As children grow older they often start to analyze their family. Literature for older readers reflects this, and may feature strange and eccentric families.  Books like Matilda and A Series of Unfortunately Events highlight what it feels like to be a misfit or have a family that doesn’t fit the norm.  This month I’ve selected a book to celebrate the unique and hidden features that unite families.

Flood and FangFlood and Fang (The Raven Mysteries, #1) by Marcus Sedgwick 

Meet the wonderfully weird Otherhand family and their faithful guardian, Edgar the raven, along with the dark secrets of Castle Otherhand. One day Edgar notices something lurking under the castle walls. He tries to warn the family but Lord Valevine Otherhand is busy trying to invent unthinkable things; his wife, Minty, is absorbed in her odd baking projects; and ten-year-old Cudweed is running amok with the pet monkey. Only Solstice, the poetic Otherhand daughter, seems to pay any attention. As the lower stories of the castle begin mysteriously to flood and people go missing, the family comes ever closer to the lurking intruder.  This playful and gothic series from across the pond is a real page turner.   A great blend of family drama and spooky suspense resulting in pleasure reading at its best.

Ages 8-12, grades 3-6

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