In her first foray into middle grade fiction, Alexandra Bracken weaves a magical tale full of wit, heart, and a whole lot of whimsy. Having only previously read Bracken's work for YA, I found myself pleasantly surprised by THE DREADFUL TALE OF PROSPER REDDING. It's a story that I would recommend to both young readers, teens, and adults alike, because it has immense crossover appeal and something for everyone. In my opinion, it's Bracken's best work to date.

[NOTE: Will post a longer, more comprehensive review closer to publication date on my blog]

Prosperity Redding didn't know he had a malefactor living inside him. And he certainly didn't expect his grandmother to try to cut it out of him, using an iron knife in the dungeon in the basement, but he isn't really all that surprised. His grandmother has always been slightly evil, at least to him, and he knew that being a Redding in Redhood meant that not everyone liked him, but this still seemed a little much. Imagine his surprise then when he is whisked away from the evil ceremony by his long lost uncle Baranaby and unknown cousin Nell who have pledged to help him. Because not only is he the unwitting host to a malefactor (Alastor), he will be consumed by him within two weeks if nothing is done. And, all of the families wealth, health, and safety will go with him.

Working with Nell, and trying to stop Alastor's powers from growing, Prosper settles in to his new identity as Ethan White at his new school. While there, Alastor shows him what it would be like to finally fit in, and Prosper tries to remember the deadly consequences that come from such contracts.

This book reminded me at times of both the Beautiful Creatures and Lemony Snickett series. The voice, style, and subject matter would appeal to fans of both those books and storylines. This book is appropriate for students in grades 5-9.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for providing an advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

i received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED it. it was original and interesting. the characters were finely drawn and fleshed out. the plot was both unique and well crafted to maintain engaged interest throughout. my only complaint is that it's the first in a series and the second is forever away.

the dreadful tale of prosper redding is about a young boy named prosperity oceanus redding (props for awesome name) as he becomes host to a demon. prosper's family has broken covenant with this demon and he is out for revenge. prosper's family are mostly assholes. he has a twin sister named prue who actually also seems like a bit of a jerk at the beginning of the book and i don't fully understand yet why he loves her so much. it's possible prosper is just too good of a person (a serious problem for the demon, Alastor, who wants to make a new bargain with him).

i don't want to give too much away but let me just stress that the core cast of characters are really good, the writing is great, the plot is well thought out, and the setting is awesome. i really want to visit Salem, MA now.

excellent book from an author i admire and i heartily recommend it to ages 12 and up.