
Reach for this book when your child feels like an outsider or is struggling with the strange, surreal feeling of moving to a new place. It is particularly helpful for middle-grade readers who use humor and imagination to mask deeper feelings of loneliness or grief. The story follows Olivia, a girl who moves into a bizarre New York brownstone where the living room is a literal lake and ghosts are everywhere. While the premise is fantastical and laugh-out-loud funny, the book serves as a metaphorical exploration of a child's internal world. It addresses themes of belonging and the difficult process of letting go of the past. Parents will appreciate how it validates a child's sense of displacement through a quirky, absurdist lens that makes heavy emotions feel manageable and adventurous.
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Sign in to write a reviewCharacters navigate treacherous indoor environments like an underwater living room.
The book deals with death and the afterlife through a highly metaphorical, secular, and absurdist lens. The 'Exit Academy' is a place for spirits to learn how to move on. The resolution is hopeful but realistic, emphasizing that moving on is a choice and a process rather than a sudden fix.
A 9 to 12-year-old who enjoys dry humor and 'weird' fiction, particularly one who feels like they don't quite fit in with their peers or who is privately processing a significant life change like a move or a loss.
Read cold. The surrealism can be jarring, so be prepared to discuss the 'rules' of the world if your child is a very literal thinker. A parent might notice their child becoming increasingly withdrawn after a move, or perhaps using sarcasm to deflect when asked about their day or their feelings.
Younger readers (8-9) will focus on the slapstick humor and the cool, weird house features. Older readers (11-12) will better grasp the metaphors for death and the emotional resonance of Olivia's loneliness.
Unlike many books about grief, this avoids sentimentality in favor of high-concept absurdism. It feels like a collaboration between Lewis Carroll and Lemony Snicket.
Olivia Kidney has moved again, this time to a brownstone where her father has taken a job as a building superintendent. The house is an architectural fever dream: rooms are submerged in water, and the tenants are literally 'out of this world.' As Olivia navigates the surreal environment, she discovers the building is actually a transition point for spirits who are stuck. She must solve the mystery of why she was invited there while confronting her own lingering feelings about her brother's death and her father's emotional distance.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.