Not Quite a Ghost
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Ursu serves up a chilling, middle-grade tweak on Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper." Violet's anxiety is kicked into high gear after starting middle school and moving into an old Victorian fixer-upper, all in the same week. She barely sees her two best friends now, and they no longer seem like the people she knew in elementary school. It's an isolating feeling that's exacerbated when Violet catches a virus she can't seem to shake, which leaves her suffering from extreme exhaustion and spending more time than she'd like in her creepy new attic bedroom, whose yellowed, vine-patterned wallpaper starts to reveal something sinister within its tangled pattern. Ursu cultivates dread on several fronts as Violet battles insecurities and the dark presence in her room, is beset by her mysterious illness's symptoms, and navigates middle school's bewildering social landscape. Less a haunted-house story than an empathetic examination of one girl's fight to regain normalcy, the narrative validates the reality of the unseen. A heartfelt author's note discusses frustrations that can come from having an invisible illness.

Sandwiched between moody older sister Mia and three-year-old half brother Owen, Minneapolis sixth grader and middle child Violet Hart feels as if she's the one who's supposed to "make things easy" on her mother and stepfather, resulting in her reluctantly agreeing to take the disconcerting, wallpapered attic bedroom in the family's new home. At school, Violet's besties Paige and Ally are determined to expand their friend group now that they're in middle school, but a sleepover with potential new recruits goes disastrously awry, leading to a mysterious sickness that Violet can't shake. While enduring unrelenting exhaustion, the 11-year-old struggles to balance schoolwork and shifting friendship dynamics, as well as nightmares brought on by her bedroom's disturbingly illogical wallpaper. Upon Violet discovering a haven in the school library with Will, a bespectacled boy researching ghosts, she wonders if there's something sinister in her home. Inspired by Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," as addressed in an author's note, Ursu (The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy) perceptively incorporates middle school drama into a page-turning tale about the difficulties of managing an invisible illness and any accompanying skepticism from friends and healthcare providers. Violet is white; there is racial diversity among the supporting cast. Ages 8--12. Agent: Tina Dubois, CAA. (Jan.)

The transition to middle school is often a time of tumult, with the upheaval of old elementary school routines and friendships. But for eleven-year-old Violet Hart, the changes are even more far-reaching. Her blended family has just moved into a long-empty, ramshackle house, and her new bedroom is a creepy third-floor attic, wallpapered with twisting vines. After an upsetting sleepover with both old and potential new friends, Vi retires to her room feeling ill. She rides out her virus (she tests negative for COVID-19 and mono) but continues to be plagued by lingering exhaustion and brain fog. Her parents are proactive, but multiple doctors can't find anything physically wrong and suggest that she is merely seeking attention or is in need of mental health counseling. Vivid nightmares, complete with tendrils from the wallpaper slithering down the wall and across the room, slow her recovery, demanding her attention. Ursu (The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, rev. 9/21) maintains a light but decidedly eerie touch as she weaves her "not quite a ghost" story, in which the house itself becomes a character and slowly reveals its secrets. She simultaneously writes in a compelling way about difficult-to-diagnose, recurring illnesses. And just as with such conditions, there is no neat and facile wrap-up to the haunting narrative. Luann TothJanuary/February 2024 p.102 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This novel set in Minneapolis combines the stress of changes with a haunting. Eleven-year-old Violet is about to enter middle school. If that wasn't anxiety-inducing enough, her mom and stepdad announce that they will be moving. To Violet's relief, she'll still be in the same school district with her two best friends. The move to a larger if decrepit Victorian means that Violet and Mia, her older sister, won't be sharing a room anymore, something Violet has mixed feelings about. Her new attic room is private, but the ugly wallpaper in a mustard-and-green vine-filled pattern is decidedly creepy. Soon after starting school, Violet begins to have nightmares about the wallpaper coming to life, and she starts to feel weak and tired. Doctors can find nothing wrong, and her best friends become skeptical, implying it's all in her head. Meanwhile, Violet tries to navigate the strains of middle school--fitting in and changing friendships--with the ever-increasing menace of the haunted attic and its link, presented possibly as a metaphor, to her chronic illness. This storyline works pretty well, addressing the experience of invisible disabilities, which are too rarely represented in middle-grade fiction, but some readers may wish for the connection between Violet's illness and the ghost to feature a clearer resolution. Violet and her mom are white; Violet's stepfather is Black, and other characters bring diversity in race and sexual orientation. An ambitious presentation exploring resonant themes. (author's note) (Paranormal. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Ursu serves up a chilling, middle-grade tweak on Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper." Violet's anxiety is kicked into high gear after starting middle school and moving into an old Victorian fixer-upper, all in the same week. She barely sees her two best friends now, and they no longer seem like the people she knew in elementary school. It's an isolating feeling that's exacerbated when Violet catches a virus she can't seem to shake, which leaves her suffering from extreme exhaustion and spending more time than she'd like in her creepy new attic bedroom, whose yellowed, vine-patterned wallpaper starts to reveal something sinister within its tangled pattern. Ursu cultivates dread on several fronts as Violet battles insecurities and the dark presence in her room, is beset by her mysterious illness's symptoms, and navigates middle school's bewildering social landscape. Less a haunted-house story than an empathetic examination of one girl's fight to regain normalcy, the narrative validates the reality of the unseen. A heartfelt author's note discusses frustrations that can come from having an invisible illness. Grades 4-6. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

Sandwiched between moody older sister Mia and three-year-old half brother Owen, Minneapolis sixth grader and middle child Violet Hart feels as if she's the one who's supposed to "make things easy" on her mother and stepfather, resulting in her reluctantly agreeing to take the disconcerting, wallpapered attic bedroom in the family's new home. At school, Violet's besties Paige and Ally are determined to expand their friend group now that they're in middle school, but a sleepover with potential new recruits goes disastrously awry, leading to a mysterious sickness that Violet can't shake. While enduring unrelenting exhaustion, the 11-year-old struggles to balance schoolwork and shifting friendship dynamics, as well as nightmares brought on by her bedroom's disturbingly illogical wallpaper. Upon Violet discovering a haven in the school library with Will, a bespectacled boy researching ghosts, she wonders if there's something sinister in her home. Inspired by Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," as addressed in an author's note, Ursu (The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy)perceptively incorporates middle school drama into a page-turning tale about the difficulties of managing an invisible illness and any accompanying skepticism from friends and healthcare providers. Violet is white; there is racial diversity among the supporting cast. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tina Dubois, CAA. (Jan.)