I can certainly understand what Lake is going for here. Many middle grade readers love a scary story. It's why books like the Goosebumps series persist. Lake is trying to give us the scare with something more. To go beyond a simple monster tale or a series of jump scares overcome by pluck and stubbornness. This book is trying to elevate. Lily has real problems between chronic illness and an underlying fear that she is no longer enough for her parents. It doesn't take much interpretation to understand that the creatures in her house, while 'real' monsters, are also a stand-in for her problems. They are the physical representation of her personal problems. That makes this book more emotionally complex, perhaps, but rather less scary. This is a book I'd recommend to a kid who wants to explore literary devices more than one looking for a scare.

A young girl goes on an advenrture with animal friends in order to stop the evil spirits that are inhabiting her home and impersonating her parents. Lily is used to hospitals, especially since her recent health issues. When her mother goes into labor and her parents drop her off at her grandmother’s house she forget to bring her important stuffed animal whale, Willo. Lily decides to sneak off to get her stuffed animal, and expecting to find an empty house is surprised to see her parents are home... except they aren’t her parents and they refuse to let her inside. With the help of some new friends, Lily is determined to stop these shadow replacements of her parents... but the question is, is she strong and brave enough to defeat them. This is the perfect book for fans of Coraline! It definitely reminded me of Coraline and the artwork was really cute. I had a fun time reading it and I think it would make a great read for young readers!

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*