Monday, July 21, 2014

Review: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand

From Goodreads: Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster - lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.) But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out … different. Or they don’t come out at all. If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria - even if it means getting a little messy. 

My Rating: 4.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand was a delightfully creepy read (with great illustrations) that’s sure to appeal to MG and older readers alike!

Beginning innocently enough by introducing the reader to its protagonist, Victoria, a girl who strives for order and perfection, the plot takes a turn for the worse when Victoria’s friend – or as she would say, project – Lawrence disappears. Though his parents claim that Lawrence is at his grandmother’s house, Victoria believes differently and begins to seek answers. Her investigation leads her to Nine Silldie Place (aka The Cavendish Home) where ordinary things like a house and candies just aren’t what they seem, and the extraordinary appears to be all too possible.

As a villain, I loved Mrs. Cavendish! Her black and white thinking about what’s appropriate can easily be contrasted with Victoria’s; but unlike Victoria, she’s willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure that everybody conforms to her ideals. Her coaching methods are actually kind of reminiscent of Dolores Umbridge’s.

I also loved Victoria because she knows exactly who she is and dares you to try and mould her to be different. Her no-nonsense attitude, stubbornness, and lack of apology about her personality made her the perfect match for Mrs. Cavendish.

A story that’s perfectly paced to maximize tension and keep readers guessing about all the secrets harboured at The Cavendish Home, The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls was released in August 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. 

Comments About the Cover: It’s a bit misleading because Victoria only gets curious about The Cavendish Home once Lawrence disappears. Lawrence – at least I’m assuming that it’s him – should therefore not really be on the cover.

7 comments:

  1. I remember seeing the cover and reading the blurb for this one and thought it was interesting, but then I totally forgot about it. Thanks for putting this one back up on my radar. It sounds like a fun read!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8:13 am

    Is this a MG book? It looks like one with the mention of pictures and all. ^^ I don't read many of those but do like them when I do. It looks cute and creepy yeah! I'll add this to my TBR pile and will try to read it soon. :) Nice review!

    Lola @ Hit or Miss Books

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've heard so many good things about this book Z! I'm not a huge MG reader, but it seems like this might be one of those books that appeals to any age group, and I so love a good villain, so I want to meet Mrs. Cavendish for sure! Lovely review:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've heard of this one before but never really looked at it, and this is the first review I've read. I'm definitely going to give it a shot now, especially with good pacing. I LOVE good pacing so much.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Woohoo, now this is what I wanted to hear because I've been really curious about this one, but haven't heard a whole lot about it yet! It's so encouraging to hear that you thought so highly of it because I know you tell it like it is and I LOVE that this is an MG book that transcends ages - I don't have much interest in MG books that don't. Really great review!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have seen this book around, but I haven't really been that keen on reading it. I certainly want to now. I feel like I could get very annoyed with Victoria (probably because she is the complete opposite of me), but the way you describe her, I might actually find her funny.

    Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ah, Victoria is such a lovely character, and the book was perfectly, splendidly creepy! I'm so glad you finally read and enjoyed this, Z.

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

    ReplyDelete

I love comments and will reply back via either email or stopping by your blog. Please note that this is an award-free zone.