The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls Paperback – Illustrated, August 27, 2013

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls was such a spooktacular, shiver-inducing book. All of your childhood fears, from creepy crawlies to failure to the dark, are brought to life in this dark fantasy. Well, these are still fears held by many adults, making it the perfect book for readers of all ages, not just children. Although it's reminiscent of Coraline, it has its own unique, twisted plot.Victoria was an awe-inspiring heroine. As her name suggests, she is obsessed with winning. Calling her a perfectionist would be an understatement. She may have a screw loose. Given her parents' and the town's need for perfection, I can understand why she is so anal about EVERYTHING. She may be snobbish and obsessive compulsive, but I really came to admire her as the story progressed. She proves her dedication to her friend Lawrence, and I loved her bravery and spunk. She had her fears, but she is strong enough to overcome them and continue to fight evil.Lawrence was an amusing character, with his skunk hair, untucked shirt, and musical obsession. I found his imperfections endearing, and I loved Victoria and Lawrence's friendship. They seemed to have a hard time making friends so their close friendship was touching. The other children were just as adorable, and I cheered them on, wanting them to escape Ms. Cavendish's clutches.The plot was so creepily wonderful; I could not get enough of it. The town of Belleville, literally translating to beautiful town, was all perfection. It reminded me of the town from The Stepford Wives. The townspeople were endlessly fascinating, with their oddities and freaky behavior. Victoria was the intrepid explorer, investigating her friend's disappearance like some Nancy Drew. It was such a delightful read despite the creepy factor and the bugs on the pages. Seriously. There are bugs on the pages and all inside the covers. I was almost hyperventilating. And the villain, Ms. Cavendish, was truly frightening. Along with her goonies. But the scariest thing of all was the darkness that seemed to lurk everywhere, affecting the weather and the people. Not to mention the home itself was scary on so many levels.While not all of my questions were answered, they didn't need to be. Usually, I need an explanation, but I think leaving some things unanswered in this book works. It leaves some mystery and the horror of the unknown. It definitely left me finishing the book with goosebumps and hair raised. I would recommend this to anyone who loves dark fantasy reads and wants a book that will get them into the Halloween spirit.

3.5 StarsThis was a vividly told story, though the writing was rather slow. My 10-year-old and I read it together. Compared to other books we read, it felt like this had a lot of description and not a lot of plot. I think this could have been brilliant as a short story but, for its length, it didn't quite hold up as a novel. I found myself wishing we had read it on audiobook and sped up the playback.To make a long story short (ba-dum-pah!) an extremely upright, perfectionist, rule-following tween suffers the disappearance of her flawed best friend and finds all involved acting suspicious when she asks questions. His parents have said that he's at his grandmother's house but even they are acting strangely. Come to think of it, a LOT of people are acting strangely lately.The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is nearby to her in her small town. It seems to be a mysterious place. To pass by, you wouldn't find any children--only a creepy groundskeeper. A visit to the home reveals that something strange is afoot, and the heroine takes matters in her own hands. How will she find and save her best friend? How will she find out what really goes on at the mysterious "orphanage"? And could the two possibly be related?The imagery here is gorgeously drawn. The author is skilled. But I'm surprised it has received the accolades that it has. The prose is wonderful but the story pacing is so far off that I would hesitate to read another book by this author.

First, this is a middle grade book. It's meant for 10 years old and up. I have to say, if I had read this when I was 10 I would have fallen in love, read it 50 times, and slept with it by my pillow. As an adult, I didn't sleep with it. But...This is a fascinating, twisted, bizarre, spooky, awesome story! I know, I shouldn't have been reading it because I'm all grown up but sometimes it's nice to read something that relaxes your brain and still provides an escape with interesting things to think about and a mystery to solve. I'm still shaking my head over the pure imagination wrapped up in this book. And the illustrations! Truly awesome, even on the Kindle. Just look at the cover. There's more of them inside, and each one is a treat.There's creepy crawly things, a frightening caretaker, spooky evil headmistress, and an entire town under some sort of spell. And only one girl can fix the situation. Victoria. Do you doubt she'll be successful with a name like that? Victoria, for Victory.If you're a parent, this one is great for your kids. It provides some talking points about being yourself, standing out in a crowd, letting people be who they are, going against the status quo, while at the same time touting the virtues of being a good girl (or boy). All while being entertaining as heck, especially for those who love the spooky or weird happenings stories. Halloween is right around the corner, y'all. This will definitely set the mood.If you're an adult looking for a fast, fun read, check this out. It'll take you back to childhood. Like James and the Giant Peach, or Willy Wonka, it'll have you remembering those nights you spent under the covers with a flashlight, reading into the early hours of the morning. You did that, right? I'm not the only one....I can't be!Go ahead, be a kid!

Great book

Its a good read. Worth the price

My favourite book genre is middle grade, I love it. I especially love authors who do not pander to kids, who wrap them in cotton wool and protect their dainty little ears from anyone or anything that could possibly interfere with the idea that our world is perfect. Cavendish does not patronise, it is scary and truthful and is written beautifully by debut author Claire Legrand.Victoria Wright is our main character and she is the most precocious child, obsessed with perfection and tidiness and everything been just so. She is a great character. Everybody, I think knows a girl like Victoria, who always looks perfect and has the top marks in the class. I loved her obsession with been grown up and proper and the fact that she convinces herself that Lawrence is merely a project, when it is clear that he is very special to her. Although she has her quirks, Victoria's heart is usually in the right place. She is determined to rescue Lawrence and defeat Miss Cavendish, and she stops at nothing to delve deeper into the mystery of the orphanage. I really liked Victoria, and I love that the message of the novel was sort of about accepting ones flaws.Miss Cavendish was an deliciously evil villain, who seemed to have no boundaries in her quest to perfect children. She and her handyman, Mr Alice were so devious and cruel and terrifying and they really didn't hold back. She was one of those characters that you loved to hate, and I felt myself gasping with fear every time she walked into the room (because I'm such a grown up). The other adults in the town were also terrifying with their creepy fake smiles, and I think this would have scared me the most as a kid - parents are meant to be the savers, not slightly evil and deranged.I think the writing really elevates this novel into the stratosphere. Claire never writes shock horror, it is always subtly done, and that makes it all the more terrifying. In a relatively short novel the characters are remarkably well developed - each seem unique and separate. Cavendish reminds me of my two favourite authors, Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman, but also manages to be original at the same time. I would give this book to a kid who hates reading, because its one of those books that you can't help but fall in love with. Utterly amazing, and I will definitely be reading and re-reading it in the future, although tonight a dark haired lady might be haunting my dreams.