Simultaneously cute and creepy!2023 horror middle-grade4 s Anni (annithebookaholic)152 9

5?

Kate Alice Marshall doesn’t know how to write a bad book, and this is a hill I'm willing to die on!

Once again, this was absolutely perfect and such a fun middle grade horror. I love love loved the characters and their relationships with each other. The writing was phenomenal, and I was constantly surprised and on edge with the horror elements used.

Such a good book that I couldn't recommend more!!favorites own3 s Jess - The Hexed Library923 121

4.5 stars
Cover 5; Characters 4; Plot 4; Pace 5; Engagement 5; Worldbuilding 4; Readability 4; Theme 5; Enjoyment 4

Another solid mid-grade from KAM! I was honestly a bit worried about this one most of all as this is the third book she's released this year, but I was genuinely happy with this story. This is a family of adopted children who are all a bit paranormal, except for our main character Charlie who is so normal, she's Extra Normal.

This was a creepy yet feel good story about how families operate and how sometimes when young kids feel they have the whole world on their shoulders, they need to reach out to their elders for help. -I know this isn't an option for all children-

I d how it was handled at the end when people started questioning Charlie why she never went to the adults for help. Lack of parental involvement in YA and MG books makes me so angry I can't see straight sometimes, so I was happy with how it was dealt with in a different and realistic way.

This definitely wasn't as creepy as Thirteens, but it had some spoopy feels throughout. I did really enjoy this one overall!3 s3 comments DB (DB's Guide to the Galaxy)305 64

I must just now read a Kate Alice Marshall’s adult book (her second one comes out next year I think?), which I will probably also love. Once I do that it’ll probably make KAM one of the best writers if she can write excellent Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult books.

When I started this book I was thinking “hmm how scary can a middle grade book get?” And then I remembered Coraline and Monster House. I loved that just because it’s middle grade didn’t mean the scariness would be watered down. It’s scary enough for kids and any adults (me) reading this. KAM just does it effortlessly.

As always with every KAM I’ve read the characters were well-written. I loved getting to know the family. I d how even though the parents weren’t present for basically all of the book, they were still part of the story (as opposed to being absent parents – although that’s more YA).

I d the agents that came and stayed with them – Agent Baxter and his husband, Agent Pendleton. They were funny and I could tell they were friends with the family (and not just coworkers) and I d that.

My heart felt for Charlie as she always felt she had to be on top for everything. She helped to make her siblings feel they could act children without realising that she’s also a child. I also d that her parents made sure she knew they appreciated and loved her, their relationship with her was very sweet.

Charlie’s relationships with her siblings were so sweet to see as well. I’ve mentioned multiple times in various posts that I really adore good sibling relationships. This is definitely a case for the good ones. They cared for each other and wanted to keep each other safe. And still bantered as siblings do!

The plot and the mystery was done so well (as always with her books). She makes the mystery so intriguing you certainly don’t want to put the book down! I did predict most of the plot twists but I didn’t mind it in the slightest because of how well it was done. I grew up with Enid Blyton so I’m always down for kid detectives and Charlie and her siblings were joys to follow. 2023-releases blog-tour cover-love ...more2 s Irene1,146 78

My first read by Marshall was Rules for Vanishing, and even though it was technically YA and I don't scare easily, even by adult horror standards, it was genuinely terrifying. This book is a lot sweeter and aimed at much younger children, maybe ages 8 - 10.

Charlie is the ultimate "Child who is an additional parent". She's insecure about her lack of superpowers (even though I'm not entirely sure becoming a werewolf pup is all that useful) so she's going to make herself into the perfect nanny for her siblings in order to allow their secret paranormal agent parents to go on vacation. As you can imagine, it doesn't turn out the way she'd d. I'm not a fan of the "just because you're not special doesn't mean being not-special isn't its own kind of specialness" trope, but it was tolerable. The tone reminded me of the Small Spaces series by Katherine Arden, if a touch less scary.audience-middle-grade format-audiobook from-library ...more1 Jana486 5

This was so much more adorable than I thought it would be! Charlie and her adopted siblings are paranormal and part of a Men in Black/ supernatural style ghost hunting family. Their parents find and help paranormal beings and they adopted a few along the way. Our main character, Charlie is completely normal and struggles with that for the entire book. Her one goal in life is to make sure her siblings, who are all supernatural, are safe and comfortable. Her character arc is heartwarming and her love for her siblings is amazing. The terrifying threat Charlie faces comes while her parents are on a much needed vacation and Charlie realizes the new neighbors are way weirder than normal. I loved the places this plot went. The foreshadowing and twists were so engaging. The character interactions were both sweet and interesting. Even though this is a middle grade book and the twists are fairly obvious I was entertained throughout the story. I'd read a whole series about these characters!

10/10 for the creepy doll that they keep as a pet. Miss Sinister was an unexpected delight.fantastic-fantasy terrific-terrors1 Corinne Walters97 31

What a delightful little book! A little creepy, a lot of heart, and very un-put-downable. The diversity in this book was also incredible. If I knew any 10-13 year olds, I would buy it for them immediately! 1 Emily Austin6 1 follower

Coraline, but creepier :) 1 Roben 2,439 13

Creepy! But also strong family teamwork.
There are spiders - and spider- creatures so if you fear the spider, you have been forewarned.

