"A riveting middle-grade fantasy about sibling bonds, enchanted houses, and encroaching wildness, lyrically told in eerily beautiful prose.

The grass grew taller than the house itself, surrounding it on all sides. It stuffed the keyholes and scraped against the roof. It shook the walls and made paintings shiver.

Seven years ago, the Ballastian sisters’ parents left them in the magical Straygarden Place, a house surrounded by tall silver grass and floating trees. They left behind a warning saying never to leave the house or go into the grass. “Wait for us,” the note read. “Sleep darkly.” Ever since then, the house itself has taken care of Winnow, Mayhap, and Pavonine - feeding them, clothing them, even keeping them company - while the girls have waited and grown up and played a guessing game: Think of an animal, think of a place. Think of a person, think of a face. Until one day, when the eldest, fourteen-year-old Winnow, does the unthinkable and goes outside into the grass, and everything twelve-year-old Mayhap thought she knew about her home, her family, and even herself starts to unravel. With luscious, vivid prose, poet and author Hayley Chewins transports readers to a house where beloved little dogs crawl into their owners’ minds to sleep, sick girls turn silver, and anything can be stolen - even laughter and silence."

A timely tale told lyrically.

A lovely, quiet story of sisters and magic and a house that is a character all its own. Told with beautiful language and heart.

It has been a long time indeed since I have come across such an utterly magical book. This story of three sisters, growing up alone in an enchanted house after the disappearance of their parents, and ultimately searching out the dangerous answers to the mystery of their existence, is stunningly, beautifully written. The plot is one of mystery and magic but the STORY is of family, friendship, fear, despair, loneliness, sacrifice, hope, and finally, redemption.

This is technically a middle grade novel but I assert that anyone, young or old, who wants to immerse themself into a strangely beautiful, impossible wonderful world, will love this book.

A simple middle-grade fantasy about sisters and magic and secrets.

The novel opens up with a "magical" house surrounded by tall, silvery grass and the 3 sisters trapped inside that house, and we start to know more about them, their parents, that house itself and the mysterious grass that surrounds it, and the history of the residents of that house.

The writing style was simple enough to be middle-grade level and yet was poetic a lot of the time, I just had a problem with some of the pacing and they way a plot twist would be introduced and resolved. The ending was a bit childish, but then again, it's a middle-grade novel.

I was actually interested in the magic system, and I think that if it were used in a YA or an adult fantasy novel, I would've loved it a lot more!

I thank Netgalley and Candlewick Press for the digital ARC.

The Sisters of Straygarden Place was a wonderfully atmospheric story about a trio of sisters and the long-held mysteries of the titular place. Perfect for middle grade readers, it was as magical as it was mysterious, as well as sometimes whimsical and also sometimes dangerous. I had a lot of fun reading this book.

From the start, the premise of an isolated house surrounded by tall, magical grass was one that had my interest. I’m a sucker for house stories, and this was very much a house story. I say that because the house of Straygarden Place had as much personality as the characters in the story. It was clear early on that the warnings about the grass weren’t to be taken lightly. The setting might have been limited due to the early setup, but it really served the mysterious and eerie tone of the story. In that way, Chewins’s did a fantastic job of developing the magical aspects of the story. The magic, for instance, had consequences, and it worked so well with the setting.

Overall I enjoyed the story. It was just good. It was a relatively quick read once I got into it, but that wasn’t hard to do. From page one, Mayhap’s voice (as a character) was distinctive. As the middle sister, she seemed to be caught between what her older and younger siblings needed from her—such as when she tried to protect Pavonine and help Winnow by keeping secrets and bending the truth. Mayhap meant well—as proven by what she said and her actions—and it spoke to the type of character she was.

The rest of the characters were just as great and dynamic as Mayhap. Chewins’s development of the characters was only one of the many highlights of the story. The sisters were really the focus of The Sisters of Straygarden Place—I mean, it’s in the title after all—and it showed.

The Sisters of Straygarden Place was a fantastic story. It was the first book I’ve read by Hayley Chewins and it certainly won’t be the last.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Candlewick) via netgalley for this review, thank you!

The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins

Three sisters, Mayhap, Winnow and Pavonine are left alone in a magical house. Their parents are missing and the grass outside is full of strange, dangerous magic. They know not to go there, but Winnow does and she falls ill. Worse still, her droomhund, Evenflee is missing. Without it she’ll be unable to sleep. As Mayhap tries to help her sister Winnow, she finds that everything in life changes forever.
I thought that this book was highly imaginative and an intriguing story. There was some lovely use of poetic language, vivid imagery and lots of magical elements. The theme of the family and longing to be part of one will be a relatable issue for many young readers. The solving of the conflict could have been further developed.
Overall, a magical story that captures the imagination. I recommend this book for the middle grade reader (ages 9-12).
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review, with thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley.

The Sisters of Straygarden place creates a beautiful, atmospheric world in which sisters unravel a mystery. It is an odd, eerie tale with strange characters and happenings. I loved the delicate relationship between the sisters and even the slow-burn of the tale. However, don't expect a wild adventure. This one would be great for the child that loves to immerse themselves into another world.

