Review: A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano

Pram #1

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Pages: 240

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Summary (from Goodreads):

Pram Bellamy is special—she can talk to ghosts. She doesn’t have too many friends amongst the living, but that’s all right. She has her books, she has her aunts, and she has her best friend, the ghostly Felix.

Then Pram meets Clarence, a boy from school who has also lost a parent and is looking for answers. Together they arrive at the door of the mysterious Lady Savant, who promises to help. But this spiritualist knows the true nature of Pram’s power, and what she has planned is more terrifying than any ghost.

Lauren DeStefano is beloved by critics and readers alike, and her middle grade debut is lyrical, evocative and not to be missed.

This was the first book I've ever read by Lauren DeStefano and I really quite enjoyed it. It was also the first ever book that I got approved for on Netgalley so that is super exciting! 

This book is about Pram, an eleven-year-old girl who lives in a really old house with her Aunts Nan and Dee who take care of elderly people there. Her mother died when she was a baby and her father isn't in the picture. Pram is a rather unusual little girl because she can see and speak to ghosts. Her only friend in the world is the ghost of a boy named Felix until she is forced to go to real school (rather than homeschooling) and becomes fast friends with a boy named Clarence. Like Pram, Clarence doesn't have a whole lot of friends. Also like Pram, Clarence's mother passed away. He would really like the chance to say goodbye to her so together they go visit spiritualists trying to connect with her. One of the spiritualists, Lady Savant, can tell right away that Pram is special and takes an unfortunate interest in her.

This book was a really nice read. It was kind of dark, but never real scary. It was pretty fast paced, which I liked, and I really enjoyed Lauren's writing. I liked the way the ghosts and the spirit world were approached in this book as well.

Pram is a very sweet little girl. She's compassionate, smart, brave, and really tough! Felix is a wonderful friend to Pram and is very protective of her because he knows how special she is. Clarence is a really nice boy. He is very accepting of Pram's eccentricities and believes in her ability to see ghosts. He is a very good friend to her as well and the relationship they have is adorable.

I haven't read a whole lot of middle grade books, but this one was very good and I would recommend this book if you like ghost stories!