The thought provoking bit comes near the end and deals with how humans view good and evil. Also what each individual holds inside that makes them special.creepy family mystery ...more1 Caryn - iam.caryn778 88

Who do I need to bribe in order for Kate Alice Marshall to turn this into a series?

This book has everything.
Found family? Check!
Kids basically in charge? Check!
Amazing characters? Check!
Fun, twisty-turny plot? Check!
Scary spooks and fun spooks mixed into one glorious feast? Check and check!

This is one of those books you sigh happily while hugging it when you’re done reading it.

Middle grade readers of any age, young or old, will love this book with their entire hearts. This book has everything you could ever want in a paranormal mystery, especially if you love unique characters who are all special in their own way. (Miss Sinister is my personal favourite.)read-2023 read-audiobook read-earc ...more1 Mark Buxton1,278 20

What worked:
The author effectively creates a hook through an air of mystique surrounding Charlie’s new neighbors across the street. The rundown house with crumbling brick has been empty for over a year and her father says it’s unsellable. The neighbors coincidentally move in on the same day Charlie’s parents leave for vacation. That evening, she notices a man, woman, and young boy standing in their front yard with stiff smiles, staring at her house as though they’re posing for a picture. She ventures over the next morning with her siblings and an adult babysitter to meet the neighbors and finds the Weavers wearing name tags. The babysitter offers to help move boxes and Charlie’s siblings are uncharacteristically cooperative. The boxes feel empty to her but the others seem to be carrying heavy loads. Most surprisingly, Charlie is the only one not allowed in the house and she must return home when the neighbor suddenly states her brother isn’t feeling well.
Opal is the most interesting character as she’s a six-year-old ghost. She’s the most timid character and is still learning to transition back and forth between invisible and solid forms. It takes great concentration to pass through walls and then unlock doors which can come in handy while secretly exploring off-limit places. Opal is very sensitive about doing the right thing and not upsetting others so she becomes distressed when sneaking around. This adds another layer of suspense since Opal has a history of burning things up when she gets emotionally overwhelmed. She frequently smolders during the plot so it seems inevitable that she’ll eventually cause something to catch fire.
The mystery of the Weavers is the focus of the plot with other supernatural features included. Charlie doesn’t have any special abilities, she’s extra normal, and the book reveals later on why she doesn’t call her parents when the situation becomes more serious. The Weavers have an unexplainable influence on others, especially Charlie’s babysitters, which makes her investigation more challenging. Tiny, green spiders pop up around her house and in the trees which Miss Sinister, the animated doll in her attic, loves to crunch in her mouth. Charlie’s brother Matty is a young werewolf and he’s pretty good at changing his form. However, a full moon will occur in a few days and he’s unable to control his transformation when this happens. Then, Charlie’s parents have a heavily secured Malice Vault upstairs that holds dangerous artifacts from their past cases. Charlie had a frightening experience with the vault when she was six years old but she’s still curious about the things it contains. The book has plenty of supernatural curiosities to keep readers engaged and the climax presents one more surprising one.
What didn’t work as well:
Charlie’s parents research and resolve supernatural events and there are references to previous cases and a character called the Operative. It feels this book is the second or third in a series so readers may wonder what they’ve missed. In the end, there is a connection between the current story and some of these past events.
The final verdict:
The book starts as an interesting story about an unusual cast of paranormal characters and grows into an imaginative mystery with unexpected twists. It’s an absorbing adventure that I hope will have a sequel in the near future. I strongly recommend you give this book a shot!1 My Bookish Ways75 7

What do you do when you're a perfectly normal girl, but there's a possibility that your neighbors are secretly spider people who want to feed on your neighbors and suck the psychic energy from your superpowered siblings? In Kate Alice Marshall's new middle-grade horror novel, "Extra Normal," readers are introduced to the extraordinary world of Charlie Greer, a seemingly ordinary girl with a not-so-ordinary family. Her sister, Opal, is a ghost. Her brother, Gideon, has telekinetic powers. And her other brother, Mateo, is a werewolf, while her mom, a bonafide psychic, and dad work for the Division of Extranormal Investigations, "tracking down all things supernatural, alien, and otherwise unusual." Charlie may not have supernatural abilities her siblings, but she more than makes up for it with her maturity and resourcefulness. As the plot thickens, Charlie's parents leave for their first vacation in years, leaving her in charge of her siblings and the household. Charlie's task seems simple enough: take care of her siblings and ensure a smooth vacation for her parents. However, things take a mysterious turn when the Weavers, the new neighbors, move in next door. The Weavers immediately pique Charlie's curiosity as they exude an aura of normalcy that doesn't quite sit right with her. As the story unfolds, Charlie embraces her uniqueness and plays an integral role in protecting her family from the Weavers and their diabolical plans.

Kate Alice Marshall has once again proved her mastery of the thriller genre with her captivating children's book, "Extra Normal." Building upon the success of her previous young adult thriller, "The Narrow," Marshall delivers another enthralling story that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Charlie Greer's character was truly admirable. Despite being totally normal in comparison with her extraordinary siblings, Charlie suppressed her desire and need to be exceptional and found her strength through leadership, protecting her siblings, and helping them find their own strengths in their time of need. Whether you are an adult or a child, this book will appeal to anyone who enjoys mysteries and thrillers. I give it a strong rating of 5 stars. Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm)699 62


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