint: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publisher: Random House
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Pub Date: 08/04/2015
Availability: Out of Stock Indefinitely
List: $16.99
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Hardcover
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Physical Description:
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223 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
H 6.5",
W 8.25",
D 0.87",
0.8375 lbs.
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LC Series:
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Brodart Sources:
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Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Children
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Bibliographies:
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Awards:
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Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
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Starred Reviews:
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TIPS Subjects:
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Occult Fiction
Horror
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BISAC Subjects: |
JUVENILE FICTION / Monsters
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Siblings
JUVENILE FICTION / Horror
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LC Subjects:
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Brothers and sisters, Fiction
Fear, Fiction
Grandmothers, Fiction
Horror stories
Supernatural, Fiction
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SEARS Subjects: |
Fear, Fiction
Grandmothers, Fiction
Horror fiction
Siblings, Fiction
Supernatural, Fiction
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Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
5.5
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Points: 8.0
Lexile Level:
790
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| Annotations |
| Publisher Annotations | 05/12/2015 |
| Charlie and Georgie Oughtt have been sent to visit their Grandmother Pearl, and this troubles Charlie for three reasons. The first is that he's an exceptionally nervous twelve-year-old boy, and he worries about everything. The second is that the other children in his neighborhood who pay visits to their grandmothers never seem to return. And the third is that Charlie and Georgie don't have any grandmothers. Upon their arrival, all of Charlie's concerns are confirmed, as 'Grandmother Pearl' quickly reveals herself to be something much more gruesome than even Charlie's most outlandish fears could have predicted. He and Georgie are thrust into a creepy underworld created from stolen nightmares, where monsters disguised as grandmothers serve an ancient, evil queen by holding children captive as they slowly sap each one of their memories and dreams. But something is different about Charlie. His worrisome nature, so often a burden, proves an asset in this frightening world. Will he be able to harness this newfound power to defeat the queen and save his sister? |
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| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 07/01/2015 |
| Grades 4-7. Twelve-year-old Charlie is highly observant but a worrier--finding something to fear in every detail. When he notices that local children are disappearing on visits to their grandmothers, Charlie worries that he and his sister Georgie will be next, despite the fact that they don't have any grandmothers. Soon his mother begins acting strangely and introduces them to Pearl and Opal, two grandmothers who Charlie knows aren't part of the family. Creepy and gnarled, the old women play good and bad granny with the children in a world where walls, stairs, hallways, and doors move and disappear, and where nightmares seem to live. Enter the evil queen to whom the grandmothers bring children so she can steal their dreams and memories. Because Charlie notices and questions everything, he has an advantage in this terrifying situation, and it's up to him to save his sister, his mother, and the world. Crossing Neil Gaiman with Roald Dahl, this dark but engaging tale has a bright future. Final black-and-white illustrations not seen. Fredriksen, Jeanne. 240p. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2015. |
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| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 10/01/2015 |
| R. Gr. 5-7. Since his father's death six years ago, Charlie has developed into an "exceptionally nervous" twelve-year-old, so it's no surprise that neither his harried mother nor his brash sister, Georgie, pay him any heed when he fears that children are going missing from their small town. The accepted story is that the children have all gone off to see their respective grandmothers, but nobody seems worried that none of the kids have come back. Charlie is therefore horrified when his mother informs him and Georgie that they too will be off to visit their Grandmother Pearl-an odd arrangement considering neither of Charlie's grandmothers were named Pearl and that they are both most certainly dead. Mom's insistent, though, and Georgie is enthusiastic, so off they go. Grandmother Pearl is a severe, strange woman, and her shadowy, looming house isn't much more welcoming. After theorizing that she is perhaps a vampire or maybe a witch, Charlie uncovers a far more terrifying truth, one that will test his mettle and force him to confront his many, many fears. Towell (author of Skary Children and the Carousel of Sorrow, BCCB 7/11) constructs a Gaiman-esque world of horrors, filled with creatures that feed off of fear, insects that obliterate memories, and a queen who will use the nightmares of children to bring eternal darkness to their world. After the elaborate setup, readers may be grateful for the straightforwardness of the conclusion, and they'll certainly cheer when Charlie does indeed overcome his fears. Reviewed from an unillustrated galley. KQG. 240p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2015. |
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| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2016 |
| 3. In this dark story, twelve-year-old Charlie Oughtt worries about everything. No one believes him when he notices children disappearing; things get odder still when his mother sends Charlie and little sister Georgie away to visit a grandmother he's never met. What ensues is an appealingly peculiar, suspenseful adventure wherein Charlie finally learns how to be brave. Creepy pen-and-ink illustrations underscore the mood. ka. 225pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2016. |
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| Kirkus Reviews | 05/01/2015 |
| Is it really paranoia if the monsters turn out to be real? Twelve-year-old Charlie Oughtt's overactive imagination can supply a frightening or deadly outcome to any situation. His younger sister, Georgie, however, is ready for anything. When children in their gaslit Victorian neighborhood begin to vanish, their widowed mother begins acting strangely and talking of sending them to stay with their grandmother...but both their grandmothers are dead. No matter; off they go. Charlie naturally fears the worst, but Grandmother Opal and Grandmother Pearl's farm and what lurks beneath it make Charlie's most terrifying nightmares look like pleasant daydreams. The grandmothers (it turns out there are many of them) separate the children and assign strange tasks and punishments. Then Georgie vanishes...and when Charlie goes looking, he uncovers a terrifying plot. Can Charlie summon the inner courage to save Georgie and the other missing children from a dream-devouring menace that threatens the whole world? Following Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow (2011), Towell's sophomore effort is a slow-ish, Gothic-y adventure. The main characters are stock, but the surrounding cast of monsters is satisfyingly creepy, and they are really the point anyway. The eerie line drawings have the effect of a high school literary magazine, but they add to the unsettling atmosphere. Snicket-lite without the clever wordplay, it's a ghoulish though not gross thriller. (Horror. 8-11). 240pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2015. |
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| School Library Journal | 06/01/2015 |
| Gr 3-6--Twelve-year-old Charlie is a worrier. Nearly everything makes him nervous. He is the complete opposite of his younger sister, Georgie, who is brave and curious. As children in their town begin to disappear permanently while on supposed trips to visit their grandmothers, Charlie and Georgie know that they will be next. When one day their mother, who does not seem herself, suddenly sends them off to meet their grandmothers, both of whom they've been previously told had passed away, this chilling tale truly takes off. It's clear that the grandmothers are not what they seem, but if they're not really grandmothers, then what are they? This is a story filled with creepy hallways, devilish trees, ghostly prisoners, and other sinister haunts. It's also a heartwarming adventure about overcoming one's fears and the unbreakable bond between siblings. Fans of Neil Gaiman's Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002) and Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener (Abrams, 2014) will enjoy this middle grade fantasy/horror story. VERDICT Strongly recommended for collections were middle grade horror is in demand. Pilar Okeson, Allen-Stevenson, New York City. 240p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2015. |
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