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titanic's review
1.0
This felt like a typical middle-grade book but I was shocked at how bad it was. It felt like the author was striving for believable characters but really missed the mark multiple times. I personally imagine all four to be aged between ten and eleven, so having them say big words like Ignoramus or speak in full perfect grammar felt odd. I just found it strange that they would say 'they are' instead of 'they're' as most people would. I literally know zero people who speak in long formatted words instead of their shortened versions, especially children.
The writing for me was very choppy and constantly drags me out of my imagination. The ending of every chapter seemed to be a cliff hanger which was exhausting. There was literally nothing exciting about the book, and the moment a female was thought to be living in the house I knew who it would be.
The book also features a lot of hate towards Cat just for being a female. She gets a few comments like how touchy she is because she's a girl, and it's annoying and didn't really feel like it needed to be in there. I get that the author was going for the "boys and girls hate each other uwu" vibe but it was offputting and unnecessary.
The book overall just didn't sit right with me. Maybe it's because I'm a twenty-year-old who's able to spot mistakes better than a nine-year-old would, but the behaviour of the children was stupid. There was the moment when Cat prodded Del(I think?) in the chest with her finger which seemed like such a middle-aged woman move or the fact that they couldn't recognise a joke when Bradley started telling them. Ugh, it was just overall very bad.
Also, I noticed a small mistake in the book, it says that Angus told them that a woman lives there: "There was no other sign of a woman, however.
Or the man for that matter. The room was empty. He told Cat and Del as much. They stood and stared in the window too." yet in the next sentence Cat is shocked that there is more than one person:
"“They must be renovating,” he said.
“They?” Cat grabbed his arm. “Is there more than one?” “A woman, I think,” he replied, indicating the armchair." so maybe this book could have done with a bit of work, as I noticed that straight away yet I'm assuming no one else did.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The writing for me was very choppy and constantly drags me out of my imagination. The ending of every chapter seemed to be a cliff hanger which was exhausting. There was literally nothing exciting about the book, and the moment a female was thought to be living in the house I knew who it would be.
The book also features a lot of hate towards Cat just for being a female. She gets a few comments like how touchy she is because she's a girl, and it's annoying and didn't really feel like it needed to be in there. I get that the author was going for the "boys and girls hate each other uwu" vibe but it was offputting and unnecessary.
The book overall just didn't sit right with me. Maybe it's because I'm a twenty-year-old who's able to spot mistakes better than a nine-year-old would, but the behaviour of the children was stupid. There was the moment when Cat prodded Del(I think?) in the chest with her finger which seemed like such a middle-aged woman move or the fact that they couldn't recognise a joke when Bradley started telling them. Ugh, it was just overall very bad.
Also, I noticed a small mistake in the book, it says that Angus told them that a woman lives there: "There was no other sign of a woman, however.
Or the man for that matter. The room was empty. He told Cat and Del as much. They stood and stared in the window too." yet in the next sentence Cat is shocked that there is more than one person:
"“They must be renovating,” he said.
“They?” Cat grabbed his arm. “Is there more than one?” “A woman, I think,” he replied, indicating the armchair." so maybe this book could have done with a bit of work, as I noticed that straight away yet I'm assuming no one else did.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
janels03's review
5.0
A great book for middle grade children. The story centres around four characters Catrice "Cat", Angus "Mouse" , Del and the class bully Bradley. Cat and Mouse are eleven year old twins who love adventures. Their class teacher asks them what they are going to do for the weekend. As a result Cat, Mouse and Del are bullied into going canoeing by Bradley. It doesn't end well and an even bigger adventure than anticipated takes places. Full of adventure, dilemmas and difficult decision making. Loved the writing style and the characters. Although this was my first book by Karen Lee Field, it won't be my last. I received an advance review copy for free from Booksirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
read247_instyle_inca's review
3.0
I received a review copy from BookSirens and the author in exchange for an honest review.
House on the Hill is an enjoyable middle grade read. Twins Cat and Angus (nickname Mouse) and their friend Del are talked into going for a canoe ride by the school bully, Bradley. What follows is an adventure where imaginations run wild and mature decisions are contemplated. The ending fell a little flat for me, but I still look forward to further Cat and Mouse adventures.
House on the Hill is an enjoyable middle grade read. Twins Cat and Angus (nickname Mouse) and their friend Del are talked into going for a canoe ride by the school bully, Bradley. What follows is an adventure where imaginations run wild and mature decisions are contemplated. The ending fell a little flat for me, but I still look forward to further Cat and Mouse adventures.
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