Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
In a striking departure from her more familiar ghost stories, Hahn (The Girl in the Locked Room) draws from Irish folklore to tell a darkly haunting tale. Mollie has grown up in a comfortable home in a village guarded by chilling superstitions. Local legends warn of the Kinde Folke, beings known to steal human babies and replace them with vile changelings. When Mollie removes her baby brother's protective necklace given to him by Granny Hedgepath, who is rumored to be a witch, Thomas promptly disappears, and a goblinlike creature is left in his place. Mollie leaves the village with the changeling child, whom she names "Guest," in hopes of finding the elusive Kinde Folke and pleading with them to exchange Guest for Thomas. Hahn blends sinister magic and unexpected tenderness as Mollie's relationship with the changeling child--who grows at a preternatural rate, quickly learning to walk and talk--evolves from spiteful to sympathetic and, finally, to loving and protective. Magical forces and frightening figures lurk throughout Hahn's story, which pays tribute to its source material while maintaining a quality of emotional rawness and originality. Ages 10--12. (Sept.)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--It's Mollie's fault when the Kinde Folke (a group of spiteful fairies who are neither delicate nor kind) kidnap her brother and leave Guest in his place--a sickly fairy halfling who does nothing but bite, pinch, eat…and tear her family apart. Eventually, a desperate Mollie treks to the Darklands with Guest in tow, determined to make the fairies give her brother back now that Guest is healthy again. Everyone they meet along the way has their own secret agenda, but worst of all is the Queen of the Kinde Folke. And Mollie's brother, once discovered, has no wish to leave his new family to return to a life of poverty with his old one. Can Mollie's bravery make up for her habit of speaking before she thinks? This tale by Hahn, notable for her "just right" scary stories for the upper elementary school crowd, is somewhat different than her usual offerings, veering more toward fantasy than horror. The creepy atmosphere and Mollie's determination offset her rather slow-moving journey to the Darklands, and the absence of neat endings lends a touch of reality. VERDICT A solid purchase for upper elementary school students who like a dark tale grounded in myth.--Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX
Booklist Review
After Mollie makes a seemingly insignificant comment about her baby brother, the Kinde Folke steal Thomas and replace him with a changeling. Mollie's parents want to abandon the biting, screaming infant at the crossroads outside of town, but a wise old woman tells them not to. After many months, the changeling (whom Mollie named Guest) has grown incredibly fast, draining Mollie's mother and driving her father to abandon them all. Mollie decides that it is up to her to seek out the Kinde Folke and force them to reverse the exchange. But as she and Guest encounter deception and hardship, journeying deep into the forest, Mollie realizes that she is developing a genuine connection to Guest, and she's not sure if she can let him go after all. Although the narrative feels somewhat shallow, and there is an overabundance of adjectives, Hahn (The Girl in the Locked Room, 2018) dreams up a delightfully chilling tale of magic and mythology, exploring themes of love, friendship, chosen family, and overcoming one's deepest fears.--Rob Bittner Copyright 2010 Booklist
Horn Book Review
In a story based on Celtic and Irish folklore and legends, Mollies brother Thomas has been switched with a changeling child by the spiteful Kinde Folke, and she thinks its all her fault. Guest, the fairy baby, drives Mollies Dadoe away and wearies her Mam to illness, so Mollie takes it upon herself to return Guest to the Kinde Folke and bring her true brother home. On the journey, Mollie and Guest encounter wicked and tricky fairy folk: a Pooka, will-o-the-wisps, and the cruel queen of the Kinde Folke herself. With the help of a mysterious traveler and his obstinate son, Mollie braves temptation and danger, only to find on her arrival in the fairy realm that Thomas does not wish to be saved. She must use all her wits and courage to keep both of her brothers safe from harm. Mollies adventure is exciting, but its her growing relationship with Guest that is most memorable, as Mollie moves from despising the changeling child to feeling compassion for the unlucky creature who was unwanted by his own kind. Mollies sisterly affection toward both Thomas and Guest is her greatest strength and gives the story its heart, while the dangers she faces transform Mollie into a hero worthy of folk- and fairy tales. The storys twists and turnssome predictable, others less soprovide ample opportunity for old legends to mingle with very human concerns about family, growing up, and bravery. sarah berman September/October 2019 p.87(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Book Review
Hahn, that master of middle-grade horror, turns her attention to the fairy folk.Mollie Cloverall loves her baby brother, Thomas. Despite her community's warnings and customs, she can't help but tell him what a good baby he is and how beautiful he is. The Kinde Folke, who are anything but kind, overhear her praise and wait for Mollie to borrow Thomas' iron locket, the only thing keeping him safe. Within moments Thomas has been replaced with a changeling, an ugly, ill-tempered creature who soon wears out Mollie's mother and drives her father away. Mollie decides to take the changeling, whom her mother calls Guest, back from whence he came and bring the real Thomas home. With the help of a mysterious man named Madog, this somewhat-unlikable heroine battles Pookas and other creatures of Celtic lore to win back her brother in spite of her growing affection for Guest. Readers hoping for the chills of Wait Till Helen Comes (1986) will not find them here, but this is a fast-paced, suspenseful, surprising tale of evil fairies and family loyalty. "Travelers" are portrayed as slightly ominous, part-fairy figures despite their status as an actual and marginalized community in Ireland; Mollie's village of Lower Hexham doesn't seem to be based on any real place, but Hahn's afterword places the story within an older, presumably all-white Irish context.A fun and creepy read. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.