The International House of Dereliction by Jacqueline Davies

The International House of Dereliction Reviews

• 
  Faith Elizabeth Hough

  All right, friends, get your pre-order buttons ready. Today I’m reviewing a soon-to-be-released middle grade book which jumped right onto my “Top 10” and “Better at least get a Newbery Honor” lists.
  
  Here’s what the publisher had to say about Jacqueline Kelly’s The International House of Dereliction:
  
  In this not-so-scary ghost story from Jacqueline Davies, bestselling author of the Lemonade War series, quirky, tool-wielding Alice Cannoli-Potchnik begins to repair the dilapidated mansion next door—only to discover the old house is home to ghosts, and they need mending, too!
  Home is where the heart is. But can a house have a heart of its own.
  ​
  Ten-year-old Alice is moving for the eleventh time.
  She’s lived in so many houses, each more broken than the last, that home to Alice is nothing more than a place you fix and then a place you leave. After all, who needs a permanent home when you’re a whiz at fixing things
  But when Alice arrives at her new home, she can’t take her eyes off the house next door, the stately dark house that hulked in the dimming light. The once-grand mansion, now dilapidated and condemned, beckons Alice; it's the perfect new repair job!
  As Alice begins to restore the House to its former splendor, she senses strange presences. Is there a heartbeat coming from the House’s walls? Is someone looking at her? Soon she realizes she’s not alone. Three ghosts have been watching, and they need Alice’s help to solve their unfinished business.
  Will Alice be able to unravel the mysteries of the House and find her forever home ... before it’s too late.
  
  Quirky is the right word! I loved Alice and her eccentric Cannoli-Potchnik family. I loved the lighthearted touch with the ghosts. I love the crazy, old house, and the interesting neighbors. It’s all very eccentric and quirky and lighthearted—and yet. The International House of Dereliction is somehow the most believable portrayal of homeschooling I’ve recently come across in a work of fiction. Alice’s education is clearly well-rounded, but she has immense amounts of freedom to pursue her passions. She repairs the International House by herself, and quite capably—and if this sounds unbelievable to you, I invite you to meet some ten-year-old homeschoolers. Admittedly, I only know a couple who’d be capable of home repair (I do have a few nephews who probably could have accomplished this when they were ten), but I know many who have achieved incredible levels of proficiency at the things they are passionate about.
  
  I’m not saying all homeschoolers are like this. Guess what? There’s some totally average and completely below average homeschoolers, too—just like students you’d find in school. But what makes me excited is to finally see this side of homeschooling represented in a work of fiction. It feels like for many years we’ve been bombarded in fiction with the idea that homeschoolers need to be saved from their social ineptitude by a timely entrance into public school. Are there socially inept homeschoolers? Sure. Are they the majority? Let’s just say I know more homeschoolers who can capably put up drywall at age ten than homeschoolers who are socially inept.
  
  I won’t devote all my review to the positive homeschooling rep, much as I could. But Jacqueline Davies deserves mention of her spectacular characterization, her deftly-handled descriptions, and her perfectly-timed and developed humor. I will never use this comparison lightly: at moments, the humor reminded me of P. G. Wodehouse. And I really can’t give any higher praise.
  
  The International House of Dereliction releases in July, but is available for pre-order now. Be sure to add it to your TBR lists!
• 
  Larissa

  This book has such a lovely message. I love that Alice can look at things and see how she can bring them back to life again. You don’t get to read many books with girls who know enough about construction that they feel confident enough to take one rebuilding a house. Books that portray girls in roles we don’t always see them in make my heart happy. Anyone can truly be anything if they have a passion for it. This book just touches my heart. Finding a house that is haunted and trying to do everything not only to bring the house back to life, but also figure out how to help all its ghostly residents. This is just a heart-warming tale. I think kids are really going to enjoy it, and I look forward to recommending it, especially with Halloween coming up. Though to be honest this book is one I could easily recommend year-round.
  Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.
• 
  Ms. Yingling

