The book did not resolve the way I would have liked

[conuly]

though I guess genre conventions couldn't allow that kid to stop being overly parentified before she defeated the spider monster people. Also, I am deeply distressed by the ending and if there's a sequel I will absolutely read it if only to find out if that other kid managed to emotionally and physically escape from his abusive kidnapper mother who absolutely ate his real parents.

Comments

[lunadelcorvo]

I have no idea what book to which you're referring, but it sounds like quite a ride!

[conuly]

Yeah, I don’t like to name names when being extremely critical.

[shadowkat]

Ack. That book would give me nightmares. Spider monster people? A kidnapper who is abusing children and ate their parents? This is a children's book?

[conuly]

Yeah, middle grade. Honestly, the overburdened kid was worse than the fantasy stuff.

[sovay]

Also, I am deeply distressed by the ending and if there's a sequel I will absolutely read it if only to find out if that other kid managed to emotionally and physically escape from his abusive kidnapper mother who absolutely ate his real parents.

I don't tend to give books to children without reading them first, but would actually like to know the identity of this one so I can avoid reading it myself, let alone inflicting it on anyone else.

[conuly]

If it was just straight middle grade fantasy adventure it’d be pretty standard. It’s just the real world parentification where nobody stops and says “stop adopting more kids with both paranormal and trauma induced special needs and look at what it’s doing to your eldest!” that stresses me out while reading. And the fact that they spent this time really sympathetic to Peter and he still ends up clinging to his abusive kidnapper spider mother. I will forgive a great deal if that’s resolved within two chapters in the sequel.

It’s Extra Normal by Kate Alice Marshall.

[siderea]

I was entirely with you right up to "spider monster people", which means, alas, there are two of them.

[conuly]

Wait, what's yours!?