Finch House by Ciera Burch

Finch House by Ciera Burch. Margaret K. McElderry books, 2023. 9781665930543






Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4



Format: ARC paperback (Publication date 9/5/23)



Genre:  Horror



What did you like about the book? Micah and her mother are getting ready to move out of Poppop’s house and into their own, but Micah is not happy. Why do they need their own space? Who will keep Poppop company? Poppop says he will be okay, but that doesn’t stop Micah from avoiding her packing duties. To escape her sadness, Micah bikes across the neighborhood until she accidentally ends up in front of the legendary Finch House. All her life, Poppop has warned her to never, ever, get close to Finch House, a rundown, abandoned Victorian home that towers over the neighboring houses, intimidating and mysterious. Or it used to be. But now, the lights are on, the place has been cleaned, and a family has moved in, much to Micah’s shock. Don’t they know the rumors about the house’s haunted presence and missing children? Theo, a boy Micah’s age and one of the new residents, has even heard voices in the walls. Before Micah can investigate, Poppop finds her, wearing a face of disappointment and…fear. And the following day, when Micah wants to apologize, Poppop is nowhere to be found. His pickup truck is found outside of Finch House, though Theo claims he hasn’t seen her grandfather at all. But Micah knows that Finch House took him, and it’s up to her to find her grandfather, even if it means venturing deep into its dark hallways. Finch House has other plans, and old ghosts want to keep Micah and Theo trapped there forever. Can Micah find Poppop and escape the haunted house? Or is she doomed to become another missing child lost to its darkness? 



Finch House is a classic haunted house story of terror, ghosts, and survival. Micah is a character example of “curiosity killed the cat”, letting intrigue get the best of her and running into life-threatening danger because of it. She must find the courage to persevere and deal with powerful supernatural forces. Theo and Poppop are good supporting characters, Theo acting as her foil and Poppop as her inner conscience and the goal that pushes her forward. Finch House itself is spooky, having a mind of its own and a presence nearly impossible to fight. Micah, her mother, and Poppop are Black, and Theo and his family are White. This is an eerie horror story that chills you to the bone, yet celebrates strong family bonds. 



Anything you didn’t like about it? No spoilers: The ending is anticlimactic. It ends fifty pages sooner than it should and is lackluster. Also, there is one last surprise at the very end that is just shy of confusing. I understood it, but I don’t know if kids would figure it out immediately. 



To whom would you recommend this book? Kids who like horror books, especially haunted houses, missing children, and ghosts. Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier, and The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn are great read-alikes. 



Who should buy this book? Middle schools and public libraries



Where would you shelve it? J Fiction or J Horror



Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No



Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Laila Carter, Cheltenham Township Library System, Glenside, PA



Date of review: July 14, 2023