  E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
  
  Alice Cannoli-Potchnik is being raised in a small college town where her mother is a professor and her father is a building inspector. The college provides housing, and because the father is so good about renovating properties, the family is shuttled from one decrepit domicile to another. Alice is "unschooled", which means she is left on her own to pursue her own passion projects, checking in with the college library when she needs resources. When another move approaches, Professor Cannoli decides that moving so frequently is bad for Alice, and that the family will not renovate the property. While investigating her new surroundings, Alice notices that the property next door has been condemned. Still intrigued, she goes inside and notices that lovely fire place with Delft tiles. As a new project, she decides to replace the tiles and refurbish the woodwork, skills she has acquired helping her father. She also uses some windfall from a family garage sale to replace crystals in the chandelier. There are odd sounds in the house, and she soon hears voices. The house is pleased with her and gives its blessing to her projects, something she learns from a variety of spirits who dwell within the house. There's Ivy, a six year old who passed aways suddenly before a big trip; Mugwort, a Revolutionary War era soldier who fought with George Washington but died in his bed; and Danny, a computer science major who died in 1972 without letting Jenny, the love of his life, know of his emotions. They teach Alice about all of the ways that spirits can be trapped and unable to move on, and Alice helps them figure out what is holding them back. She finds computer punch cards, gets help retrieving the love poems from them, which she manages to deliver to Jenny, who happens to be a visiting professor at the college, in the nick of time. Danny moves on. She uncovers information about Mugwort's history, and directs him to make amends for his wartime profiteering by donating money to a Soldier's Home as well as the local cemetary. Ivy has a library book that wasn't returned, and just as Alice is about to search for it, word comes that the house is going to be torn down. Ivy thinks the book might be in the attic, but there is another spirit in the house, The Fury, who doesn't want to let Alice and Ivy investigate the attic. Alice needs to fight the spirit, who has an intriguing connection to her own family, and send Ivy on her way before the house is demolished, and also find a way for her family to stop being moved to different residences.
  Strengths: I rather enjoyed reading this one since I'm a fan of old houses and their history, and the ghosts and the mission to send them to the light were well developed. Alice's sense of ability and agency is great to see, even if it hurt my feelings that all of her hard work to restore bits of the house was undone! The ghosts are all a bit scattered, but manage to retrieve important information about their backgrounds in order for Alice to help them move along, and her dedication to them was heartwarming. The bits of history, especially about the computer punch cards, were fun. There's a lot of figurative language and rich descriptions in this, which I don't remember from Davies' other books like Nothing But Trouble (2016) or The Lemonade War (2007) series.
  Weaknesses: This had a quirky, almost British feel to it, something like Raskin's The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel). Also, I'm pretty sure that small colleges don't operate the way that this one does and that the Cannoli-Potchniks wouldn't have survived very long in their almost condemned house.
  What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like a quirky, house-centered story like West's The Shadows or O'Reilly's The Secret of Goldenrod. I'm not sure that my students will pick it up, since they are adamant that ghosts should be murderously gory. More astute and nuanced readers who would themselves be successful at unschooling might enjoy this more.
• 
  Renae Peña

  Thank you NetGalley for the digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Alice and her father have the shared hobby of home repair. This hobby has created beautiful homes for them in the past, but has also forced them to move often. Eleven times in ten years to be exact. When the family learns that the college will be relocating them to another part of the campus, Alice's mother declares that they will not be renovating another house. At least not until the college provides them with a forever home. For Alice and her father, not fixing broken items is an impossible feat. Yet despite the leaky roof, rotten floors, a non-working oven, Alice's mom is firm. No renovations.
  
  While the ban is hard at first, it is not the current house that has Alice's attention, but the house next door. Alice cannot explain it, but she feels drawn to the house and decides that she will renovate it. Once inside, she learns that it is not only the house that needs help, but the ghosts inside need her help as well. There are four reasons why ghosts cannot move on. Will Alice discover those reasons and help the ghosts make amends in time?
  
  This story is full of whimsy and suspense. The Connoli-Potchnik family is so cute and quirky. What I especially loved about this story is that Alice is unschooled, a homeschooling methodology where the student decides what they will study. Usually the depiction of homeschooling leans heavy on the stereotypes of the awkward homeschooler with no friends. Alice is very smart, very capable, and is very loved among most of the professors at the college campus where she has free-reign.
  
  I did not want this story to end and I cannot wait to share this story with my daughter during the spooky season! She loves ghost stories but does not love being afraid. This book will be in our home library the moment it is published!
• 
  Valerie McEnroe

  Intriguing book in the beginning. Catchy opening. Quirky family. Endless possibilities. When the plot finally emerges, it stalls.
  
  Alice's mother is a college professor. Her father is a building inspector. She's inquisitive like her mother, a fixer like her father. She especially loves fixing houses, which works out well since the college is constantly moving them from one run-down property to another. And since her parents have decided to unschool her, she has plenty of time to explore the run-down International House of Dereliction next door.
  
  It begins with a little exploring. A subtle heartbeat. An illegal entry. A little fixing here. A little fixing there. And finally, an unexpected encounter with the spirits stuck in the house. Ivy. Mugwort. Dandelion. They are Past Dues, spirits who have unfinished business which prevents them from moving on. Since the house is condemned, time is of the essence. It's up to Alice to help these spirits recall their past so they can finish their unfinished business and move on.
  
  The unique build-up in the beginning falls flat when Alice's parents fade into the background. I found them to be the most interesting characters in the book. The spirits are ho-hum, the in and out college staff even more so. The plot is nothing new. The interesting cover may garner some takers, but overall, not a stand out book.
• 
  Spades DeLuca

  Is cozy horror a thing? If so, this would be solidly part of that genre. You get a fuzzy blanket-esque story with a touch of horror/ghost story aspects without the night terror hangover. Considering this book's expected release is smack dead in the center of summer vacation, I feel it's campfire read potential is absolute chef's kiss.
  