Mayhap Ballstian and her sisters, Winnow and Pavonine, have lived in Staygarden Place without parents for years. The magic of the house cares for them, making sure to feed them. It's even given them a special creature that appears to be like a dog and enter their brains to help them sleep. There is just one rule; don't leave the house and enter the silver grass.  When Mayhap catches her sister Winnow wandering through the grass, Mayhap soon starts to find things unraveling. 

Hayley Chewins tells such a beautiful story, that it is easy to fall into the prose and be carried along until the very end of the story. While the book is geared towards a teenage audience, the story mater is a times and easily keeps the attention of an adult audience.  The story is filled with magical thinking and even when it grows dark it is still charming.

The Sisters of Straygarden Place is available October 13, 2020.

This was a fun little creepy middle grade novel with some good messages about family and forgiveness. It was definitely weird, but I think I would have loved it as a kid.

The Sisters of Straygarden Place is an intricately written story that has a haunted house, sisters who may not all be sisters, and missing parents.
Everyone who lives in the house (Straygarden Place) has to give up something of themselves and while this sounds doable, it's the keeper of the house that decides what you're giving up. For the sisters, they aren't able to sleep. Not insomnia; their heads are filled with white noise preventing them from sleeping. But the house takes pity on them and provides pets that help them sleep because the house likes them.
When the oldest sister falls ill, the middle sister has to figure out why. But that means going against some of the rules that they've followed since they were young. She has to figure out what the secrets of the house are and if those secrets could be tied up with their missing parents.
The book was such a wonderful read with lots of adventure and a world that really comes alive for the reader.

Hayley Chewins is now officially on my Favorite Authors list. I adored TURNAWAY GIRLS, and I was so excited to be able to read SISTERS OF STRAYGARDEN PLACE early (thanks, Netgalley & Candlewick!). And let's not ignore that COVER!!

This was a risky book, not in the least because it's *strange.* There really is no other way to phrase it. Straygarden Place is a sentient house, surrounded by floating trees, equally sentient silver grass, and white bats. Dogs crawl into their owners' ears at night. The librarian is a mechanical hippopotamus. But despite the strangeness of the world, from the start, I was utterly, utterly convinced by it. Chewins has such a beautiful grasp of language, falling into her world feels like falling into a dream - a beautiful, eerie, slightly dangerous dream. Even the words & names themselves have a lyrical, poetic cadance: wanderroot, droomhund, Mysteriessa, Ballastian, Seekatrix, Evenflee, Mayhap, Winnow, Pavonine, Cygnet, Bellwether, Quiverity.

Don't approach this one expecting a high-octane adventure. It's short, but slow, taking its time to wind through all the wonders of the world. The mystery is perhaps a touch too frantically resolved, but as with the rest of the book, it's more about the *feelings* than the literal events on the page. It's about sisterhood, and belonging, and fear, and the things we can't bring ourselves to say. It's about stolen things, like memories or laughter, and how painful it can be to wake up from a dream.

It's absolutely beautiful.

There's nothing more I can really say, except I want more, more, more of this in middle grade! SISTERS OF STRAYGARDEN PLACE is lyrical magic, and I highly recommend, especially to classrooms where use of language is being explored. 5/5.

trigger warning
<spoiler> child abandonment </spoiler>

Do not leave the house.
Do not go into the grass.
Sleep darkly.
Wait for us.

Three sisters have been left alone in a magical house, waiting for their parents return, when one of them falls ill.

This one does not have a lot of plot, it is more about the atmosphere - and I liked that, was in the mood for it. It's one of those books that are best enjoyed in as few sittings as possible.
You discover first the magic of the house and the relationship between the three sisters, then the nature of the house, which will lead you to what is truly happening.

It didn't felt like I was reading for long, I was intrigued.
I am curious about other works by the same author, and would recommend this book not only to middlegrade readers but also older folk who want a magical journey.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This story conveys so many feelings at once. It's a mix between sadness, hopefulness and fear. Chewins has managed to write a story that feels magical; each sentence have something to it that just make me feel the emotions mentioned above in a weird mix that is both pleasant and not pleasant at the same time - but more leaning towards me really enjoying the story and its characters. The story, the setting and the characters are all very engaging.

We are brought into the story of three sisters: Winnow, Mayhap and Pavonine. They live alone in a magical house that takes care of them. They also have a droomshund each - a creature that helps them rest. Around the house grows tall, silver grass. This grass is also magic, sentient I'd say, and it has the ability to make you disappear or change you - and this is what has happened when the reader enter the story. We follow Mayhap as she tries to make he older sister Winnow well again, and along the way Mayhap finds out more and more about the house itself - and it's all not good.

Another thing I enjoyed is that Chewins hasn't been afraid to use elements of horror in the book even though it is aimed towards a middle grade audience. This sort of eery feeling the magical house gives the reader (and the characters) is so interesting and well-done. Even though the story is fantastical, this feeling of slight dread makes it all the more real in a way - this points to great storytelling from Chewins.

