Charming characters and wonderful descriptions make this magical adventure tale about family, friendship, and figuring out who you are something that I couldn't put down. I loved this story and can't wait to share it with upper elementary school (4th/5th) and middle school readers (6th/7th) who love a blend of fantasy and realistic fiction.

A gorgeously written, imaginative contemporary middle grade fantasy. With its firm grounding in the "real" world and beautiful, but accessible writing, it will definitely appeal to older middle grade and younger YA readers.

I enjoy Alice Hoffman's adult novels, but I found the writing in this to be a little uneven. Enjoyable but not memorable characters in this book will keep readers reading to the end, but it is not a first purchase for a children's library.

Alice Hoffman never ceases to delight her readers. This book is especially geared to younger readers and maintains that sense of mysticism and fantasy that pervade all of her books.
Twig lives in the small town of Sidwell along with her mother and brother, although no one is aware of her brother's existence except them. It appears that an ominous curse was placed on her family some 200 years ago.
There is talk of a monster that dwells in the town also who seems to always be defacing property and causing trouble. The townspeople are always threatening to take that care of that monster once and for all. When new neighbors come to town with 2 daughters, the turbulence begins.
This is an exciting story for my older readers who enjoy being frightened. Yet, the love and loyalty that pervades the pages simultaneously makes it in constant demand.

Twig lives an isolated life until neighbors move in. When the neighbors turn out to be delightful friends, Twig thinks her life could be getting better. Things change when Twig discovers that the new neighbors are really old neighbors, part of a curse that has been haunting her family for centuries. Can Twig break the curse? Just beautiful