The House on Hoarder Hill ~ Kelly Ngai and Mikki Lish

Expected UK Publication Date: 5th March 2020

The House on Hoarder Hill has been on my radar for a while, but only quite recently as middle-grade fiction. Since the summer of 2017, I’ve been following the progress of what was originally called The Mysterious House on Hoarder Hill as they filmed a trailer and began trying to get the film made. So, when I saw that it was coming out soon, I crossed my fingers and hoped that I would manage to get a proof copy and I did!

This book tells the story of Hedy and Spencer, siblings who spend a few nights just before Christmas with their granddad, whilst their parents are away on an archaeological dig. Grandpa John is a retired stage magician and his house is full of loads of strange magical items that the children aren’t supposed to touch. However, on their first night, a spirit reaches out to them, telling them to find her, their missing Grandmother. Things become a lot more mysterious and magical than they already thought.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Creepy, magical houses full of things that the protagonists aren’t supposed to touch is something I very much enjoy and Hoarder House was no different. The magical items in the house ranged from a little bit dark and scary to lighthearted and a little bit silly things. Every adult in this book seems to have some big secret that frustrates the kids and it’s fun to watch them try and understand what’s going on without any help.

The key element of this story is family, new and old. Hedy and Spencer are realistic siblings, antagonising each other but still pulling together when they need to. There are two other sibling relationships that play out through this story, Grandpa John and his brother Peter, and Hedy and Spencer’s cousins, Jelly and Max. Jelly and Max’s relationship is minor but Jelly becomes a confidant to Hedy and was much more a best friend than a relative. The family theme made for a very wholesome ending.

Whilst I very much enjoyed this as a 9-12 novel, there were moments I could tell that there is a version of this written for screen rather than page. Having read the full story, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of its journey to the big screen. 

The House on Hoarder Hill was a lot of fun and not as predictable as 9-12 fiction usually is. For that, it gets four stars and is out on World Book Day- 5th March 2020.

C🌙