Seven years ago, the Ballastian sisters' parents left them alone in Straygarden Place, a magical house that takes care of the girls' every need. It's surrounded by floating trees and silver grass that has a dangerous edge to it--they're not supposed to go out among it.

But one day, fourteen-year-old Winnow does just that, and it will change everything for the sisters. For twelve-year-old Mayhap, it will also possibly destroy her, but she'll do whatever it takes to save her sister...

This is a lovely story about sisters, what it is to be part of a family, and magic. It's moody and eerie and Chewin's prose is as lyrical and magical as her setting. I read it quickly--the ARC I had was a slim 200 pages--and it read like a lullaby, soothing and quiet. It might not be right for readers looking for a quickly paced and explosive adventure, but there's definitely an audience for gentle, quiet books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing this copy in exchange for a review.

Like many books I enjoy this book is about sisters. I liked the sister bond and thought it was fleshed out nicely. You can see that they care for each other. I can't decide which sister I like more because they all were nice to read about.

One thing I like about books is magic. The magical elements in this particular book revolve around a house where the sisters live. This was  cool and made a fun setting.

I wasn't sure how the plot would go which made it a good experience. There were definitely some good plot twists as well! I will say that it was a bit slow to get into but I think that was more because of the writing than anything.

Overall, I thought this book was an interesting and liked many of the elements that were included. Also, isn't the cover amazing?!

A magical story about sisters and a mysterious house. I really enjoyed this story! It was gothic and mysterious while having an interesting magic system. I liked the plot twist and the ending of the story. Overall a good read and I would definitely recommend

Gorgeous, Moody, and Impossibly Slow

Think of a beautiful, elegantly formed, scented candle. You light the wick and watch the flicker of the flame as it burns; you watch the shadows around the candle dance. Wax runs and drips down the sides making intricate and complex patterns. Gorgeous and romantic and almost hypnotic, yes? Now, sit perfectly still and watch that candle for, say, six hours straight. Ready to pull your hair out yet?

That's the problem here. This book is moody, atmospheric, and elegant. The world of Straygarden is both comforting and menacing. Everything is perfect, and yet off. There's a mystery, though it's hidden in distant, dark corners. However that may be, a full one quarter of the way into the book all we've done is have dinner, have a brief adventure outside, and brush our pets. Half way in you finally get new characters; they generously offer to monologue the reader and the Bastian sisters through the rest of the story. At that point the story becomes complex and fabulous, but it's still just a story that is told to the reader, and told slowly and in tiny bits and pieces. Nothing happens; everything has already happened and just needs to be explained.

I get it; I admire what's being done here. It's poetic and fey. As a short story or novella, with the right sort of illustrations, this would be awesome. But as it is, I have no idea to whom I'd give this. And I'm not sure how many readers would have the patience to soldier on to the middle, and then pay attention until the end. This is a tough one.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

The Sisters of Straygarden Place starts a little bit chaotic and fast-paced and it takes several chapters to dive into the story and start making sense, so maybe for younger readers this would be a little confusing. At least is fun and so easy to read so they won't have any problems to entertain themselves with this book.

There is a haunted house that makes everything easy for the sisters: it cleans itself, prepares meals, changes clothes etcetera. When her parents leave, Mayhap is only five, and she discovers a letter that instructs the sisters:

Do not leave the house.
Do not go into the grass.
Wait for us.
Sleep darkly.

The rules seem simple enough, but what happens when one of the sisters breaks those instructions?

Once you dive into the plot you discover the descriptions are so vivid and the writing style of the author makes it easy to live within the world she has created. There are lots of magical elements to make this a fantasticly dark adventure as it dwelves in topics like sisterhood, magic and secrets, sense of wonder and family.

I'd recommend this book for young readers as older ones might not enjoy this story to the fullest. If you're looking for this topics then go for it.

I love when books begin with a mysterious first line, one that will stick with you as you read and make you wonder.
“The house dressed Mayhap Ballastian in blue on the day her sister disappeared”

So many mysteries to uncover within one line....
Is the house a character within its own right?
Who is Mayhap and why does she have such an interesting name?
Where has her sister gone?

What follows is a dynamic, lyrical book about a house with magical powers, a firm set of rules to follow, missing parents, an ill sister.
Mayhap is the only one determined to find answers and truths to their mystery. Older sister Winnow is ill from the sinister grass that grows around their house, Straygarden Place. Younger sister Pavonine is scared, and Mayhap must work alone.

What she discovers is upsetting and threatens to change everything she knows, turning her sisters against her and forcing herself to make bold and brave choices.

Battling against the Mysteriessa, Mayhap will do anything to protect and save her family.

An intense read, it will make you think, smile and weep. I was drawn in and found myself completely wrapped up in the tale,

This is... an interesting book. The Sisters of Straygarden Place is a mystery that revolves around lost parents, a sick sister, and a magical house surrounded by sinister grass. This is absolutely written for for middle grade readers and anyone beyond that may find themselves a little bored. Regardless, it was still a fun and interesting read.