  You get a story of young Alice, an extraordinary girl with extraordinary adventures ahead of her. Her family moves for the umpteenth time [insert gags and icks from those who moved around alot during childhood and know the struggle well], landing them squarely in paranormal territory. With a much less scary variation of the Monster House story you might remember from the movie, the house is alive and due to our MCs kindness decides she's worthy of an amazing gift. Now Alice can see the ghosts that haunt it's halls. Queue the slight character development (they've passed so they have kind of already reached their final evolutions aside from crossing over fully) and backstories of these characters that tug at all the heartstrings.
  
  This would be a great addition to any Cozy Horror sections of your library, especially if it's going to be shared and enjoyed by the family.
• 
  Becca Hines

  Ten-year-old Alice is moving, again. She's lived in so many houses, she can't keep track! But that's ok, when you are a Cannoli-Potchnik, fixing things is what you do. When her newest residence takes her next door to a once-grand mansion named the International House, Alice can't help but feel drawn to it. Using all her skills, and a little help from some unlikely inhabitants, Alice will learn what love is all about.
  
  I absolutely adored this book. It wasn't very long (for an adult) and younger me would have been head over heals with the story. There are ghosts in this story, but they are not scary. There is no discussion of an afterlife either, just a comment that ghosts disappear. I was put off a little at first when the story mentioned Alice unschools because yes, Alice is well read, smart and clearly capable, some things you need to go to school for. Just a point of contention but nothing to keep me from loving the overall story.
• 
  Carlee Miller

  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital advanced copy. Alice is 10 years old and participates in unschooling, in which she chooses what she learns and reports back to her parents on it. In this book, her parents are moved to another dilapidated house in their small college town because that is a condition of her mother being a professor. Alice becomes curious about the house next door, and the opportunity to fix it up, as she has learned how to fix many things alongside her father. She discovers ghosts and sets about helping them make up for their unfinished business. This is not a super cutesy ghost book, but is still kid appropriate and I really enjoyed it. It has a happy ending, and I also appreciated the focus on family heritage and what we inherit and learn from the people we love.
• 
  MBenzz

  This was a pretty solid middle-grade ghost story, and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't too over-the-top with the ghost stuff, and the characters were all likable and sympathetic.
  
  Alice is a very bright and curious child who lives on a college campus with her parents. Her mother is a Professor, and her father is a building inspector who loves fixing up old houses. Her family life was so beautifully drawn, and you could tell just how much this little family loves one another.
  
  The story of the derelict house next door unravels slowly, and some young readers may become bored with the lack of excitement in some places, but I thought it was well done and believable.
  
  Overall, I enjoyed this story and would absolutely recommend it to young readers who are into ghosts and history. I'm glad I gave this shot.
• 
  Jame_EReader

  Thank you @bookopolis and @harpercollinschildren as power reviewer. My son took this book from the TBR pile and read it in a day.
  
  My son’s👦🏻review.
  
  I always stay away from books with ghost and paranormal, but I have decided to change my genre this time. Guess what!? I actually like it and this is such an easy-read. Alice and her determination to help the ghost to finish the unfinished business is inspiring. I like the mystery part and it’s actually written very well. It was easy to follow the story and the plot was interesting. Surprisingly I really liked and enjoyed this book even though it’s not my favorite genre, so that means it’s really a great book!
• 
  Dawn

  Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an eARC for review.
  
  Alice's mother owned a podium. This was not the strangest thing She owned but it was by far the most aye-catching.
  
  The opening sentences really drew me in. I enjoyed the quirky-ness of the family members.I also loved all the bits of good advice from the characters. Alice is a strong female character who is very determined to help her friends in need.
  
  I will definitly be recommending this book to my students who love a good mystery.
• 
  Meghan

  I received an ARC of this title. It reminded me of "Under the Whispering Door," but for children, which is the highest compliment I can think to give. It is cozy throughout with mystery and tension in all the right places. The lessons it provided are nuanced enough to give the story an older, more sophisticated feeling, but not so nuanced as to be in accessible to its target audience. This story is full of heart, unique ideas, and whimsy. I highly recommend this title for kids (or anyone!) who are fans of titles like "Ravenfall," "The Winterborne Home" series, or the "Winterhouse" series.
• 
  Engel Dreizehn

  ARC Copy...this is the first book I have read from Davies and I liked it. An air of mystery and...obviously family is an important theme in the narrative.
• 
  Christina

  A really adorable and heart warming ghost story.
• 
  Carrie

  It's a somewhat quiet book, but it would be a good choice for kids who like a non-scary ghost story or books about girls who are handy and resourceful.
• 
  Clay

  Enjoyable gentle middle grade about Alice who helps the ghosts trapped in the ruined house next door finish their unfinished business.
• 
  Taylor | Benter’s Bookshelf

  I loved this book! The perfect slightly spooky and mysterious story. Reading this was a breeze! Everything flowed so smoothly and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.