Well Witched by Frances Hardinge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Delightfully unhinged and creepy.

Three English middle schoolers accidentally awaken an ancient & bewildered god. The horror of it comes on slowly, believably, and is lots of fun.

There are a few different things going on in this book. There's an exploration of how changing times and changing prominent religions alter our understandings and use of the spiritual world, and how the gods can't necessarily keep up! There's a look at childhood friendships and the assumptions kids make about themselves, one another, and their places in the pecking order. There's a look at early adolescents and how they begin to see their parents in a different way than when they were younger. (And more.)

American kid readers may find the beginning a bit slow, especially as they get used to the unfamiliar place names and vocabulary. But the action really picks up about a quarter of the way through and stays heightened until the end.

Not for the highly suggestible, but definitely for fifth graders and up who are ready for a little menacing thrill.

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